How to Get Enough Magnesium in Your Diet

Now that you know how important magnesium is for your health, how do you make sure you’re getting enough of it in your diet? 

The recommended daily allowance of magnesium is between 350mg and 400mg. You don’t want to over-consume it though, because that leads to digestive discomfort as the body tries to evacuate the excess.

Foods that are high in magnesium include whole grains, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, fish, dairy, some fruits and vegetables…and even dark chocolate has a touch of this marvelous mineral (yay!).

Here’s a list of some of the most magnesium-rich foods and the percentage of the daily allowance:

• 1 cup cooked spinach – 39% 
• 1 oz. pumpkin seeds – 37% 
• 1 cup cooked edamame – 37% 
• 1 cup cooked black-eyed peas – 23% 
• 1 cup cooked brown rice – 21% 
• 1 cup cooked kale – 19% 
• ½ cup walnuts – 16% 
• 3 oz. tuna – 14% 
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt – 12% 
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta – 11% 
• ½ cup dried apricots – 10% 
• 1 cup lowfat milk – 10% 
• 1 medium banana – 8% 
• ½ large avocado – 9% 
• 1 Hershey’s Special Dark Bar (1.45oz) – 3% 

If you aren’t a fan of the leafy greens (or you’re not a banana-lovin’ minion) you can take a daily magnesium supplement. When selecting supplements, it's important to look at their ingredients for quality, purity and efficacy. Whole food supplements supply our bodies with nutrients found in nature which we are not currently getting from our diet.

You also want to make sure you aren’t consuming something that actually takes magnesium away from you. For example, drinking carbonated colas will deplete your magnesium levels because their phosphates bind up the magnesium in your body. A diet that’s high in saturated fat makes it harder for magnesium to absorb in your gut. Eating too much sugar forces your kidneys to increase the excretion of magnesium.

As always, balance is key to good health - now go have a look at some of these delicious recipes that pack a healthy dose of our favorite miracle mineral. Bon appetit!

Brown Rice with Spinach & Walnuts
Sweet-n-Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Garlic Shrimp & Black-Eyed Peas
Avocado & Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad
Bittersweet Chocolate Fruit & Nut Bark