Healthy Bones Need Calcium and Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral for over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. You likely know that you need calcium for bone health. But your body cannot absorb and metabolize calcium without magnesium. Magnesium ensures bone strength and firmness, thereby helping prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
In our fast-paced, American diets, we are eating more and more processed foods that don’t contain enough magnesium. Since magnesium works so closely with calcium, it is important to have an appropriate ratio of both minerals in order for them to be effective. A good rule of thumb is a 2:1 calcium-to-magnesium ratio. For example, if you take 1000mg of calcium, you should also take 500mg of magnesium.
You can also increase your intake of magnesium by eating magnesium-rich foods. Food sources that are high in magnesium include:
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Dandelion greens
- Dark green vegetables
- Legumes
- Nuts (almonds, cashew, brazil)
- Rye
- Seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)
- Wheat germ/bran
- Whole grain cereals