How To Get More Magnesium From Your Diet

The Recommended amount of magnesium once again varies depending on the government organisation you’re looking at. In the US, 400mg-420mg is suggested for adult males and 310mg-320mg for adult females (1). In the UK, the amount suggested by the NHS is 300mg for men and 270mg for women (2). Which one is correct? The answer is likely neither. Once again it will depend on the lifestyle factors and specific foods affecting absorption.

The ThinkPharm Formula already contains 29mg of magnesium in one of its most highly absorbable forms (magnesium lactate). Unfortunately, this will not be enough to get all your magnesium for the day. We put in as much magnesium as we could fit in the capsule. If we wanted more, we would have had to either use harmful forms, make bigger capsules or use more capsules.

This means you’ll have to try to get more magnesium elsewhere. If you are going to supplement, we suggest using magnesium lactate or magnesium bisglycinate as the forms of magnesium. If you want to see how you can get more magnesium through food, then read on.

We think that absorption is important and that with higher absorption an RDA like what is suggested by the NHS will suffice. This means if you are taking the ThinkPharm Formula, you only need to get 271mg of magnesium from food if you’re a man and 241mg if you’re a woman.

Before we talk about how to meet our magnesium requirements, what can we do to improve magnesium absorption? The same things that will improve calcium absorption will also improve magnesium absorption. Let’s revisit these:

1) Consuming more probiotics (3). Probiotics have been shown to increase magnesium absorption. You can take a pill, but raw cultured foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles will contain hundreds of times more probiotics per serving than a capsule. If it doesn’t say it on the label, don’t assume that they’re always raw and containing probiotics. There are plenty of pickles out there that are pasteurised and use vinegar to make the food sour.

2) Inulin (4). Inulin is a prebiotic. Prebiotics are basically a certain type of fibre that feeds your good gut bacteria. These gut bacteria then produce acids in the colon which improve magnesium absorption. For sources of inulin, this is a good article: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/prebiotics/#axzz416iN50fL

3) Resistant starch (4). Resistant starch is another type of prebiotic which increases magnesium absorption. For sources of resistant starch, this is a good article: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-resistant-starch/#axzz41b8tUHSp. Quick tip: whenever you take cooked starchy food and you allow it to cool, this increases the resistant starch content. If you then reheat the food later on, this further increases the resistant starch and its associated benefits. Even more reason to cook certain foods in batch and reheat when needed.

4) Other fruits and vegetables. Other than resistant starch and inulin, there are more types of prebiotics found in virtually every fruit and vegetable (4).

5) Another factor that has been shown to improve magnesium absorption is a higher protein intake (3).

So now what sources of magnesium are best?

As we mentioned before, absorption is key. Nuts, grains, seeds and legumes technically have high amounts of magnesium, but not much of this is being absorbed due to phytic acid. You can see more of what foods are highest in phytic acid by looking at our second article on zinc. Spinach is quite high in magnesium but, because it contains a lot of oxalic acid (oxalates), the absorption of magnesium is reduced (9). This is why it’s best to get your magnesium from foods that are lower in these substances. Potatoes are quite low in phytic acid with only 35-73mg per 100grams (5) and about 25mg of oxalates per 100grams (6). Some sweet potatoes have been shown to have undetectable levels of phytic acid (5), however their oxalate levels can sometimes be higher with an average oxalate of 29.1mg (ranging between 0.2mg and 89.1mg) (6). Whichever way you slice it, starchy tubers are great for helping to meet magnesium needs.

If all you ate for the entire day was 2 big cooked jacket potatoes (300 grams each). You would already be at 167.4mg of magnesium. If you’re a woman taking the ThinkPharm Formula, that means you’ve already had 69% of your 241mg magnesium goal from food (62% if you’re a man).

Potatoes in their raw form have 21-23mg of magnesium per 100grams. Sweet potatoes in their raw form have similar values at 25mg per 100gram (7).

What other foods low in phytic acid and oxalic acid can we consume to help meet out magnesium needs?

