See 10 Magnesium Rich Foods To Include In Your Diet

If you're starting to get serious about your diet, magnesium will be a key mineral you've heard about. In this article, Beauty and Tips gives you the lowdown on what magnesium is, why it's so important, and the top 10 magnesium rich foods to include in your diet.

Magnesium is super duper important. It has a role to play in just about every single bodily process, including insulin regulation and metabolism. If you don't get enough magnesium into your body, you could suffer from all kinds of troubling ailments, including heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's. As you can already tell, magnesium is pretty important. But what is it exactly? Magnesium is a mineral that, like all minerals, is found in nature. It's your body's fourth most-needed mineral, with most of it stored away in your bones. The thing is that, because magnesium isn't included in all healthy foods, it's possible for you to enjoy an otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle but still be magnesium deficient. To make sure that doesn't happen any time soon, let's check out the 10 magnesium rich foods you need to include in your diet.

Dark Chocolate
Who said getting more magnesium into your system had to be boring?! Dark chocolate might be super indulgent and a bit of a guilty pleasure but it's also heart-healthy and an excellent source of magnesium. Eat a small serving of dark chocolate per day for just under 20% of your daily recommended amount of magnesium. Chocolate has a bit of a bad reputation but eaten in small doses (two squares per day), dark chocolate provides some wonderful health benefits. As well as magnesium, it's also rich in manganese, copper, iron and, of course, taste. Yum! It's also got lots of antioxidants which combat free radicals, thereby saving you from potential long-term disease.

Blackberries
No one needs to give up snacking, but a lot of us need to start snacking smarter. Instead of gorging on candy bars, greasy chips and sugary treats, we need to start turning to healthier snacks. Step forward blackberries! Not only are blackberries just as tasty as candy, they're also rich in antioxidants and magnesium. Just one cup contains around 28mg of this essential mineral. Awesome. Blackberries can help you bring down your bad cholesterol levels, and they strengthen teeth and bones. If you want, you can munch on them out of your hand, or you can add them to a morning bowl of oatmeal. Both are wins.

Okra
Okra seeds are also one of fabulous magnesium rich foods. A cup contains around 60mg of the essential mineral, which is also rich in iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin A. Okra prevents oxidative damage and strengthens your immune system.

Beans and Lentils
Beans and lentils are complete proteins. The more you eat of them, the fuller you'll feel and the more magnesium you'll have in your system. Just a single cup of soybeans contains around 85mg of magnesium. This equates to over 20% of your daily recommended amount. Not bad, huh?! Lentil soup is a good option for when you want a light meal or snack. Other beans you should start adding to your list of groceries include pinto beans, garbanzo beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, French beans and white beans.

Nuts
Some people absolutel y love nuts, and you know why? Because nuts are both tasty and nutrient dense. This means that what tastes good can also be super good for you! Just a 28g serving of cashews is enough to get you 20% of your daily recommended amount of magnesium. Not bad, huh?! Nuts in general are good sources of beneficial fat and fibre, and they can lower cholesterol while regulating blood sugar levels. The best nuts for magnesium are Brazil nuts, almonds and cashews.

Bananas
Bananas also deserve their place in amazing magnesium rich foods, they are massively popular in the western world. Most people know them for their potassium content, but a single banana also arms you with just less than 10% of your daily recommended amount of magnesium. That's pretty good when you consider that you can polish off a banana as an afternoon snack in minutes. Bananas also contain beneficial antioxidants, fibre, vitamin C, and they lower high blood pressure and bring down bad cholesterol. Excellent.

Avocados
Ever yone is eating avocados at the moment, from hipsters to your grandmother. They go with so many different types of dishes, from guacamole to scrambled eggs. As well as being so versatile, avocados are also one of good magnesium rich foods. A single mid-sized avocado is enough to stock you up on around 15% of your daily recommended amount of this key mineral. Avocados' nutritional profile also includes good fats, vitamin K and B vitamins, as well as fibre.

Blackstrap Molasses
If you need to ween yourself off sugar, blackstrap molasses is magnesium-rich alternative. It contains 48mg of the essential mineral per tablespoon and also contains selenium, calcium, iron and B-complex vitamins.

Seaweed
Ever tried seaweed before? If you've eaten in a Japanese restaurant or lived in Japan, there's a good chance you have. If you've never tried it before and are wondering why in the heck we'd tell you to try seaweed, get this: Seaweed contains a massive 120mg of magnesium for every 100 gram serving. That's pretty mega. Seaweed is also rich in iron, vitamin C and calcium, which makes it pretty nutrient dense. As a bonus, seaweed doesn't contain many calories. In fact, a single serving contains as little as 20 calories. This means that if you're on a low calorie diet right now, you can totally eat more seaweed. It goes well with salads, poultry, salmon and tuna. Mhmm!

Passion Fruit
Not sure about seaweed? Try passion fruit instead. No one who has ever tried passion fruit surely says they didn't like it. It's delicious, low in calories and a single serving contains around 5mg of magnesium. Passion fruit is a good source of flavonoids, vitamin A, copper, iron and potassium, too.

What are your favourite magnesium rich foods?