My 10 Favorite High Magnesium Foods

Magnesium is one crucial nutrient required for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It organizes many bodily functions, including muscle control, energy production, electrical impulses and the elimination of harmful toxins.

It prevents premature aging, reduces aches and pain, lowers your risk of diabetes… and much more. That’s quite a lot!

An estimated 80 percent of Americans are deficient in this important mineral and the health consequences of a deficiency may be more far-reaching than we’ve imagined. Magnesium deficiencies contribute to today’s high rates of heart disease, stroke, arthritis, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, digestive disorders as well as mental illness.

A study published in BMC Bioinformatics found that your body has 3,751 magnesium binding sites. Because your body requires and uses magnesium for so many different functions.

 You can quickly become low in magnesium, especially if you are not consuming
enough high magnesium foods.

The amount of magnesium required daily for adults according to the NIH (1) is 310 mg for women 400 mg for men.

Health Benefits of Magnesium Include:

• Reduces Risk for Diabetes
• Helps Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases
• Supports Detoxification
• Regulates High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
• Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Signs You Many Not Be Getting Enough Magnesium

There’s no lab test that will give you a truly accurate reading of the magnesium status in your tissues. Only one percent of magnesium in your body is distributed in your blood, making a sample of magnesium from a blood test inaccurate. While there are some tests your doctor can use they typically need to evaluate them in conjunction with the symptoms you exhibit.

Early signs of magnesium deficiency:

• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Fatigue and weakness
• Poor digestion
• Blood sugar imbalance
• Poor sleep
• Muscle twitching and or leg cramps
• Short-term memory gaps
• Chest pains
• Painful menstruation for women
• Irregular heartbeat
• Depression

If you have any of these symptoms, don’t worry, you can raise your magnesium levels by eating delicious high magnesium foods. 

You can also increase your magnesium levels by soaking your feet or entire body in a bath containing Epsom salt.  If necessary consider taking a supplement.

My 10 Favorite High Magnesium Foods

If you want to get more magnesium, one of the best ways is to include plenty of dark-green leafy vegetables. Chlorophyll is the “life blood’ of a plant. It’s what enables plants to capture solar energy and convert it into metabolic energy.  The only difference between human blood and chlorophyll is that human blood has iron at the center of the cell, and plants have magnesium at the center of the cell.

Green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard are excellent sources of magnesium. They also contain many other vitamins and minerals to alkalize and support your body. Avoid overcooking to minimize the loss of magnesium.

1.  Spinach 1 cup cooked: 157 milligrams

Recipe: Sauteed Spinach with Caramelized Mushrooms – This is an easy vegetable side dish with an umami flavor that satisfies.

2.  Chard – 1 cup cooked: 154 milligrams

Recipe: Marinated Swiss Chard – Serve it warm or cooled. It is good wrapped up in a romaine leaf with some roasted red peppers for a quick snack or lunch

Recipe: Braised Greens with Tempeh – This is one of my favorite dishes. There’s lots of magnesium from the greens and also the tempeh.

3.  Pumpkin Seeds – 1 ounce: 168 milligrams

Recipe: Vibrant Green Energy Bars – These energy bars are full of protein and minerals. They are a perfect snack or meal replacement to give you energy in the middle of the day.

4.  Almonds — 1 ounce: 76 milligrams

Recipe Paleo Rosemary Bread – This bread has a moist texture from the almond butter and free range eggs which are also full of protein.  It has no flour of any sort.

5.  Cashews – 1 ounce: 80 milligrams

Recipe – Easy ‘Cream’ of Asparagus Soup – This is a deeply satisfying, silky, smooth soup that gets it’s creaminess from cashews. It’s dairy free and gluten free.

6.  Cacao – 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder: 68 milligrams

Recipe: Paleo Vegan Chocolate Mousse – This paleo vegan Chocolate Mousse is an elegant dessert full of magnesium from the raw cacao powder and avocado. It’s so healthy you can eat it for breakfast.

7.  Avocado — 1 medium: 58 milligrams

Recipe: Watercress Avocado Salad  – This easy-to-make salad combines slightly bitter watercress with the sweetness of apple and creaminess of avocado, giving it the perfect balance of deliciousness.

8.  Black Beans – ½ cup cooked: 46 milligrams

Recipe: Black Bean Brownies – This recipe for black bean brownies is so rich in deep dark chocolate you can hardly believe it is healthy. I used black beans instead of flour making it gluten free and high in protein.

9.  Figs — ½ cup dried: 50 milligrams –
                    1 medium fresh fig – 11 milligrams

Recipe: Tomato Fig and Arugula Salad – Figs are a lusciously sweet fruit with a complex texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds.

10.  Banana — 1 medium: 32 milligrams

Recipe: 3 Ingredient Paleo Banana Almond Pancakes – This easy 3 ingredient paleo pancake recipe is made in a blender with no grains, no sugar, and lots of healthy protein.

Other foods that are also high in magnesium include: salmon, mackerel, coriander, goat cheese and artichokes.

Get your magnesium levels up and keep them there up by enjoying the foods and recipes I have provided.  Not only do they boost your magnesium they also provide many other health enhancing nutrients.