Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps muscle and nerve function and keeps the heart rhythm steady and bones strong, and is found in foods like green vegetables, nuts, cereal, and yogurt. The document discusses the importance of magnesium for health, food sources of magnesium including many green vegetables and nuts, and dietary recommendations for magnesium intake. It also notes that magnesium may help prevent illness and that those with diabetes should take additional magnesium.

1. Pennington Nutrition Series Pub No 75
Healthier lives through education in nutrition and preventive medicine
Magnificent Magnesium
Magnesium is essential Green vegetables are of Health recommends
for good health. great sources of that if you have diabe-
According to the magnesium. This is tes, you take additional
National Institute of because they contain a amounts of magnesium to
Health, it is the fourth molecule called chloro- help with high blood
most abundant mineral in phyll, which gives them sugar. If you do not get
the body. The majority their green color! enough magnesium in
of magnesium in the your diet, you may get
body can be found in symptoms such as a loss
bones, but it is also of appetite, nausea,
present in the cells of vomiting, weakness,
tissues and organs. fatigue, muscle cramps,
Magnesium helps muscle Some vegetables and abnormal heart rhythm,
and nerve function as nuts rich in magnesium or even seizures.
well as keeps the heart include: almonds, Dietary magnesium
rhythm steady and bones cashews, peanuts, soy- intake recommendations
strong. It may even help beans, spinach, cereal, are:
prevent you from getting oatmeal, potato, black- Age Male Female
sick! Your kidneys help eyed peas, plain yogurt,
4 to 8 130 130
rid the body of excess rice, kidney beans, pin- mg/day mg/day
magnesium, filtering it to beans, bananas, 9 to 13 240 240
out. milk, whole wheat mg/day mg/day
bread, chocolate pud- 14 to 18 410 360
mg/day mg/day
ding, and raisins.
19 to 30 400 310
The National Institute mg/day mg/day
31 and 420 320

2. Pennington Nutrition Series No 75, 2010
Authors
Beth Kalicki
Heli J. Roy, PhD, RD
Division of Education
Phillip Brantley, PhD, Director
Pennington Biomedical Research Center Pennington Biomedical Research Center
9400 Perkins Road Steven Heymsfield, MD, Executive Director
Baton Rouge, LA 70808 5/10
www.pbrc.edu Rev. 2/11
U B R E Q W C N M B V M K P L
Y M A G N E S I U M X Z I O W
O T Y N Q O N Q W T P I D L Q
R D T R A E H S R E S O N L K
G C Z X R N O S Z F B N E Y Z
A S E A Z V A T X V C J Y H X
N T L U W O T R G R E E N P C
Q Y C I Q P M O E T R U G O Y
A G S E O L E N R T H X G R T
N F U Z L X A G I P C W F O P
E D M X A L L S Q O A C I L F
R X O V E A S U Y G N V U H R
V O U D R U Z G J K I B Y C X
E P Y E E Z X O L K P L O P C
N V E G E T A B L E S M N B V
MAGNESIUM HEART STRONG
VEGETABLES GREEN OATMEAL
CHLOROPHYLL NUTS SPINACH
MINERAL YOGURT KIDNEY
MUSCLE BANANA CELLS
NERVE MILK TISSUE
ORGAN