Did you know that you’re supposed to eat 320-420mg of magnesium a day!
The National Health and Medical Research Council has recommended these amounts for adult females and males to meet a minimum intake of magnesium. So let’s look at some foods that can help you reach that goal!
There are actually a lot of foods that contain magnesium.
Most
- green vegetables
- legumes
- peas
- beans and
- nuts
The early signs of magnesium insufficiency include:
- headaches
- not handling stress well
- irritability
- increased blood pressure
- maybe constipation
- increased feelings of stress and/ or anxiety
- muscle twitches
- cramping
So how can we ensure we’re eating enough? If you take a look at the list below, you’ll see the wide variety of magnesium containing foods. We can put together several high magnesium foods with this list to have a few stress-busting go-to’s.
For instance, you could make a bowl of porridge, topped with pumpkin seeds, peanut butter and a bit of dark chocolate - that’s 160mg right there! Now imagine if you also added banana? That’s a great way to start off the day, plus you have added fibre and you’ve hit one serve of fruit and seeds for the day. This meal is so filling!
What about lunch or dinner? Simple! Take your source of protein, beef, chicken, salmon, black beans; add your vegetables and a bit of potato. Let’s see - salmon, carrot, potato, broccoli, and spinach. That totals to 166mg. Now for a female, just these two meals have already hit the recommended daily intake. You just have to know your foods and eating to support your health becomes that little bit easier. What about a vegetarian meal? Black beans, rice, avocado, carrot, spinach (plus some other bits)....231mg!!
With those excellent examples, and this awesome list, you can put together several meals to help support you when you know you need it. Learning about how your body responds to food, and what’s in your food is one of the most empowering keys for healthcare you have. If all else fails, you can always call on a loved one to give you a supercharged massage with our Mg2+ cream!
Cleveland Clinic has kindly put together this list for us!
- Pumpkin seed - kernels: Serving Size 1 oz, 168 mg
- Almonds, dry roasted: Serving Size 1 oz, 80 mg
- Spinach, boiled: Serving Size ½ cup, 78 mg
- Cashews, dry roasted: Serving Size 1 oz, 74 mg
- Pumpkin seeds in shell: Serving Size 1 oz, 74 mg
- Peanuts, oil roasted: Serving Size ¼ cup, 63 mg
- Cereal, shredded wheat: Serving Size 2 large biscuits, 61 mg
- Soymilk, plain or vanilla: Serving Size 1 cup, 61 mg
- Black beans, cooked: Serving Size ½ cup, 60 mg
- Edamame, shelled, cooked: Serving Size ½ cup, 50 mg
- Dark chocolate -60-69% cacao: Serving Size 1 oz, 50 mg
- Peanut butter, smooth: Serving Size 2 tablespoons, 49 mg
- Bread, whole wheat: Serving Size 2 slices, 46 mg
- Avocado, cubed: Serving Size 1 cup, 44 mg
- Potato, baked with skin: Serving Size 3.5 oz, 43 mg
- Rice, brown, cooked: Serving Size ½ cup, 42 mg
- Yogurt, plain, low fat: Serving Size 8 oz, 42 mg
- Breakfast cereals fortified: Serving Size 10% fortification, 40 mg
- Oatmeal, instant: Serving Size 1 packet, 36 mg
- Kidney beans, canned: Serving Size ½ cup, 35 mg
- Banana: Serving Size 1 medium, 32 mg
- Cocoa powder– unsweetened: Serving Size 1 tablespoon, 27 mg
- Salmon, Atlantic, farmed: Serving Size 3 oz, 26 mg
- Milk: Serving Size 1 cup, 24–27 mg
- Halibut, cooked: Serving Size 3 oz, 24 mg
- Raisins: Serving Size ½ cup, 23 mg
- Chicken breast, roasted: Serving Size 3 oz, 22 mg
- Beef, ground, 90% lean: Serving Size 3 oz, 20 mg
- Broccoli, chopped & cooked: Serving Size ½ cup, 12 mg
- Rice, white, cooked: Serving Size ½ cup, 10 mg
- Apple: Serving Size 1 medium, 9 mg
- Carrot, raw: Serving Size 1 medium, 7 mg
The magnesium that is naturally present in food is not harmful and does not need to be limited. Magnesium in dietary supplements and medications should not be consumed in amounts above the upper limit, unless recommended by a healthcare provider. Cramps and diarrhoea are common side effects. Supplements should not replace a balanced diet.
References:
https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/magnesium
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15650-magnesium-rich-food
