Magnesium rich foods
Magnesium is essential for our health. Our body contains about 20 grams of magnesium.
Magnesium occurs typically as the Mg2+ ion and is present in every cell in every organism. Thus ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the main source of energy in cells, must be bound to magnesium to be biologically active.
Magnesium plays a role in the stability of polyphosphate compounds including those associated with DNA and RNA synthesis.
Over 300 enzymes require the presence of magnesium ions to work. Magnesium is necessary for the synthesis of chlorophyll and photosynthesis in plants. More on magnesium here.
The nutritional requirement for adults is 300-400 mg/day.
Below is a list of foods having the highest content of magnesium in milligrams (mg) per 100 grams of the food. The list also includes the number of kilocalories (kcal) and the magnesium content in milligrams (mg) per kcal, and the list is sorted with respect to the latter with the highest values at the top.
As you can see there are many foods having a high magnesium content per kcal. So if you are lacking in magnesium, you could easily correct the deficiency by eating some of these foods. Rather small amounts should be sufficient in most cases.
The list is made using ECstep’s Personal Nutrition Data Program and includes more than 100 of the magnesium richest foods. Commercial brand products are not included in this list.