10 foods high in magnesium

Foods rich in magnesium are essential both for cellular health and for more than 300 biochemical functions in the body. Unfortunately, most people have a magnesium deficiency and even, most of them do not even know it.

Medical research has found that the human body has 3751 magnesium connections, which means that the benefits of this element are greater than originally thought.

Major functions requiring magnesium

Because our body requires and uses magnesium for a variety of different functions, we can experience a decrease in magnesium quickly, especially if we are not consuming enough magnesium-rich foods. These functions include:

• Protein synthesis.
• Nervous function.
• Control of blood sugar.
• Release of neurotransmitters.
• Regulation of blood pressure.
• Energy metabolism.
• Production of antioxidants .

Health Problems Associated with Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency is not always easy to diagnose since it is not present in a blood test. The reason for this is because only 1% of the magnesium in the body is stored in the blood, the rest is stored in the bones.

If a person is deficient in magnesium they are likely to be experiencing any of the following health problems:

• Hormonal imbalance.
• Type 2 Diabetes .
• Constipation (knows remedies for constipation ).
• Tension and migraines .
• Anxiety and depression .
• Chronic fatigue.

How to Increase Magnesium Intake?

As can be seen, the increase in the intake of foods with a high content of magnesium is essential for health. Therefore, if a person thinks they may be low in magnesium, the best thing to do is to start eating foods that are high in magnesium. In this sense, buying foods in the market that have the certificate of organic, is the most advisable since these are the ones that have higher levels of magnesium .

Usually foods that have a higher level of magnesium are green leafy vegetables that are full of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has the ability to absorb sunlight and convert it into energy. Not only that, a major difference between human blood and chlorophyll, is that human blood has iron in the center of the cell, while plants have magnesium in the center of the cell.

However, green leafy vegetables are not the only foods rich in magnesium, we can also find it in other foods such as pumpkin seeds, cooked spinach, beans, bananas and lentils. Below we have prepared a list of 10 foods rich in magnesium that we should add to our diet to improve our magnesium levels and eventually improve our overall health.

10 foods rich in magnesium content

1. Dark chocolate. One cup of dark chocolate provides more than 100% of the daily value of magnesium. This is indeed an easy way to make sure you are getting a good dose of magnesium a day. It is even known that consumption of dark chocolate can prevent the onset of heart disease.

2. Green leafy vegetables . As we mentioned before, green leafy vegetables provide a source rich in magnesium. One cup of spinach, for example, offers 39% of the daily value required. Cooked spinach is recommended to accompany any dish to meet the daily needs of magnesium.

3. Pumpkin seeds . In this case, 1 ounce of pumpkin seeds is recommended since this will achieve about 37% of the daily value required. The most recommended is the consumption of germinated pumpkin seeds or even you can also choose to prepare a recipe with them.

4. Fish (Mackerel) . A 3-ounce serving of mackerel gives us 21% of the daily value of magnesium, therefore its consumption is highly recommended. In addition, this is a fish that is easy to get and is not really expensive.

5. Beans and lentils . These pulses provide a good amount of energy to our body and in fact only one cup of white beans offers 28% of the daily value of magnesium required. The great thing is that these are easy to get foods that can be prepared in a wide variety of ways.

6. Whole grains . This includes brown rice and millet; In fact only a half cup of quinoa cooking provides 30% of the daily value of magnesium required by our body. They are also easy to get foods, so there should be no problem in consuming them.

7. Avocado . Avocado has many properties and health benefits, one of which is its 15% magnesium of the daily intake that we require. In this case you can accompany with other meals or even prepare in guacamole.

8. Molasses . Only one tablespoon of molasses provides about 12% of the required daily value of magnesium.

9. Almonds . They have 20% of the daily value of magnesium required by our body, also have other health benefits such as improving the skin, hair or nails.

10. Plantain . Banana offers 8% of the required daily value of magnesium, but also offers additional benefits such as blood pressure regulation, constipation and anemia .

Magnesium Supplements

To finish and if you consider that magnesium deficiency may indeed be a more serious problem, you can consider using magnesium supplements to reach optimal levels.

It is recommended to mainly consume any magnesium chelate, magnesium citrate or magnesium glycinate. In addition to this, the use of magnesium oil is also recommended as this is an excellent option to naturally increase magnesium levels.

It is not recommended to use magnesium oxide as it can be converted to magnesium hydroxide in the body, which can damage the intestinal walls and is also poorly absorbed.