If you're choosing foods rich in magnesium, seaweed is definitely the way to go!

We have looked at salt intake in terms of foods that affect longevity and short life, and the conclusion was that even if you consume salt, taking in minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium can suppress high blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke.

In yesterday's column, I concluded that while natural salt certainly contains more minerals than refined salt, the absolute amount is small, so considering the cost, it is better to supplement minerals through other foods.

Out of the three minerals, today we will look at magnesium.

I also touched on magnesium in my column on May 15, 2024, so I hope you will take a look at that as well.

In yesterday's column, I mentioned that for domestic sea salt (sun-dried salt, kettle-fired salt) with a salt equivalent of 86.36g, it contains 700mg of magnesium; however, if you consume the recommended upper limit of 7.5g of salt intake for an adult male, the amount of magnesium from domestic sea salt (sun-dried salt, kettle-fired salt) would be 60.8mg.

However, since salt is also contained in other foods, consuming 7.5g would clearly lead to excessive salt intake, and the amount of magnesium would likely be less than half of that.

So, what kind of foods are rich in magnesium?

As shown in the image, dried aonori (green laver) contains a staggering 3200mg of magnesium per 100g. If you eat about 20g of dried aonori, you will meet your daily required magnesium intake. Since it is dried, it will actually contain moisture, so you would be eating a reasonable amount, but it seems possible to meet the requirement in one meal.

It is also found in abundance in other seaweeds such as wakame and hijiki.

Conversely, looking at other foods, boiled soybeans contain 110mg per 100g, and natto contains 100mg per 100g, so if a pack of natto is 50g, it calculates to only 50mg of intake.

Looking at it this way, it can be said that magnesium is not contained in very large amounts in foods other than seaweed. It seems that the cause of magnesium deficiency lies in the fact that it is difficult to obtain from food in the first place.

Seaweed is also rich in dietary fiber, and I would like to consume it regularly for the sake of my gut bacteria.

Tomorrow, we will look at calcium, which should be taken at the same time as magnesium.