Top 10 High Magnesium Foods You Can't Miss
Magnesium is an essential mineral required by the body for maintaining normal muscle and nerve function, keeping a healthy immune system, maintaining heart rhythm, and building strong bones. Magnesium is also involved in at least 300 biochemical reactions in the body. A deficiency in magnesium can lead to muscle spasms, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety disorders, migraines, osteoporosis, and cerebral infarction. Conversely, consuming too much magnesium typically causes diarrhea as the body attempts to excrete the excess. High magnesium foods include dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, beans, whole grains, avocados, yogurt, bananas, dried fruit, dark chocolate, and more. The current daily value (DV) for magnesium is 400mg.
Below is a list of high magnesium foods, for more, see the extended lists of high magnesium foods by nutrient density, magnesium rich foods, vegetables high in magnesium, and fruits high in magnesium.
#1: Dark Leafy Greens (Raw Spinach)
| Magnesium in 100g |
1 Cup Raw (30g) |
1 Cup Cooked (180g) |
| 79mg (20% DV) |
24mg (6% DV) |
157mg (39% DV) |
Other Greens High in Magnesium (%DV per cup cooked): Swiss Chard (38%), Kale (19%), Collard Greens (13%), and Turnip Greens (11%).
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#2: Nuts and Seeds (Squash and Pumpkin Seeds)
| Magnesium in 100g |
1/2 Cup (59g) |
1 Ounce (28g) |
| 534mg (134% DV) |
325mg (81% DV) |
150mg (37% DV) |
Other Nuts and Seeds High in Magnesium (%DV per 1/2 cup): Sesame Seeds (63%), Brazil Nuts (63%), Almonds (48%), Cashews (44% DV), Pine nuts (43%), Mixed Nuts (39%), and Peanuts (31%), Pecans (17%), Walnuts (16%).
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#3: Fish (Mackerel)
| Magnesium in 100g |
Per 3oz Fillet (85g) |
| 97mg (24% DV) |
82mg (21% DV) |
Other Fish High in Magnesium (%DV per 3oz fillet (85g)): Pollock (18% DV), Turbot (14% DV), Tuna (14% DV), and most other fish at an average of 8% DV.
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#4: Beans and Lentils (Soy Beans)
| Magnesium in 100g |
1 Cup Cooked (172g) |
| 86mg (22% DV) |
148mg (37% DV) |
Other Beans and Lentils High in Magnesium (%DV per cup cooked): White Beans (28%), French Beans (25%), Black-eyed Peas (23%), Kidney Beans (21%), Chickpeas (Garbanzo) (20%), Lentils (18%), Pinto Beans (16%).
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#5: Whole Grains (Brown Rice)
| Magnesium in 100g |
1 Cup Cooked (195g) |
| 44mg (11% DV) |
86mg (21% DV) |
Other Whole Grains High in Magnesium (%DV per cup cooked): Quinoa (30%), Millet (19%), Bulgur (15%), Buckwheat (13%), Wild Rice (13%), Whole Wheat Pasta (11%), Barley (9%), Oats (7%).
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#6: Avocados
| Magnesium in 100g |
1 Avocado (201g) |
1/2 Cup Pureed (115g) |
| 29mg (7% DV) |
58mg (15% DV) |
33mg (9% DV) |
An average avocado provides 322 calories, half a cup pureed contains 184 calories. Click to see complete nutrition facts.
#7: Low-Fat Dairy (Plain Non Fat Yogurt)
| Magnesium in 100g |
1 Cup (245g) |
| 19mg (5% DV) |
47mg (12% DV) |
Other Dairy Foods High in Magnesium: 1 cup (246g) of 2% fat milk provides 10% DV. A 1 ounce (28g or 2 cubic inches) slice of swiss cheese provides 3% DV.
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#8: Bananas
| Magnesium in 100g |
1 Medium (118g) |
1 Cup Slices (150g) |
| 27mg (7% DV) |
32mg (8% DV) |
41mg (10% DV) |
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#9: Dried Fruit (Figs)
| Magnesium in 100g |
1/2 Cup (75g) |
1 Fig (8g) |
| 68mg (17% DV) |
51mg (13% DV) |
5mg (1% DV) |
Other Dried Fruit High in Magnesium (%DV per 1/2 cup): Prunes (11%), Apricots (10%), Dates (8%), and Raisins (7%).
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#10: Dark Chocolate
| Magnesium in 100g |
1 Square (29g) |
1 Cup Grated (132g) |
| 327mg (82% DV) |
95mg (24% DV) |
432mg (108% DV) |
1 square of dark chocolate provides 145 calories. Click to see complete nutrition facts.
