Magnesium Facts – What It Is & Where to Get It
Magnesium plays important roles in the structure and the function of the human body. Magnesium is involved in more than 300 essential metabolic reactions. These functions include energy production, bone growth, synthesis of essential molecules.
Fun fact: More than 60% of all the magnesium in the body is found in the skeleton.
Magnesium supports a healthy immune system, prevents inflammation associated with certain cancers, can help lessen or prevent depression and migraines, boosts heart health, and could even cut your risk for a heart attack. There’s even a Harvard University study that found a high daily magnesium intake reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 33 percent.
Magnesium is easily found in both plant and animal foods and therefore a deficiency is rare. And yet most medical experts say we’re not getting enough in our daily diet. According to WebMD:
Adults who consume less than the recommended amount of magnesium are more likely to have elevated inflammation markers. Inflammation, in turn, has been associated with major health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Also, low magnesium appears to be a risk factor for osteoporosis.
Foods High in Magnesium
No surprise, many of foods high in magnesium are also SuperFoods. Here are 10 of our favorites:
- Spinach (and sidekicks kale, Swiss Chard, and collard greens)
- Soybeans (tofu counts)
- Avocado
- Pumpkin seeds
- Wild salmon (and sidekicks tuna or mackerel)
- Beans (black, white, kidney, chickpea — the list goes on and on)
- Lentils (they seem to be good for everything)
- Dark chocolate (just stick to your daily serving amount)
- Low-fat yogurt (go for Greek, which contains more protein)
- Broccoli
