Take magnesium over food – what magnesium-containing foods are available

The body cannot produce minerals independently. Therefore, magnesium must be supplied via the diet, i.e. via foods containing magnesium. In today’s stressful world, however, the question quickly arises as to whether our diet can provide enough magnesium at all. Here you can find out more about whether a balanced diet is sufficient and which foods have the highest magnesium content.

Are foods with magnesium sufficient for daily use?

It’s hard to answer that. Today, our foods tend to have fewer minerals than they used to. The main reason for this is the fertilizer used, which leachs the soils. Nevertheless, it is usually said that with a balanced, varied diet, your magnesium intake is right for magnesium-containing foods. It makes sense to rely on organic products.

However, if you exercise, suffer from stress or even a chronic illness (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes or thyroid over-function), food intake may be insufficient. Then you can use dietary supplements after consultation with your doctor. Breastfeeding and pregnant women or young men also have an increased need for magnesium. Those who sweat slightly or suffer from diarrhea will also struggle with the sole supply of food.

In addition, you should pay attention to how you prepare your magnesium-containing foods, because the method of preparation can render a large part of the mineral unusable in advance. When frying meat, 20 to 30 percent is said to be used, and 25 to 40 percent when cooking vegetables. Prepare your vegetables by steaming and steaming. This gentle method of preparation leaves most magnesium in these magnesium-containing foods. In addition, when foods are processed industrially or even refined (e.g. processing natural rice into white rice without a peel), they also lose a large part of the magnesium content.

What about magnesium-containing foods for vegetarians and vegans? Keyword: Magnesium-containing foods in vegan

Vegetarians and vegans should also have no problems, as there are also enough plant suppliers. Contrary to many myths, however, green vegetables are not as magnesium-rich as they are often touted. Of course, the magnesium also contains, but the kings are then other foods. Don’t worry, they’re rarely animal. So let us dedicate ourselves to food itself.

In which foods is magnesium contained?

In general, nuts, seeds and legumes are the largest suppliers of magnesium in the diet. Even bitter chocolate (with at least 70 percent cocoa content) is a relatively good supplier of magnesium. Moreover, the magnesium content of foods is not fully absorbed – on the contrary, only 30 to 50 percent of it is usually absorbed in the intestine. That is, only when you take twice to three times the amount of magnesium requirement, you cover it. To make matters worse, the body absorbs a smaller proportion of foods with a lot of magnesium than at a lower dose.

A real booster in terms of food with magnesium can be magnesium-containing mineral water. You should make sure that they are rather low in sodium and rich in magnesium.

There are a few rules of thumb when it come to counteract magnesium deficiency:

• Do not use white flour products and use whole grains more.
• Legumes are a good source of magnesium. Watch! Not everyone tolerates them.
• Fancy a snack? Then grab nuts or, in extreme cases, a bit of bitter chocolate.
• Drink mineral water with magnesium. Attention: Here there are mostly recommended maximum amounts.
• If the doctor finds a deficiency, dietary supplements can help.

The following table gives you an overview of what are the best magnesium-containing foods.

Magnesium-containing foods table – the richest foods at a glance

The magnesium content is given in mg per 100 g of the food. For some foods, the information varies in different sources – we give this variation, of course.

Top 10 foods in the top 10

As a small help you will find here the table condensed into the top 10 list for foods with the highest magnesium content.

1. Wheat bran
2. Cocoa powder
3. Pumpkin seeds
4. Sunflower
5. Flaxseed
6. Sesame
7. Poppy
8. Amaranth
9. Dark chocolate
10. Quinoa

Preventive: Enrich your diet with magnesium-containing foods

If you eat balanced and varied with the foods from the table, the foundation stone is laid. If you have persistent complaints, keep an eye on your magnesium balance with your GP or family doctor. So you can intervene in time and, if necessary, also help with magnesium as a dietary supplement.