Foods High in Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral for body metabolism. It carries two positive charges (divalent cation). Magnesium plays a major role in muscle contractions, bone and tooth health, nervous system, circulatory system and protein metabolism. In fact, it is a co-factor for more than 300 enzymatic reactions. Magnesium is present in bone (about 50 percent), blood (one percent), tissues and organs. In the human body, magnesium and potassium are the most abundant minerals.

In spite of the fact that magnesium is essential for normal bodily functions, majority of us are not aware about the importance of this mineral. That is why, magnesium is often referred to as a 'forgotten mineral'.

Magnesium Deficiency

An adult man requires 400 mg magnesium per day, whereas an adult female needs 300 mg magnesium daily. Lack of magnesium or magnesium deficiency can affect almost all the body organs, resulting in various health complications. Some notable complications of magnesium deficiency are muscle soreness, muscle cramps and smooth muscle contraction (constipation, photophobia). The central and peripheral nervous system can also be affected that may cause restlessness, insomnia, hyperactivity, numbness and a tingling sensation.

Foods High in Magnesium

According to a survey conducted, it is found that many people do not receive the minimum and/or recommended daily dose of magnesium. It is necessary for everyone to include magnesium in the diet plan, so as to avoid the health risks of magnesium deficiency. It is not mandatory that one should rely on magnesium supplements, as there are many foods that are rich in magnesium. Let's take a look at foods that contain high magnesium.

The best sources of magnesium are the green leafy vegetables. It is due to the fact that chlorophyll that imparts green color in vegetables contains magnesium. Some magnesium rich vegetables are spinach, artichoke, any type of beans (black, kidney, navy, pinto etc), tomatoes, broccoli, peas, cornmeal, lentils, okra, seeds (pumpkin, squash), soybeans, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Grains and grain products like barley, oat bran, buckwheat and wheat flour are rich sources of magnesium. It is to be noted that well-refined grains contain less amount of magnesium in comparison to unrefined, whole grains. During grain refining, the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed, resulting in loss of the mineral.

Magnesium is also found in higher amount in fruits especially artichokes, banana and figs. Other magnesium rich foods include nuts and dairy products. Nuts like almonds, cashews and pine nuts contain high amount of magnesium. Dairy products such as milk and yogurt are also rich sources of magnesium.

If you are fond of fish, you can also include fish halibut (a type of flat fish) and tuna in the diet plan to increase the intake of magnesium. Hence, for meeting the daily requirements of magnesium, one should consume a wide variety of legumes, whole grains and nuts. In case, you are conscious about your weight, you can include more vegetables, instead of nuts and grains.

Though, calcium is another essential mineral, it is found to be a magnesium antagonist. To be precise, consuming too much of calcium rich foods, compared to magnesium rich foods, may lower the level of magnesium in the body. Hence, one should balance the intake of foods rich in calcium and magnesium.