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 ( 1 ).
Yet, you can easily meet your daily needs by eating foods high in magnesium.
Here are 10 healthy foods that are high in magnesium.
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 ( 3 ).
What’s more, it's loaded with beneficial antioxidants. These are nutrients that neutralize free radicals, which are harmful molecules that can damage your cells and lead to disease ( 4 ).
Dark chocolate is especially beneficial for heart health, as it contains flavanols, which are powerful antioxidant compounds that prevent “bad” LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and sticking to the cells lining your arteries ( 5 , 6 ).
To make the most of dark chocolate’s benefits, choose a product containing at least 70% cocoa solids. A higher percentage is even better.
Shop for dark chocolate online.
Summary
The avocado is an incredibly nutritious fruit and a tasty source of magnesium. One medium avocado provides 58 mg of magnesium, which is 15% of the RDI (7).
Avocados are also high in potassium, B vitamins and vitamin K. And unlike most fruits, they're high in fat — especially heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
In addition, avocados are an excellent source of fiber. In fact, 13 of the 17 grams of carbs in an avocado come from fiber, making it very low in digestible carbs.
Studies have shown that eating avocados can reduce inflammation, improve cholesterol levels and increase feelings of fullness after meals ( 8 , 9 , 10 ).
Summary