Magnesium Rich Foods

Magnesium is a vital element in maintaining good health. An average adult needs about 300 to 400 milligrams of magnesium daily. Being the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, it is mostly found in bones and teeth, and is needed to perform various functions like maintaining normal blood pressure, metabolism rate and heart rate, keeping bones strong, preserving a healthy immune system, regulating blood sugar levels, and production of protein. Lack of this mineral in the body, or deficiency of magnesium is known to cause health problems such as:

• Insomnia
• High blood pressure
• Muscle cramps
• Osteoporosis
• Hyperactivity
• Panic attacks

The easiest way to deal with these magnesium deficiency symptoms is to include magnesium rich foods in your diet.

What Are Magnesium Rich Foods?

Magnesium rich foods are foods that contain high amounts of magnesium. The following is a list of magnesium rich foods. Including these foods, rich in magnesium, in your regular diet can be extremely crucial if you are showing magnesium deficiency symptoms.

• Green Leafy Vegetables: Vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce contain high amounts of magnesium. So who says cartoons don't teach you anything useful? After all, it was Popeye who taught almost all of us to eat spinach.
• Whole Grains: Switching from white flour to barley, cornmeal, or oat bran is a great way to include magnesium in your diet. Whole wheat bread and rice also contain high amounts of magnesium.
• Nuts: Nuts such as walnuts, cashews, almonds, peanuts, Brazil nuts, and pine nuts are a great source of magnesium rich foods. Read about the nutritional value of nuts.
• Beans: Including black beans, white beans, soya beans, and lima beans in your diet is a tasty and inexpensive way of including magnesium in your diet.
• Fish: Fish has a high amount of magnesium present in it. Halibut is a great choice for including not only magnesium, but also other nutrients like proteins and vitamins.
• Fruits: Some fruits like bananas, avocados, apricots, and raisins also figure prominently in foods containing magnesium.
• Tomato Paste: The easiest and most inexpensive way of including magnesium in your diet is by cooking your meat or vegetables in tomato paste.
• Desserts: Including magnesium rich foods in your diet does not mean eating only boring things like spinach and beans. Yummy deserts such as chocolate pudding, milk chocolates, and candy bars are also a good source of magnesium. This is definitely a better (and tastier!) way of including magnesium in your diet, as compared to taking extra nutritional supplements for magnesium.
• Spices: This is a great way of not only adding flavor to your dish, but also including magnesium in your food. Spices such as paprika, basil, peppermint, parsley, and lemongrass contain high amount of magnesium.
• Dairy Products: Almost all dairy products constitute foods high in magnesium. Skimmed yogurt and milk are the best options in dairy products containing magnesium.
• Pumpkins: Pumpkins are the richest source of magnesium in fruits.
• Drinks:: Drinks like cocoa and coffee are an important source of magnesium, and are also easy to include in your diet.
• Tap Water: Consuming tap water is a great way of including magnesium in your daily diet. However, if the area in which you reside has soft water, then magnesium will be present only in trace amounts.

This magnesium rich foods list should give you an idea of the various kinds of foods that are rich in magnesium. It is important to include these foods in your daily diet, as magnesium performs some very important functions in the body.

Magnesium Rich Foods For Kids

If you want to include magnesium in your kids diet, then here are some simple foods which will not only contain the necessary element, but will also serve as great snacks for your kids!

• An all time favorite snack of children is peanut butter jelly sandwich, in which peanut butter is a great source of magnesium. In the sandwich, try using whole wheat bread instead of regular bread.
• Pasta is a great quick-fix snack for kids. Serving whole wheat Italian pasta instead of regular pasta provides kids with the necessary element.
• Making burritos, but, with a healthy filling of tomatoes and beans is a great way of including magnesium, and still having a tasty meal.
• Including nuts and raisins in breakfast cereals will make it a magnesium rich and healthy breakfast.

In the United States, most people suffer from a deficiency of magnesium due to their unhealthy diet of processed and refined foods. Therefore, including these magnesium rich foods in your diet is a good way of staying healthy and fit.