Magnesium-Rich Foods

Why we could all use a little more magnesium

Magnesium is a quiet nutrient that isn't talked about much and definitely isn't talked about enough. I'll admit, I have a difficult time consuming enough magnesium sometimes. Magnesium plays an important role in our every day health--just like all the other vitamins and minerals out there!

Magnesium is mostly known for helping us sleep better and to improve our mood. Without the proper amount of magnesium, many people have problems falling or staying asleep through the night (I tend to wake up a couple times in the middle of the night!).

Magnesium is also heavily linked to improving moods, specifically anxiety and depression. Since the vast majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium and we've had an extreme uptick over the years with anxiety among children and young adults, maybe it's actually a magnesium deficiency we all suffer from!

But, did you know that many people with type 2 diabetes are deficient in magnesium due to their condition secreting magnesium through the urine. Ironically, magnesium potentially aids in the body responding to insulin.

Because it helps with bone health, studies have also shown that magnesium may reduce women's chances of getting osteoporosis. Magnesium works with other nutrients to make our bones stronger!

It's also a great digestive aid! When people are constipated, they often reach for a magnesium supplement to help "move things along." Or...you can just be mindful of how much (or little!) you get of magnesium every day and see if your system begins to work a little better. I had an iv years ago and the physician put a dosage of magnesium into the fluids...boy, that stuff works is all I'll say!

Magnesium Foods

Magnesium is a tad difficult to get naturally these days. Partly because we don't eat as healthy as we should and because our food has lower nutrient content than say, 30 years ago. So, you have to eat more to consume the amount of nutrients our ancestors did! Bummer... I say it's wise to take a daily supplement if you can. Most supplements are for 25% of the RDA of magnesium because this is one nutrient that you can actually get too much of, counteracting the goodness of this stuff!

Here's a quick list of a few foods to help you with your magnesium intake:

• bananas

• pumpkin seeds

• leafy greens

• black beans

• almonds

• avocado

• DARK chocolate (be mindful with this one...the darker the better and don't gorge on dark chocolate ice cream thinking you are eating healthy!)

  
  

Here's a daily suggestion for getting magnesium:

Breakfast: add a banana to a smoothie, oatmeal, grab-and-go out the door

Lunch: sprinkle pumpkin seeds and/or almond slivers on your chicken salad

Snack: hello guacamole!

Dinner: something with black beans: chili, burritos, black bean soup

Dessert: a square or two of dark chocolate.