Magnesiumis a jack-of-all-trades nutrient. Your body needs it for muscle contraction,neurotransmitterrelease, energy production, nerve function, bone development… you get the idea, it’s a must-have for your health.
Which foods have the most magnesium?
It’scommonto get less than therecommended310 to 420 milligrams (mg) of magnesium per day, but eating plenty of magnesium-rich foods (likevegetablesandfruits) can help you get there.
Looking for the biggest bang for your bite? Here’s a rundown of some of the best sources of magnesium to add to your shopping cart.
2. Other veggies
3. Beans and lentils
4. Cocoa products
5. Nuts and seeds
7. Seafood
8. Dairy foods
How to tell if you’re low in magnesium
Lots of peeps don’t get enough magnesium. Modern-day diets are full of processed foods and low in magnesium-rich foods like veggies, fruits, seeds, and beans.
About45 percentof Americans are deficient in magnesium while 60 percent of U.S. adults don’t get the recommended amount of magnesium on a daily basis.
Having less than ideal magnesium levels could increase your risk of a variety ofhealth conditionslikeheart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and more.
Plus,researchers warnthat while the current recommendations are enough to prevent true magnesium deficiency in most people, they aren’t enough to actually reduce the risk of conditions like heart disease and osteoporosis.
Risk factors for low magnesium
Here aresome thingsthat could put you at higher risk of developing low magnesium levels:
What if you aren’t get enough magnesium?
Magnesium deficiency can be hard to diagnose because symptoms can look like a lot of other issues.
How can you tell what’s up? Themost reliable waysto test magnesium levels in the body include muscle biopsy and a magnesium retention test. (That measures the amount of magnesium that’s in your urine after an oral or IV dose of magnesium.) Blood testing isn’t considered as reliable.
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency
Even though most peeps with low magnesium levels don’t experience significant symptoms, some peeps may experience effects like:
If this progresses, you could experience more serious symptoms like irregular heartbeat,high blood pressure, seizures, or hearing loss.
PSA: Never try to self-diagnose a magnesium deficiency. Always ask your doctor for a test to check your levels to understand whether you’re truly deficient and come up with an actionable plan.
Can you get too much magnesium?
Like most nutrients, it’s possible to overdo it with magnesium. But if you’re generally in good health, it’s almostimpossibleto get too much magnesium from dietary sources like vegetables and beans.
That’s because your kidneys get rid of any magnesium your bod doesn’t need.
However, for folks with kidney issues, it’s possible to get too much magnesium from foods. Why? Because if your kidneys aren’t able to excrete the extra magnesium out of your bod, too much of it hangs around.
This can also happen if you take too much magnesium from dietary supplements. The set Tolerable Upper Intake Level of supplemental magnesium is350 mgper day for adults. But it’s important to understand that much higher doses have been shown to be safe and effective for treating a number of conditions includinghigh blood pressureandheadaches.
What happens if you develop magnesium toxicity?
It’s possible for magnesium to build up to toxic levels in the bod. That’s known asmagnesium toxicity. It’s not common, but it’s been seen in people who’ve overconsumed antacids or laxatives. This can provide massive doses of more than 5,000 mg of magnesium per day.
Magnesium toxicity is extremely dangerous. You may notice symptoms like:
If you have impaired kidney function it can put you at a much greater risk for developing magnesium toxicity because your kidneys aren’t able to clear out excess magnesium.
How to tell if you need a magnesium supplement
So, how do you know if you’re currently getting enough magnesium?
TBH, it’s kind of tough to tell.
A healthy person who eats tons of veggies, fruits,beans,nuts, andseedsmay be low or deficient in magnesium due to factors unrelated to their diet (like chronic stress and drinking too much alcohol).
There are ways to test for low or deficient magnesium levels, but most methods (including hair analysis, urinary analysis, and most blood tests) aren’t that reliable.
Your best bet for properly assessing your magnesium status and figuring out whether or not you may need to supplement with magnesium is to talk with a trusted healthcare professional like a doctor, nurse, or registered dietitian.
They can suggest appropriate testing and go over your diet, medication use, medical history, lifestyle, stress level, and other factors that may contribute to suboptimal magnesium levels to help determine whether a magnesium supplement may be helpful.
What to keep in mind before taking a supplement
FYI: Magnesium supplements are considered super safe. But if you take super high doses of some types of magnesium (including magnesium carbonate, chloride, gluconate, and oxide) you might experience GI symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, and cramping.
Plus, magnesium supplements are known to interact with some medications like certain antibiotics and some osteoporosis medications, and may need to be taken hours apart from some meds. When in doubt, talk with your doc.
Who’s most likely to benefit from magnesium supps?
Studies show that certain people are likely to benefit from supplemental magnesium, including:
If you’re interested in taking a magnesium supplement, work with a healthcare professional to determine what form and dose may be most effective for your specific needs.
Bottom line
Magnesium does so much for your bod, but being low or deficient in this mineral is extremely common. Thankfully, many foods are packed with magnesium, including pumpkin seeds, salmon, avocados, spinach, cacao nibs, and yogurt.
If you’re worried you’re not getting enough magnesium, talk with your doctor. If they feel you may benefit from one, they may recommend a magnesium supplement and/or suggest you up your intake of magnesium-rich foods.
