We all heard that to have strong bones, we must eat calcium rich foods. However, there’s one mineral that is definitely as important if not even more when it comes to bone health, magnesium. But magnesium does much more for you than simply fight osteoporosis. Magnesium is also vital for your cardiovascular, nervous and digestive systems, as well as your muscle function, your kidneys, liver, brain and hormone-secreting glands. Magnesium also helps your body to keep its essential alkalinity.
Among its numerous roles, magnesium relaxes your muscles and nerves, build your bones, help regulate your blood sugar, your blood pressure and monitor your heartbeat. When you lack this precious mineral, several symptoms can appear such as weak bones, headaches, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat, etc.
Health conditions in which magnesium plays a role
- Alcoholism
- Arrhythmia
- Asthma
- Chronic fatigue
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- IBD
- Migraines
- Osteoporosis
- PMS
Where to get magnesium naturally?
It’s very important to eat magnesium rich foods often as your body an only relies on magnesium ingested through food to refuel its stocks. Hopefully, there are many plant-based sources of magnesium. Note that aside from millet and beans, all foods in this list will lose most of their magnesium content when cooked. So incorporating more raw foods into your diet can be a good way to naturally increase your magnesium levels.
Best vegan magnesium-rich foods
- Dark leafy greens (Swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens)
- Summer squash
- Broccoli
- Pumpkin seeds
- Green beans
- Sunflower seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Sesame seeds
- Black beans
- Navy beans
- Almonds
- Millet
What’s your favorite magnesium-rich food? Do you eat enough of the raw food listed above? Are you concerned about your magnesium levels?