What fruits contain magnesium? If you’re looking for a healthy snack, or just want to make sure your diet is rich in magnesium, here is a list of common fruits that contain magnesium:
If you’re looking for fruits with magnesium, you’ve come to the right place. There are fruits throughout the world that contain a sufficient amount of magnesium, so you can enjoy a sweet treat and take your vitamins at the same time! Let’s begin.
What Fruits Contain Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral required by the body for muscle and nerve function, maintaining heart rhythm, building strong bones and energy production. The secretion and action of insulin also requires magnesium.
Fruits are high in fiber and are also a very good source of potassium in addition to magnesium.
Fruits high in magnesium include dried figs, avocados, guavas, bananas, kiwi fruit, papayas, blackberries, raspberries, cantaloupes, and grapefruit. The daily value (%DV) for magnesium 420mg per day.
Magnesium helps boost energy, reduce inflammation, and support immunity. Reach for the following magnesium-rich foods to reduce your risk for a deficiency.
Time to make some dietary changes to boost energy and build a healthy immune system? While magnesium is considered a minor nutrient, it plays a significant role in your overall health and is essential to every function and tissue in the body.
Magnesium is an extremely important mineral.
It’s involved in hundreds of chemical reactions in your body and helps you maintain good health, but many people don’t reach the reference daily intake (RDI) of 400 mg.
Yet, you can easily meet your daily needs by eating foods high in magnesium.
Not only do magnesium-rich foods support a healthy immune system and improve bone health, they may play a role in preventing certain cancers, according to a study published in June 2017 in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. Foods with magnesium have been found to help improve heart health, prevent stroke, and even potentially reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack. Additionally, magnesium foods help to support normal nerve and muscle function and keep your heartbeat in sync.
A study published in October 2017 in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research found that a nutritionally balanced vegan diet filled with fresh fruit and vegetables lowered triglycerides, insulin, and cholesterol in study participants when compared with a healthy, controlled omnivorous diet (both plant and animal foods). A plant-based diet includes magnesium-rich fruit, vegetables, beans and peas, grains, soy, seeds, and nuts. A vegetarian diet is plant-based, but a vegan diet excludes all meat, dairy, and animal products, notes Medline Plus.
A study published in February 2014 inDiabetes Care reveals that a high daily magnesium intake may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 32 percent.
Dark chocolate is as healthy as it is delicious. It’s very rich in magnesium, with 64 mg in a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving — that’s 16% of the RDI (2). Dark chocolate is also in high in iron, copper and manganese and contains prebiotic fiber that feeds your healthy gut bacteria.
List of Fruits High in Magnesium
#1: Dried Figs
| Magnesium 1 Cup |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 101mg (24% DV) |
68mg (16% DV) |
55mg (13% DV) |
More Dried Fruit High in Magnesium
- 21% DV per cup of prunes
- 19% DV per cup of apricots
- 16% DV per cup of dates
- 15% DV per cup of zante currants
- 14% DV per cup of raisins
#2: Avocados
Avocado originates in Mesoamerica, where it was prepared and eaten by the Aztecs in a variety of forms, including the now-world-famous guacamole (originally called ahuaca-mulli). Colonizers brought the crop back to Europe with them, and it has since spread across the globe. While the avocado is most often thought of in relation to savory Mexican and other Central American dishes, other cultures have adapted the strange-looking fruit to different uses. These include the Indonesian drink called jus alpukat, a cold blend of avocado and coffee, and a simple dessert that marries avocado, ice, and condensed milk (or milk and sugar) found throughout Asia, from the Philippines to Vietnam.
| Magnesium per Avocado |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 58mg (14% DV) |
29mg (7% DV) |
36mg (9% DV) |
#3: Bananas
| Magnesium per Cup Sliced |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 41mg (10% DV) |
27mg (6% DV) |
61mg (14% DV) |
#4: Guavas
| Magnesium per Cup |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 36mg (9% DV) |
22mg (5% DV) |
65mg (15% DV) |
#5: Kiwifruit
| Magnesium per Cup |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 31mg (7% DV) |
17mg (4% DV) |
56mg (13% DV) |
#6: Papaya
| Magnesium per Cup |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 30mg (7% DV) |
21mg (5% DV) |
98mg (23% DV) |
#7: Blackberries
| Magnesium per Cup |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 29mg (7% DV) |
20mg (5% DV) |
93mg (22% DV) |
#8: Raspberries
| Magnesium per Cup |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 27mg (6% DV) |
22mg (5% DV) |
85mg (20% DV) |
#9: Cantaloupe
| Magnesium per Cup |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 21mg (5% DV) |
12mg (3% DV) |
71mg (17% DV) |
#10: Grapefruit
| Magnesium 1 Cup Sections |
Magnesium per 100g |
Magnesium per 200 Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 21mg (5% DV) |
9mg (2% DV) |
43mg (10% DV) |
Time to make some dietary changes to boost energy and build a healthy immune system? While magnesium is considered a minor nutrient, it plays a significant role in your overall health and is essential to every function and tissue in the body.