Animal products contain no phytic acid and no oxalic acid. Land based animals don’t tend to be as high in magnesium as seafood. Seafood can make a great contribution towards daily magnesium requirements. Here’s a few magnesium rich seafood options (values given as per 100 grams):

Caviar = 300mg

Snail (raw) = 250mg

Salmon (Chinook species) (raw) = 95mg

Whelk (raw) = 86mg

Halibut (Atlantic and Pacific) (raw) = 83mg

Mackerel (Atlantic) (raw) = 76mg

Pollock (Atlantic) (raw) = 67mg

Scallop (mixed species) (raw) = 56mg

Tuna (bluefin) (raw) = 50mg

Tuna (yellowfin) (raw) = 50mg

Crab (alaska king) (raw) = 50mg

Crab (queen) (raw) = 49mg

Oyster (eastern) (wild) (raw) = 47mg

Crab (Dungeness) (raw) = 45mg

Anchovy (European) (raw) = 41mg

Seabass (mixed species) (raw) = 41mg

Lobster (spiny) (raw) = 40mg

Haddock (raw) = 39mg

Shrimp (mixed species) (raw) = 37mg

Crab (blue) (raw) = 34mg

Tuna (Skipjack) (raw) = 34mg

Mussels (blue) (raw) = 34mg

Mackerel (Spanish) (raw) = 33mg

Squid (raw) = 33mg

Cod (Atlantic) (raw) = 32mg

Herring (atlantic or pacific) = 32mg

Mackerel (king) (raw) = 32mg

Rainbow trout (farmed or wild) (raw) = 32mg

Sole (raw) = 31mg

Salmon (Coho) (raw) = 31mg

Crayfish (farmed) (raw) = 30mg

Cuttlefish (raw) = 30mg

Octopus (raw) = 30mg

Salmon (Atlantic) (wild) (raw) = 29mg

Mackerel (Pacific and jack) (raw) = 28mg

Crayfish (wild) (raw) = 27mg

Lobster (northern) (raw) = 27mg

Swordfish (raw) = 27mg

Salmon (Atlantic) (farmed) (raw) = 27mg

Halibut (Greenland) (raw) = 26mg

Salmon (pink) (raw) = 26mg

Cod (pacific) (raw) = 24mg

Sockeye salmon (raw) = 24mg

Salmon (chum) (raw) = 22mg

Trout (mixed species) (raw) = 22mg

Oyster (pacific) (raw) = 22mg

Although meat isn’t typically thought of as a good source of magnesium, it can contain a decent amount in its raw form. When cooking meat, the juices that seep out may contain magnesium, so keeping these juices may make a difference. Making stews or soups may be a good idea to preserve magnesium (values given as per 100grams):

Beef mince (5%) (raw) = 22mg

Pork tenderloin (raw) = 27mg

Pork sirloin (raw) = 25mg

Pork loin (raw) = 23mg

Water buffalo (raw) = 32mg

Rabbit (wild) (raw) = 29mg

Leg of lamb (raw) = 27mg

Diced lamb (raw) = 26mg

Antelope (raw) = 27mg

Leg of veal (raw) = 27mg

Veal mince (raw) = 24mg

Deer (raw) = 23mg

Elk or Moose (raw) = 23mg

Emu (raw) = 24-42mg (depending on the cut)

Quail breast (raw) = 28mg

Pigeon (raw) = 28mg

Turkey (light meat) (raw) = 27mg

Chicken (thigh meat) (raw) = 24mg

Ostrich (raw) = 23mg

Duck (wild) (raw) = 22mg, 15mg (if domesticated)

Chicken mince (raw) = 21mg

Pheasant (raw) = 21mg

Fruits generally don’t tend to be that high in magnesium but here’s a few that are good for magnesium (values given as per 100 grams):

Jackfruit (raw) = 37mg

Plantain (raw) = 37mg

Durian (raw or frozen) = 30mg

Avocado = 24mg for Florida avocados, 29mg for all other varieties

Bananas = 27mg

Blackcurrants = 24mg

Blackberries (frozen) = 22mg

Guavas = 22mg

Raspberries = 22mg

Blackberries (raw) = 20mg

In the dairy and eggs category there’s a few cheeses that stand out as being quite good sources (values given as per 100grams):

Goat’s cheese (hard) = 54mg

Parmesan = 44mg-51mg

Romano cheese = 41mg

Swiss cheese = 38mg

Gruyere cheese = 36mg

Edam cheese = 30mg

Goat’s cheese (semisoft type) = 29mg

Gouda = 29mg

Cheddar = 28mg

Provolone = 28mg

Monterey = 27mg

Muenster = 27mg

Brie = 20mg

Camembert = 20mg

Mozzarella = 20mg

Feta = 19mg

Last but not least, vegetables can help with our magnesium requirements (values given as per 100grams):

Sun dried tomatoes = 194mg (word of caution here: sun-dried tomatoes are often canned in oils which aren’t great for health. It’s best to get those that are in olive oil or those that you can buy fully dried).

