Magnesium Deficiency is Taking Over

Why Most Americans Lack Vital Minerals in Their Diets

The Magnesium Deficiency Across the Country

Magnesium supports over 300 chemical reactions in the body. It regulates sleep, mood, digestion, muscle function, and stress response. But it’s missing in more children than we realize. Ravina Thomas, a certified Ontario educator with a Master’s in Education and advanced training in functional medicine, specializing in the connection between behavior, gut health, and nutrition. sees this daily. She helps families understand what’s really going on beneath their child’s behavior. Often, it starts with what’s missing.

“We have this epidemic of all of us who are magnesium deficient because we're not getting enough of magnesium,” she says. “And magnesium in itself feeds into over 300 reactions within the body.”

The symptoms don’t always scream deficiency. Sometimes it’s tightness in the muscles. Sometimes it’s sleep issues or frequent meltdowns. Often, it’s just a child who feels “off”and a parent who’s out of answers.

Why You Might Be Low on Magnesium

Modern diets have adapted to industrialization and processing regimes. Although not explicitly harmful, it creates gaps in our diets since we formally received most natural minerals from food that was grown in our soil, specifically top soil.

“Magnesium is actually found in soil and our topsoil is eroding,” Ravina explains. “So then we have this epidemic of all of us who are magnesium deficient because we're not getting enough.”- Ravina Thomas, Functional Nutrition Practitioner

What Magnesium Deficiency Looks Like

Magnesium helps produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates mood and promotes a sense of well-being. Serotonin then converts into melatonin, which helps the body sleep.

“Over 70% of our serotonin, which is our feel-good hormone, is actually made in our gut. And serotonin actually in our body is converted into melatonin. And melatonin is what helps us stay asleep.”- Ravina Thomas, Functional Nutrition Practitioner

If a child doesn’t have enough magnesium, they can’t make enough serotonin—or melatonin. That means more mood swings. More restlessness. And less quality sleep.

“So if we don't have enough serotonin, we're probably going to have a child who's not only unhappy but a child who's not sleeping well.”

This deficiency can also lead to constipation, muscle aches, and emotional reactivity, symptoms that are often labeled as behavioral, but may actually be biological.

Food Isn’t the Fix Unless It’s Properly Absorbed

Many families assume their child is fine because they eat vegetables or take a multivitamin. Ravina cautions against that assumption. Unfortunately, suddenly changing your diet to what you deem is healthy may not be enough. Everybody’s body is different and you need to find a way for yours to adjust to food nutrient absorption. Even healthy diets fall short. Sugar, stress, and gut inflammation speed up magnesium depletion. And few doctors test for it unless symptoms are extreme. Ravina confirmed this and quoted that

“Just because you eat good food doesn’t mean that you’re absorbing it… You are what you’re absorbing…there's this misconception out here that if we're eating all the right food, we're gonna feel optimal. And if you're not, we need to look at digestion”

The issue often isn’t intake necessarily, it’s absorption. Gut health determines whether food turns into fuel or passes through unused. Leaky gut, low stomach acid, or dysbiosis block the body’s ability to absorb minerals like magnesium. Many children (and adults)  are eating well. But they’re still tired, anxious, or constipated—because their bodies aren’t absorbing the nutrients they need.

What Functional Medicine Does Differently

Rather than managing symptoms, Ravina starts by identifying the root causes nutritional, physiological, and environmental.

“What I do now is I help parents understand what's really going on with their child. But I also support them. Because when you're exhausted and second-guessing yourself and trying to keep up with everyone else's advice, it's a lot. And I've been there.”

Instead of calorie counts or one-size-fits-all food pyramids, functional medicine looks at each child’s unique biology, environment, and needs. Magnesium is often one of the first things she investigates.

What to Try Before You Supplement

Start with food. Ravina recommends introducing magnesium-rich whole foods into the child’s diet first. Almonds, pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, avocados, bananas, and black beans all provide meaningful amounts.

Baking apples with cinnamon, blending spinach into smoothies, or sprinkling seeds over oatmeal are easy ways to work it in.When food isn’t enough, supplements may help, but only short-term and with the right form.

“If that’s not enough, we might have to look at supplements later on in a short term to be able to fill those nutritional gaps.”

Organic forms of magnesium, such as magnesium citrate and magnesium lactate, have been shown to be more bioavailable than inorganic forms like magnesium oxide or sulfate (Institute of Medicine, 1997). 

Why This Isn’t Just About Magnesium

Magnesium is often the first domino in a larger progression. Functional medicine traces most chronic symptoms back to one of four root issues: nutrient deficiencies, gut dysfunction, systemic inflammation, or autoimmune reaction. We have to understand that gut health and functional nutrition is an individual journey to be nurtured. Ravina claims that this misunderstanding is a leading cause of disease.

“Nutrient deficiencies are actually the etiology of disease in functional medicine.”

That’s why treating magnesium early matters. If it's overlooked, the system compensates for a while, until it can't anymore.

Want to see more insights from Ravina? See “Why Honey is Dangerous for Babies.”