Adding Magnesium to Your Diet

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What is magnesium?

Magnesium is a mineral important for the function of muscles, enzymes and production of energy and protein. A diet containing whole grains, legumes, meat, milk, fruits and vegetables should provide enough magnesium. However, your need for magnesium may increase due to certain medications, chemotherapy, diarrhea and vomiting.

What foods are good sources of magnesium?

Please pick foods from the following list if you are told your magnesium is low.

Cereals/Breads
Cold: Life, Total, All Bran, Fruit and Fibre, Bran Buds, Bran Chex, Raisin Bran, 40% Bran Flakes, Cracklin Bran, Carnation Instant Breakfast Bars

Hot: Cream of Wheat, Wheatena, oatmeal

Bread: whole grains (oats, barley, wheat, buckwheat)
Flour: wheat germ, wheat bran, peanut, soybean, whole wheat, rye

Vegetables
Winter and summer squash
Leaf greens-beet, turnip, kale, swiss chard, collard, spinach
Beans-green, baked, navy, lima, mung, wax
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas, chick peas, lentils, avocado, okra

Soups
black bean soup and cream soups-celery, tomato, cheese, mushroom, chicken, clam chowder, split pea

Milk Products
Carnation Instant Breakfast, buttermilk, milk, eggnog, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate milk, milkshakes

Fruit
Bananas, apples, cherries, cantaloupe, blackberries, grapes, pumpkin, raspberries, strawberries, Dried-figs, prunes, apples, dates, apricots

Protein Sources-Meat/Nuts
Cheese, beef, veal, chicken, turkey, pork, fish and seafood
Almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, peanuts and peanut butter, macadamia, pecans, walnuts, seeds- sunflower, sesame, Cumin, celery, poppy

Miscellaneous
chocolate, cocoa powder, instant coffee, blackstrap molasses, brown sugar, yeast, spices dill, sage, basil, dried mustard, savory, tarragon, marjoram

Resources
For more information, please contact Oncology Nutrition Service at 410-955-8152.