Kale (scotch) (raw) = 88mg

Swiss chard (raw) = 81mg (not absorbed very well and may deplete calcium, not a recommended source due to high oxalate content)

Spinach (raw) = 79mg (not absorbed very well and may deplete calcium, not a recommended source due to high oxalate content)

Globe artichokes (raw) = 60mg

Okra (raw) = 57mg (not absorbed very well and may deplete calcium, not a recommended source due to high oxalate content)

Rocket (Arugula) (raw) = 47mg

Kale (raw) = 34mg

Butternut squash (raw) = 34mg

Baby zucchini (raw) = 33mg

Acorn squash (raw) = 32mg

Parsnips (raw) = 29mg

Savoy cabbage (raw) = 28mg

Broccoli (raw) = 21-25mg

Brussels sprouts (raw) = 23mg

Beetroot (raw) = 23mg

Rutabagas (raw) = 23mg

Yam (raw) = 21mg

Cassava (raw) = 21mg

Watercress (raw) = 21mg

For all the foods above we’ve listed the food in its raw form. This is because different cooking methods maintain different levels of magnesium. Many of the foods, especially the animal products, we do not intend for you to eat them raw. The worst cooking method for retaining magnesium is generally boiling and then draining, with an estimated 40% of magnesium being lost (8). Boiling and retaining the liquid, like is done with soups and stews should maintain all the magnesium. Steaming doesn’t lose as much magnesium, but this will depend on how long the food is cooked and how much water comes out of the food in question. Cooking methods other than boiling and draining on average will lose 25% of their magnesium according to some estimates (8). Take this statistic with a grain of salt as it’s likely to be a bit different in practice.

We have intentionally missed out foods that are impractical to eat in large amounts or foods we’d never heard of. For example, garlic is a decent source of magnesium when looking at the amount per 100 grams (25mg), but in practice nobody will eat that much for fear of smelling bad. One clove is typically only 3 grams which will only contribute an insignificant 0.7mg of magnesium.

We have also missed out nuts, grains, seeds and legumes. As we mentioned before, these are high in phytic acid which inhibits the absorption of magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron. This means although these foods can sometimes contain high amounts of these minerals, they’re not typically absorbed well. This is why we have not included them above. One can sprout, soak and ferment these foods to degrade some phytic acid and make them more digestible but generally this takes a lot of effort that people aren’t willing to go through. Also, foods like beans, nuts and seeds don’t lose much phytic acid at all in response to these methods. Generally, the foods that respond best are the grains rye and wheat. Whole grain wheat or rye sourdoughs can contain very little phytic acid if fermented for 24 hours or longer. The problem is that store-bought sourdoughs are rarely fermented for that long. So, if you can be bothered to make your own sourdough, then it is worth it. 100 grams of dark rye flour contains 248mg of magnesium and 100 grams of wheat flour contains 138mg of magnesium. These are very valuable contributions towards daily magnesium. Then again, in some ways, consuming 100 grams worth of flour (in the form of bread) may not be as healthy as getting the same amount of magnesium from vegetables.

Last but not least it is worth mentioning that magnesium content is likely to vary widely depending on the magnesium concentration in the soil. This is why how the food is produced matters. When you buy organic, it is more likely that they use fertilisers that replace magnesium. Fortunately, seafood maintains pretty consistent magnesium concentrations (if wild) because the oceans have quite a bit of magnesium in them.

Please note: unless otherwise specified, as with all our pages that mention the nutritional content of different foods, the data for this page came from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ or https://nutritiondata.self.com/ (which takes its data from the FDC website and makes it more easily accessible). If you want to learn more about the vitamin and mineral content of foods, those websites make for the best sources. 

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Disclaimer: Food supplements are intended to correct nutritional deficiencies, maintain an adequate intake of certain nutrients, or to support specific physiological functions. The ThinkPharm Formula (or any other food supplement) is not a medicine and therefore cannot and does not claim to treat or prevent disease. All content on this website is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. None of the scientific studies quoted on this website qualify as proof or implication that ThinkPharm Health's supplements treat or prevent disease. Findings of scientific studies do not always represent reality. It is always difficult for scientific studies to reach accurate conclusions regarding nutrition and its relationship to diseases. Please consult your healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet and lifestyle. ThinkPharm Health is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting on information from this website.