In general, to provide magnesium to your body, the National Institutes of Health recommends looking for foods packed with dietary fiber, including:
- Almonds
- Avocados
- Black beans
- Bran cereal
- Brown rice
- Cashews
- Cereal (shredded wheat)
- Edamame
- Kidney beans
- Oatmeal
- Peanut butter
- Peanuts
- Potatoes with skin
- Pumpkin
- Raisins
- Soy milk
- Spinach
- Whole-grain bread
- Yogurt
What is magnesium deficiency?
Magnesium deficiency, also known as hypomagnesemia, is an often overlooked health problem.
While less than 2% of Americans have been estimated to experience magnesium deficiency, one study suggests that up to 75% are not meeting their recommended intake (1Trusted Source).
In some cases, deficiency may be underdiagnosed since the obvious signs commonly don’t appear until your levels become severely low.
The causes of magnesium deficiency vary. They range from inadequate dietary intake to loss of magnesium from the body (2Trusted Source).
Health problems associated with magnesium loss include diabetes, poor absorption, chronic diarrhea, celiac disease and hungry bone syndrome. People with alcoholism are also at an increased risk (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Magnesium deficiency is when the body does not get all the magnesium it needs for health.
Health problems linked to magnesium deficiency are rare, but if your magnesium levels are low long-term due to other health conditions like alcoholism or taking some medications, you may be at greater risk.
Magnesium deficiency can lead to health problems including:
- high blood pressure and heart disease
- diabetes
- osteoporosis
- migraine headaches
Feeling tired all the time? One of the biggest indicators of magnesium deficiency is struggling to sleep, as it has an overall calming effect on our nervous system and can reduce muscle tension. It also maintains healthy levels of the neurotransmitter that promotes healthy sleep, GABA, and the sleep hormone melatonin.
Another big indicator of deficiency is having a hankering for chocolate all the time.
What causes magnesium deficiency?
Magnesium deficiency in healthy people is rare but it can be caused by:
- a poor diet (especially in elderly people or those who don’t have enough to eat)
- type 2 diabetes
- digestive problems such as Crohn’s disease
- long-term vomiting or diarrhoea
- kidney problems
- long-term use of diuretics
- some medicines (for example, fluid tablets and medicines for ulcers or reflux) can cause low magnesium levels if taken for long periods
- alcoholism
Sometimes, people can take in too much magnesium in antacids or laxatives, but this is rare. If you have concerns about this, check with your pharmacist or doctor.
We’re all prone to craving a bar of the sweet stuff every now and then, right? Especially when our period sets in and we can’t seem to get enough choco (which is why we were overjoyed to learn a chocolate bar that can cure period cramps had been invented).
On average us Brits eat around three bars of chocolate per week, but craving chocolate could actually be a sign you’re suffering from magnesium deficiency.
‘Cravings for specific foods could be an indication of a deficiency in a micro or macro nutrient. In particular, a craving for chocolate could highlight a magnesium deficiency,’ explains nutritionist Emily Whitehead. So if you find yourself constantly dreaming about dairy milk or fantasising about flakes then it could be a tell-tale sign you’re magnesium deficient.
‘Magnesium is an essential mineral and is required for over 200 enzyme reactions in the body. So, trying eating a good quality dark chocolate (preferably organic and above 70% cocoa) which is a rich source of magnesium,’ she advises.
The most obvious way to up your magnesium levels is to consume more magnesium-rich foods, such as avocado, bananas, soy beans and, as already mentioned, dark chocolate. Try popping a magnesium supplement with your breakfast, too.
It’s thought that we absorb magnesium better through the skin, than by taking it in supplement form. Try taking an Epsom salt bath to soothe muscles and calm the body to promote a better night’s sleep.
How is magnesium deficiency diagnosed?
Magnesium deficiency is diagnosed via a blood test and sometimes a urine test. Your doctor may order the blood test if you have symptoms such as weakness, irritability, abnormal heart rhythm, nausea and/or diarrhoea, or if you have abnormal calcium or potassium levels.
How is magnesium deficiency treated?
If you have magnesium deficiency, your doctor will prescribe a magnesium supplement. Sometimes these can give you diarrhoea, so your doctor may need to experiment with the dose. In severe cases, intravenous magnesium may be needed.
Make sure you consult with your doctor if you are thinking of taking a magnesium supplement, as it’s possible to take too much magnesium. Taking more than the recommended dose can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and, in extreme cases, irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest.