Our diets are providing less magnesium than they used to. The composition of what we eat and the quality of our foods has drastically changed over the past hundred years, and this has made it difficult for even the most health-conscious Canadians to get enough magnesium. Magnesium is involved in many processes throughout the body. Overstimulating these processes will result in an increase in our magnesium requirements. For instance, when we suffer from high stress, our body produces a hormone protein called cortisol. Producing and regulating this hormone means spending and excreting more magnesium. High-sugar diets also cause more magnesium to be used.