Magnesium is a mineral you need every day for good health – but are you getting enough? According to Health Canada, many adults have inadequate intakes of magnesium. A healthy diet not only helps meet nutrition needs, but also reduces the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer and osteoporosis.
So, just what is magnesium and why is it so good for you? Magnesium has often been labelled as the missing link to better health. This mineral helps take energy from food and make proteins. It’s also important to bone health, and helps keep muscles and nerves healthy.
To know if you’re getting enough, here is a snap-shot¹ of the recommended daily doses of magnesium for Canadian men and women:
- • Men 19-30: aim for 400 mg/day
- • Women 19-30: aim for 310 mg/day
- • Men 31 and older: 420 mg/day
- • Women 31 and older: 320 mg/day
- • Pregnant women 19-30: 350 mg/day
- • Pregnant women over 30: 360 mg/day
- • Breastfeeding women 19-30: 310 mg/day
- • Breastfeeding women over 30: 320 mg/day
If you feel you’re on the low end of magnesium intake, there are a number of magnesium-rich foods you can include in your diet:
- • Peanuts (1/4 cup or 60 mL): 65 mg
- • Peanut butter (2 tbsp or 30 mL): 50-52 mg
- • Hazelnuts without shell (1/4 cup or 60 mL): 48-52 mg
- • Bran cereals (30 grams): 94-111 mg
- • Cooked spinach (1/2 cup or 125 mL): 83 mg
- • Cooked salmon (2 1/2 oz or 75 grams): 92 mg