Nutrition Considerations for Women: Magnesium Intake

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All About Magnesium

This month, in celebration of Women’s Health Week, we’re putting ladies into the spotlight and diving deeper into everything to do with women’s health. In addition to releasing a women’s health Nutrition Score to all free users for the month of May, we’ll be uncovering some key nutrition considerations for females to keep in mind.

For this blog in particular, we’ll be talking all about magnesium, a mineral that many women aren’t getting enough of in their diets.

Its Function

Magnesium has many roles, including the release of energy from fats and carbohydrates, muscle contraction, sending information to and from the brain via nerve impulses, bone health and blood clotting. Over half of the magnesium in your body is found in your bones.

Women & Magnesium

Women need a bit less magnesium than their male counterparts. The average adult woman is recommended to get at least 310mg of it per day, versus males at 400mg. This increases slightly, up to  350mg for women who are pregnant. 

Magnesium & Your Diet

Excessive intakes of calcium or phosphorus can limit absorption of magnesium. If you’re a Gold Subscriber, check out the calcium:magnesium nutrient balance in your diary to see if you are getting these nutrients in balance.

Good sources of magnesium include coffee, tea, legumes like lima beans, soybeans, leafy greens like spinach, beet greens and kale.

Tracking Magnesium In Cronometer

To make sure you’re getting enough magnesium in your diet, if you’re not already, start tracking your food in Cronometer!

In the mobile app, navigate to your Daily Report or Nutrition Report and scroll down until you see magnesium listed under the minerals section. You can also click on this to edit your targets, see your top sources and to learn more information about the mineral in general.

On the web app, you can scroll down on your Diary Screen (main page) to see magnesium listed under the minerals section. You can hover over to learn more information or click to edit your targets and view your top sources.

Resources

1. The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Link

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