Dear Somatisers,

One of our nerdiest joys is reading research papers on cacao and the way it works in our bodies. We hope that, in our emails, we’ve painted a picture of what your daily cup(s) of Soma is doing in your body:

• antioxidants scrubbing free radicals from your blood;
• fibre nourishing the digestive soldiers in your gut;
• theobromine toning your cardiovascular system;
• PEA and anandamide balancing and sweetening your mood;
• iron oxygenating the blood, zinc rejuvenating your immune system;
•  oleic acid balancing cholesterol and fuelling your brain;
• and so and so on and so on.

Today we want to add one more brush stroke to your understanding of the masterpiece that is your daily Soma. That brushstroke is magnesium.

Magnesium is an essential mineral and a biochemical cofactor, which means it helps enzymes do their job. (Enzymes, for the record, are proteins that speed up the chemical reactions required for our body to function).

Most importantly, magnesium is necessary for cellular energy metabolism. All of our cells use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as fuel, and ATP is only biologically available when it’s bound to magnesium. Which means that, without magnesium, your body can’t access its own energy.

Magnesium also does the work of competing with calcium in muscles and nerve cells. Calcium triggers muscles to contract, while magnesium helps them relax after. Magnesium helps prevent cramps (including menstrual cramps), spasms, and other painful things.

Magnesium regulates neurotransmitters, blocking some glutamate channels (this prevents overstimulation) and promoting the production of GABA (which calms us) and serotonin (which makes us feel nice and helps us sleep).

These are just three of the three hundred processes magnesium is involved in. It’s also hard at work in your heart, your brain, your bones, your blood, your immune system, your nervous system - magnesium is a lovely little manager that organises all sorts of stuff for you.

Just as you don’t drink a cup of Farmer John or Farmer Josué each morning, but John and Josué helped get your morning cacao to you, magnesium helps make good things happen.

On that note, the average morning Soma (made with 30g of cacao) contains about 150mg of magnesium, which is 40-50% of your daily magnesium needs (RDI for a woman is 300mg, for a man 400mg). Cacao is nature’s second richest source of magnesium. The only richer source of magnesium is pumpkin seeds, but we pity anyone who sits on their balcony in the morning sipping a warming cup of pumpkin seeds.

Other excellent sources of magnesium are nuts, seeds, legumes, avocados, and leafy greens.

Research suggests that between 50% and 80% of Westerners are deficient in magnesium. Eating processed foods, eating the wrong foods, and eating foods farmed in depleted soils all reduce our magnesium intake, while stress, drinking too much alcohol, and some medications drain our magnesium stores.

Magnesium deficiency contributes to poor sleep, anxiety, irritability, low energy and fatigue, poor muscle recovery, and increases risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, hypertension, and diabetes.

No one eating a healthy diet need be deficient in magnesium. A cup of Soma each day, some nuts, some greens, and a banana, and, pine nut pesto! You’re there. It’s also easy to find magnesium supplements, or put magnesium salts in your evening bath.

We hope this finds you happy, calm, healthy, full of magnesium, and well-stocked on Soma. If not, please keep reading.

With mesquite (50mg of magnesium) and oat milk (20mg),