An Underrated Way To Add More Magnesium To Your Diet

One of the best ways to maintain a healthy body, along with maintaining adequate sleeping hours, staying hydrated, getting exercise, and keeping up mental health practices, is to keep a close eye on your diet. Understanding the nutrients that your body needs in order to function correctly is essential to understanding how and why your body is acting the way it does.

There are a multitude of minerals and nutrients that a healthy body needs, but one that gets overlooked sometimes is magnesium. According to The National Institute of Health, magnesium is necessary to many processes in your body. Notably, the regulation of muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and the production of protein all require magnesium. Although a magnesium deficiency may not be outright noticeable, continued low levels of magnesium can put you at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

The primary and easiest way to up your magnesium intake is through your diet — and there are lots of options for you to choose from. The Cleveland Clinic suggests eating more nuts and legumes, particularly roasted almonds, roasted cashews, black beans, edamame beans, and lima beans. Spinach, plain yogurt, quinoa, and dark chocolate are also rich in magnesium and easy to add to your diet. 

Pumpkin seeds are particularly high in magnesium, with just 1 ounce equalling 150 milligrams, or 37% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).

Magnesium supplements and medicines also exist in various forms, but they should not be consumed unless recommended by a doctor. Your kidneys are capable of filtering out any excess magnesium from the foods you've consumed but supplements can introduce complications, especially when taken in tandem with other medication and supplements. High levels of magnesium can result in diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramping, and in extreme cases can lead to heart complications (via Medical News Today). 

Getting magnesium into your diet can result in a healthier body, but always be careful to not go overboard and go to your doctor with questions.