“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

Buddha clearly had not heard of the Brisbane pub offering $20 all-you-eat nuggets every Saturday when he penned this quote. But of course, he didn’t land his ‘the enlightened one’ epithet for his binge-eating habits or cluttered mind.

We’re not suggesting you stop eating processed food and devote your life to meditation and quiet contemplation (that would be far too simple). But if you, like over 2 million Australians, have anxiety, then there is one macro-mineral that may help.

Magnesium may be the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body – with around 60% of it found in your bones – but studies suggest that about 50% of people in the US and Europe get less than the recommended daily amount.

Magnesium is often thought of an the original chill pill. According to a blog post by Emily Deans, a US psychiatrist, magnesium can be used as a home remedy for ails like “anxiety, apathy, depression, headaches, insecurity, irritability, restlessness, talkativeness, and sulkiness.”

In Wacker and Parisi’s New England Journal of Medicine (1968), it was reported that magnesium deficiency could cause “depression, behavioural disturbances, headaches, muscle cramps, seizures, ataxia, psychosis, and irritability” – all reportedly reversible with magnesium repletion. Now that’s a bold statement if ever I read one, but if anxiety causes us to chew through our natural stores of magnesium faster than a thirsty merc – and we can eat our way back to normalcy – then I’m listening.

Below are a few Magnesium-filled diet inclusions for you to try out:

Spinach

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Kale

Bok Choy

Romaine lettuce

Raw cacao nibs and/or unsweetened cocoa powder

Avocados

Seeds and nuts

Fatty fish

Watermelon

Bananas

Oatmeal

Yoghurt

Disclaimer: This writer is not a health-care professional. This article is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider.