All about magnesium - what foods contain magnesium and why should you eat them?

Why do you need magnesium

This is one of the most important Magnesium and Your Health minerals, without which your body cannot live.
Literally. Magnesium is a key participant in more than 300 chemical reactions that enable metabolism. It ensures mobility and proper muscle function. Thanks to it, the nervous system correctly transmits signals from the brain to various organs and tissues and back. Inside the brain, however, too.

Magnesium helps maintain a stable heart rate and balanced blood sugar levels. The mineral is also directly involved in the synthesis of proteins and DNA, that is, it helps the body recover, maintain health and youth.

Beneficial features

The element helps relieve tension in the nervous system, calms, and eliminates spasms of smooth muscles of blood vessels, intestines, gall bladder and bladder. Increases the resistance of the heart muscle to oxygen deficiency, normalizes the rhythm of contractions, reduces blood clotting - this is why during a hypertensive crisis an injection of magnesium sulfate is performed.

Products rich in magnesium have a diuretic, vasodilating effect, increase the secretion of bile, stimulate intestinal motility and motor activity of the gallbladder, which is especially important in old age. Eating foods with magnesium prevents inflammation and helps eliminate it.

Through dilated vessels, more oxygen enters the tissues, which prevents malignant neoplasms.

A sufficient intake of magnesium from food accumulates adenosine triphosphate in the body - a universal source of energy for biochemical processes. Energy is released by the contact of adenosine triphosphate with water.

The useful element increases the activity of about 300 different enzymes that are involved in the formation of energy, regulate the activity of the cardiovascular system, and the level of cholesterol in the blood.

Its sufficient supply is important for neuromuscular conduction, including synapses, the junction of the nerve with the signal recipient, for optimal muscle contraction.

Products containing a lot of magnesium prevent nervous diseases, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, and eliminate anxiety. The element promotes rapid adaptation to cold, participates in the formation of bone tissue, tooth enamel, processes of carbohydrate metabolism and protein formation.

Including foods containing magnesium in the diet improves the absorption of potassium and calcium, phosphorus metabolism, and helps lower blood pressure. The intake of the element with nutrition prevents the formation of stones in the kidneys and gall bladder.

Products containing magnesium reduce the negative manifestations of menopause and improve prostate function.

Where does magnesium come from and how much is needed?

Despite this high importance, our body does not know how to produce magnesium on its own - we get it from food. Women 19 years of age and older need Magnesium to stay healthy. Fact Sheet for Health Professionals 310 mg of magnesium per day (pregnant women - up to 350 mg), men under 30 years old - 400 mg, over 30 years old - 420 mg.

An alternative is to get magnesium from multivitamins and supplements. However, in this case there is a risk of overdoing it. An excess of magnesium manifests itself as nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and in some cases can lead Magnesium and Your Health to cardiac arrhythmia and even cardiac arrest.

Therefore, do not take magnesium supplements under any circumstances if you have:

• heart problems;
• renal failure;
• intestinal obstruction;
• myasthenia gravis.

Regular food is a much safer way to get your daily dose of magnesium. Even if you eat too many foods that contain this mineral, your kidneys will eliminate the excess through urine. And you will get nothing but benefit.

Excess in the body

In addition to the useful characteristics, it would not be amiss to become familiar with the negative aspects of this microelement caused by its excess content. These include:

• Slow reaction to events happening around;
• Constant desire to sleep;
• Slow heart rate;
• Feeling of dryness in the mouth;
• Impaired functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, expressed by frequent diarrhea and long-term attacks of causeless nausea;
• Low pressure;
• Failures in food processing processes caused by diabetes and obesity;
• Dry mucous membranes.

It is almost impossible to get a supersaturation of magnesium through food. This can only happen if you abuse drugs containing magnesium. However, this situation can easily get better on its own, thanks to the successful functioning of the kidneys and intestines. A diet will help speed up the process of removing excess magnesium from the body.

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Which foods contain the most magnesium?

Black chocolate

Photo: Simon A. Eugster / Wikimedia
One 100-gram bar contains Candies, chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids up to 200 mg of magnesium - that is, at least half the recommended daily dose.

Chocolate is also rich in iron, copper, manganese and antioxidants - substances that protect body cells from the destructive effects of free radicals. To get the most benefits from chocolate, choose a product that contains at least 70% cocoa.

Avocado

Photo: Dream79 / Depositphotos
58 mg Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties of magnesium per medium-sized fruit (or about 30 mg per 100 g) is a very good result. In addition, avocados are high in potassium, B vitamins, vitamin K and monounsaturated fats, which are extremely beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

A separate topic is fiber. Avocado is literally full of it: 13 out of 17 g of carbohydrates per average fruit are healthy. Fiber improves digestion, helps lower blood sugar levels and keeps you feeling full for a long time after eating. All this makes avocado not only healthy, but also a dietary product that helps control weight.

Nuts

Photo: Hedi Aghlara/Wikimedia
Magnesium is found in almost all types of nuts, but almonds, cashews and Brazil nuts are especially rich in it. For example, 100 g of cashews will provide your body with almost 300 mg of Nuts, cashew nuts, raw mineral.

Also, most nuts are a good source of protein, the same healthy fiber and monounsaturated fats.

Legumes

Photo: artverau / Pixabay
Lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas, soybeans - choose any of these products: they all contain at least 30 mg of magnesium per 100 g. The champion is black beans, 100 g of which contains 70 mg Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, a vital mineral.

Tofu

Photo: fireworks / Wikimedia
Tofu is an excellent meat substitute because it contains a huge amount of protein. But it also contains a lot of magnesium - 53 mg of Tofu, extra firm, prepared with nigari per 100-gram serving. Also, the famous bean curd is a generous source of calcium, iron, manganese and selenium.

Quinoa

Photo: blairingmedia / Wikimedia
The popular cereal contains more protein than any other grain. Quinoa also contains a lot of iron, folic acid (vitamin B9), copper, manganese... And, of course, magnesium Quinoa, cooked: 64 mg per 100-gram serving of ready-made porridge.

Fatty fish

Photo: Blu3d at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia
Salmon, halibut, Atlantic mackerel, and pollock are especially rich in magnesium. For example, in a small 100-gram piece of pollock fillet there is about 30 mg of important mineral Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked, dry heat.

That same slice will provide you with 20g of high-quality protein, as well as decent doses of potassium, selenium, B vitamins and omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Spinach

Photo: jamiefrater / Flickr
88 mg Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt magnesium for every 100 g of raw or cooked (eg as a pie filling) spinach. A slightly smaller, but still noticeable amount of the mineral is also found in other leafy greens - cabbage, turnip greens and mustard greens.

Whole grain porridge, bran, whole grain bread

Photo: Couleur (pixabay.com) / Needpix
Wheat, oats, barley, and the pseudo-cereal buckwheat are also rich in magnesium. For example, in buckwheat there is more than 230 mg of Buckwheat per 100 g. And in whole grain flour there is about 140 mg of Wheat flour, whole-grain for the same weight.

Bananas

Photo: stevepb / Pixabay
One large banana weighing just over 200 g will provide your body with approximately 60 mg of Bananas, raw magnesium.
This makes bananas the champion among fruits in terms of the content of this mineral.

Oversupply

Cases where there is an oversaturation of calcium and magnesium in the body are also observed quite often.

An excess of these elements is characterized by:

1. Brittleness and brittleness of bones.
2. Increased irritability.
3. Progression of digestive tract pathology.
4. The appearance of arrhythmia, tachycardia and other cardiovascular diseases.
5. Lethargy.
6. Development of hypercalcemia (relevant for children under 2 years of age).

Daily calcium requirement

According to most modern doctors and nutritionists, calcium or products containing it must be consumed daily. The daily requirement depends on the person’s age and state of health:

• children (1-12 years old) - 1 gram;
• adolescents (boys) - 1.4 grams;
• adolescents (girls) - 1.3 grams;
• pregnant women - 1.5 grams;
• nursing mothers - 2 grams;
• adults - 0.8 - 1.2 grams.

Daily requirement for magnesium

As for magnesium, the daily requirement for it is approximately 0.05 percent, or 400 milligrams, of the human body weight. Children under twelve years of age are recommended to consume at least 200 milligrams of magnesium daily. The dose for pregnant women increases to 450 milligrams. Athletes, as well as those who are exposed to serious physical activity every day, need 600 milligrams per day to maintain their body “in good shape.”

Calcium-containing products

Deficiency and excess of this element in the body can be easily avoided. To do this, you need to know which products contain calcium.

Seeds, nuts, legumes

If you make a kind of hit parade of products that contain this microelement, then plant foods will be in the top positions:

1. beans;
2. peas;
3. beans;
4. soy;
5. lentils;
6. green pea;
7. sesame seeds;
8. almond;
9. poppy.

Fruits, berries, vegetables

Despite the fact that vegetables, fruits and berries do not contain as much calcium as legumes, it is extremely necessary to eat these foods, because they contain many useful elements and microorganisms that facilitate the absorption of this microelement.

You should include in your diet:

1. apricots;
2. broccoli;
3. grape;
4. strawberries;
5. nettle (young);
6. watercress;
7. gooseberry;
8. seaweed;
9. peaches;
10. radish;
11. turnip;
12. salad;
13. celery;
14. currants;
15. asparagus;
16. cauliflower;
17. citrus;
18. rose hip.

Fish

Quite a large amount of calcium is found in fish and fish products. It is advisable to include salmon and sardines in the diet.

How to avoid losing all your magnesium

To prevent magnesium loss, you should not only eat right, but also eliminate the reasons for its inability to absorb it. Limit the consumption of tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages, they help wash out the beneficial element from the body. This also applies to diuretics.

Smoked meats, sausages and fatty meats increase bad cholesterol, which also does not have the best effect on the absorption of the microelement.

Antibiotics, birth control pills, and corticosteroids interfere with the proper absorption of magnesium, so monitor their use.

High sweating, intestinal dysbiosis, helminths, chemotherapy can also lead to a large loss of magnesium.

Summary Table of Foods High in Magnesium

From this table you will find out which food products contain the most magnesium: