Food Sources of Magnesium

Adapted from Seelig, 1964 and Pennington, 1989

In general, magnesium content in each subgroup is listed in descending order.

To increase magnesium in your diet, emphasize items listed in left-hand or center column and at the top of each sub-group.

Very High Magnesium

cocoa and bitter chocolate

High Magnesium

Nuts:

cashews

almonds

Brazil nuts

peanuts

pecans

Hazel nuts

walnuts

fresh/dried coconut

Seafood:

winkles

conch

shrimp

whelks

clams

cockles

crab

Vegetables:

soybeans

butter beans

soy flour

beans/peas

beet greens

chard

spinach

collards

seaweed

Grains:

all bran

raw oats

whole barley

whole wheat bread

brown rice

corn meal

rye flour

Fruits:

dried figs

dried apricots

dates

Medium Magnesium

Nuts & Fruits:

chestnuts

dried peaches

dried prunes

avocado

bananas

raisins

blackberries

Seafood:

boiled lobster

prawns

oysters

canned sardines

mackerel

bluefish

salmon

herring

haddock

flounder

Vegetables:

parsley

sweet corn

okra

kale

kohlrabi

horseradish

dandelion

cabbage, raw

brussels sprouts

artichokes

potatoes & skin

Grains:

corn meal

white flour

pearled barley

white rice

macaroni, raw

Dairy:

hard cheese

Meats:

liver

heart

bacon

corned beef

lean roast beef

steak

veal

chicken & turkey

Low Magnesium

Meat & Fish:

lean roast pork

grilled lamb

beef tongue

ham

roast beef w/ fat

kidney, brain

halibut

cod

Fruits:

raspberries

cantaloupe

cherries

strawberries

plums

peaches

oranges

pineapple

grapefruit

apricots

apples

pears

cranberries

grapes

Vegetables:

boiled potatoes

boiled peas

boiled broccoli

beets

boiled cauliflower

carrots

mushrooms

onions

eggplant

lettuce

tomatoes

cucumber

asparagus

Dairy:

eggs

milk

butter

cream

Grains:

boiled macaroni

boiled white rice

white flour products

pastries

Extras:

Sugar

You Can Add Foods You Eat and Like To This Resource

Can’t find a food on this list? You can add the foods you eat to the proper column in Resource I – part A by looking up the food in the National Agriculture Library Database, free on the internet. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ The database contains analyses of foods for many nutrients on a per 100 grams basis, or per tablespoon or cup. Look up your food on the “per 100 grams” basis. The foods in column one – high magnesium – are greater than 100 milligrams magnesium per 100 grams. Column two foods – medium magnesium – have between 25 and 100 milligrams magnesium per 100 grams. Column three foods – those low in magnesium – have less than 25 milligrams magnesium per 100 grams.

Want more?  Go to https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ 

Type in the food you want to know about in the search window. You will probably get a list of foods.

Select the food you want

Select “per 100 g”.

Scroll down to “Minerals” to magnesium

This is the magnesium content of that food in milligrams per 100 grams of food.

If the number is greater than 100, the food goes in column 1 and is a high magnesium food.

If the number is between 25 and 99, the food goes in column 2 and is a medium magnesium food.

If the number is below 25, it is a low magnesium food and goes in column 3.

Note that this database also gives you the calcium content of each food, also in milligrams per 100 grams. From this and the magnesium content you can calculate the magnesium to calcium ratio of that food.

Divide the magnesium value by the calcium value. If the resulting value is greater than 1, the food has more magnesium than calcium, and has a good ratio. If the resulting value is less than 0.5, then there is twice as much calcium as magnesium in that food, at least, and the ratio is beginning to be unbalanced. However, remember that it is the ratio of calcium to magnesium in your total diet, including supplements and water, that is important.

We recommend an overall, total ratio of 2 calcium to 1 magnesium, by weight, as a goal.

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