Magnesium Health Watch

It’s easy to get ample magnesium from your diet if you know what to look for.  Foods like beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains and leafy greens are incredibly nutritious and packed with magnesium.

This article lists several great, magnesium-rich vegetarian recipes.   Here’s one to get you started:

Mediterranean Tomato, Lentil and Spinach Soup

Serve this hearty vegetarian soup with crusty whole wheat bread for a complete meal. I like the sharp and slightly salty addition of freshly grated good Parmesan cheese, but omit it if serving to vegans.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dried basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each dried oregano and thyme leaves
• Pinch each dried rosemary leaves, crumbled, and pepper
• 3 cups (750 mL) vegetable stock
• 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes, including juice
• 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) lentils, drained and rinsed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 cups (750 mL) fresh baby spinach leaves
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in seasonings, vegetable stock, tomatoes, lentils and lemon juice.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach leaves until wilted, about 30 seconds. Serve with Parmesan, if desired.

Makes 8 cups (2 L), 4 servings.

More Information
Tomato Tip: If you have canned whole tomatoes rather than diced, an easy way to cut them up is using kitchen shears. Pour tomato liquid into soup (to avoid messy overflow) and cut tomatoes in the can.

Nutritional information
Per Serving: 280 cal, 20 g protein, 6 g fat, 42 g carb, 10 g fibre, 1265 mg sodium. Excellent source vit A, vit C, folate, niacin, thiamin, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Very high source dietary fibre. Calories : 280

Welcome to Homemakers.com : Food & Nutrition : Satisfying magnesium-rich sources -.

We’re always on the lookout for magnesium-rich foods to recommend for meals and snacks.  Believe it or not, pumpkin seeds are a mineral-rich food you’ll find plenty of this time of year.   In addition to magnesium, pumpkin seeds are full of zinc, copper, manganese, phosphorous, protein and potassium.

Here’s are some suggestions for how to enjoy pumpkin seeds:

“Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and light roast them in a 160-170ºF oven for 15-20 minutes. Roasting them for a short time at a low temperature helps to preserve their healthy oils.

Enjoy your pumpkin seeds as a healthy snack or add them to a green salad. You can even grind them up to put in pesto or add them to your favorite cereal for extra nutrition. Store the seeds in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last one to two months.”

Pumpkin Seeds Offer Great Health Benefits | HULIQ.

This fascinating article discusses how changes in the way we obtain our drinking water have contributed to widespread magnesium deficiency.  Historically, when our communities’ water came from rivers and streams, there was naturally a higher mineral content.   Today’s local water purification techniques remove not only impurities but the minerals we need.  Furthermore, concerned about the health benefits of tap water, many people buy bottled water instead.  Often, however, bottled water does not contain much of any magnesium.

“The upshot of all this is that we cannot rely on drinking water to provide adequate magnesium. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for magnesium—that is, the amount required to prevent severe deficiency—is 420 mg a day for men and 320 mg a day for women. In cities with the highest magnesium water content, only 30% of the RDA can be obtained by drinking two liters of tap water a day.4 In most cities, only a meager 10-20% of the daily requirement can be obtained. That leaves 70–90% of the daily magnesium requirement that must be obtained from other sources. Since many people’s diets are also low in magnesium, the average American ingests substantially less magnesium than the RDA.”

Magnesium Deficiency: Is Your Bottled Water Killing You? – Life Extension.

Delicious Living provides a rich resource page on all things magnesium.  There are links to articles on magnesium’s role in heart health, bone health,  mood, muscular development, sleep and more.  It also includes links to magnesium-rich food recipes such as this one for Nutty Oatmeal Chocolate Bars.

Although it would be great if we reached for broccoli instead of sweets when we’re stressed, there’s no need to feel guilty with these treats. Oats have a calming effect, and chocolate contains magnesium, believed to help ease anxiety. To make cookies instead of bars, drop tablespoons of dough onto a prepared cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.

Nutty Oatmeal Chocolate Bars (makes 24)

1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 medium eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together syrup, sugar, butter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, mix together cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, oats, flour, and walnuts. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring until just moistened. Add chocolate chips or raisins and stir again until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.

3. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake on center rack for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 158 calories
% fat calories: 30
Fat: 5g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 21mg
Protein: 5g
Carbohydrate: 24g
Fiber: 3g
Sodium: 104mg
Sources: James Rouse, ND, and Debra Rouse, ND.

Magnesium and your health.

We wanted to let you know about our ever-expanding Magnesium Rich Foods site on Squidoo.  There, we post additional information on magnesium-rich food sources, magnesium mineral supplements and more.  This includes informative videos, great tips on from experts, and featured nutritional products from Amazon.

Visit: http://www.squidoo.com/magnesiumfoods