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Usage Notes

• Magnesium (measured in milligrams) and calories are calculated per 100g of food.
• This magnesium content of foods database contains approximately 7,000 most common food items.
• Click on column header to sort foods by name or by magnesium or calories.
• Pie chart shows relative contributions to total calories from carbohydrate, protein and fat (and alcohol, if exists).

Magnesium in Diet

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant.

Function of Magnesium

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys .

Side Effects

Side effects from increased magnesium intake are not common because the body removes excess amounts. Magnesium excess almost always occurs only when magnesium is supplemented as a medication.

Magnesium Deficiency

Lack of magnesium (deficiency) is rare. The symptoms include:
•Hyperexcitability
•Muscle weakness
•Sleepiness

Deficiency of magnesium can occur in people who abuse alcohol or in those who absorb less magnesium due to:
•Burns
•Certain medications
•Low blood levels of calcium
•Problems absorbing nutrients from the intestinal tract (malabsorption)
•Surgery

Symptoms due to a lack of magnesium have three categories.

Early symptoms:
•Anorexia
•Apathy
•Confusion
•Fatigue
•Insomnia
•Irritability
•Muscle twitching
•Poor memory
•Reduced ability to learn

Moderate magnesium deficiency symptoms:
•Heart (cardiovascular) changes
•Rapid heartbeat

Severe magnesium deficiency:
•Continued muscle contraction
•Delirium
•Numbness
•Seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations)
•Tingling

Food Sources

Green vegetables such as spinach are good sources of magnesium because the center of the chlorophyll molecule (which gives green vegetables their color) contains magnesium. Some legumes (beans and peas), nuts and seeds, and whole, unrefined grains are also good sources of magnesium. Refined grains are generally low in magnesium. When white flour is refined and processed, the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed. Bread made from whole grain wheat flour provides more magnesium than bread made from white refined flour. Tap water can be a source of magnesium, but the amount varies according to the water supply. Water that naturally contains more minerals is described as "hard". "Hard" water contains more magnesium than "soft" water.
Eating a wide variety of legumes, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables will help you meet your daily dietary need for magnesium.

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Magnesium Rich Foods

List of foods highest in magnesium content (from high to low). Magnesium values are in milligrams and measured per 100 grams of food weight.

Food Name

Magnesium

Rice bran, crude

781

Seaweed, agar, dried

770

Seeds, cottonseed meal, partially defatted (glandless)

760

Seeds, cottonseed flour, partially defatted (glandless)

721

Seeds, cottonseed flour, low fat (glandless)

716

Spices, basil, dried

711

Spices, coriander leaf, dried

694

Chives, freeze-dried

640

Wheat bran, crude

611

Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, KRETSCHMER Toasted Wheat Bran

606

Spearmint, dried

602

Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried

592

Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, without salt

550

Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, with salt added

550

Cocoa, dry powder, hi-fat or breakfast, plain

519

Seeds, watermelon seed kernels, dried

515

Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened

499

Cocoa, dry powder, hi-fat or breakfast, processed with alkali

476

Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened, processed with alkali

476

Spices, dill weed, dried

451

Spices, celery seed

440

Seeds, cottonseed kernels, roasted (glandless)

440

Soy flour, full-fat, raw, crude protein basis (N x 6.25)

429

Soy flour, full-fat, raw

429

Spices, sage, ground

428

Beverage, instant breakfast powder, chocolate, sugar-free, not reconstituted

410

Spices, parsley, dried

400

Seeds, flaxseed

392

Spices, fennel seed

385

Magnesium Rich Foods

Magnesium

Mothbeans, mature seeds, raw

381

Spices, savory, ground

377

Nuts, brazilnuts, dried, unblanched

376

Parsley, freeze-dried

372

Spices, mustard seed, ground

370

Peanut butter, chunky, vitamin and mineral fortified

370

Peanut flour, defatted

370

Soy flour, full-fat, roasted

369

Soy flour, full-fat, roasted, crude protein basis (N x 6.25)

369

Spices, cumin seed

366

Cereals ready-to-eat, KELLOGG, KELLOGG'S ALL-BRAN Original

362

Seeds, sesame flour, partially defatted

362

Seeds, sesame butter, paste

362

Seeds, sesame flour, high-fat

361

Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, roasted and toasted

356

Peanut butter, smooth, vitamin and mineral fortified

355

Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from unroasted kernels (non-chemically removed seed coat)

353

Seeds, safflower seed kernels, dried

353

Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, dried

351

Seeds, safflower seed meal, partially defatted

350

Spices, tarragon, dried

347

Spices, poppy seed

347

Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, without salt added (decorticated)

346

Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, with salt added (decorticated)

346

Seeds, sunflower seed flour, partially defatted

346

Seeds, sesame meal, partially defatted

346

Spices, marjoram, dried

346

Seeds, sesame seed kernels, dried (decorticated)

345

Cereals ready-to-eat, KELLOGG, KELLOGG'S ALL-BRAN WITH EXTRA FIBER

340

Seeds, sesame flour, low-fat

338

Yardlong beans, mature seeds, raw

338

Magnesium Rich Foods

Magnesium

Seeds, chia seeds, dried

335

Cowpeas, catjang, mature seeds, raw

333

Spices, coriander seed

330

Formulated bar, LUNA BAR, NUTZ OVER CHOCOLATE

329

Coffee, instant, regular, powder, half the caffeine

327

Coffee, instant, regular, powder

327

Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares

327

Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried

325

Snacks, granola bar, KASHI GOLEAN, chewy, mixed flavors

321

Cereals ready-to-eat, wheat germ, toasted, plain

320

Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS Marathon Energy Bar, all flavors

317

Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS Marathon Double Chocolate Nut Bar

317

Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS Marathon Honey Nut Oat Bar

317

Cereals ready-to-eat, FAMILIA

317

Soy protein concentrate, produced by alcohol extraction

315

Seeds, sisymbrium sp. seeds, whole, dried

314

Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, KRETSCHMER Wheat Germ, Regular

313

Coffee, instant, decaffeinated, powder

311

Seeds, sunflower seed butter, with salt added

311

Seeds, sunflower seed butter, without salt

311

Soy meal, defatted, raw, crude protein basis (N x 6.25)

306

Soy meal, defatted, raw

306

Nuts, pilinuts, dried

302

Fish, caviar, black and red, granular

300

Nuts, cashew nuts, raw

292

Soy flour, defatted

290

Soy flour, low-fat

285

Soy flour, defatted, crude protein basis (N x 6.25)

285

Hyacinth beans, mature seeds, raw

283

Nuts, almonds, dry roasted, with salt added

281

Nuts, almonds, dry roasted, without salt added

281

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