Add More Magnesium To Your Diet For Healthy Skin

Magnesium is an essential nutrient your body needs in order to perform many important functions. Its benefits include:

• Helping to maintain your muscles and nerves
• Regulating your blood pressure and blood sugar
• And helping to make protein, bone, and even DNA.

That’s a lot of essential jobs.

But some people don’t get enough. In fact, many Americans are thought to be deficient in this amazing mineral.¹

But magnesium is also important for achieving healthy skin. So, let’s take a closer look.

Why is Magnesium Good for Skin Care?

Now, magnesium is certainly great for your body, but it’s particularly great for the health of your skin. Studies have shown that this mineral not only helps enhance moisture levels in your skin, but also increases your skin’s ability to absorb moisture. And both of these things are essential in the fight against the visible signs of aging.²

Secondly, magnesium may also help to repair your skin’s natural barrier.³

This is crucial when it comes to protecting your skin from redness and irritation.

Studies have shown that children who suffer from certain common skin conditions affecting the skin’s barrier and inability to hold moisture actually tend to have a magnesium deficiency.^4,5 So, this mineral is clearly important when it comes to a healthy skin barrier.

But there are also less obvious ways in which it benefits your skin care routine. For one, it helps to balance your blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels may potentially worsen breakouts and blemishes.⁶

As it turns out, magnesium may also have positive benefits on stress. Now, you may or may not know, stress can have a profound impact on your skin as it can increase the potential for blemishes and speeding up the visible signs of aging. Magnesium may help to balance these stress hormones by interacting with GABA receptors, the neurotransmitters famed for their calming activity.⁷ In fact, a deficiency may even reduce serotonin levels.⁸

So, by helping brighten your mood, magnesium is also helping brighten your skin!

How Much Magnesium Do You Need?

The amount of magnesium you need each day varies depending on gender and age. In general, adult females require around 310-320 mg per day. And adult males need about 400-420 mg.⁹ But how can you get more of this magnificent mineral in your diet? Well, let’s take a look at some of the best sources of this mineral.

The Best Sources of Magnesium

The best and most inexpensive way to make sure you reap the full skin care benefits of magnesium is by including magnesium-dense foods in your diet. This mineral is added to some fortified foods, and it is generally (naturally) higher in legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and green, leafy vegetables.

So, let’s get down to business. Here are some of the best sources out there:

1. Pumpkin Seeds

One ounce of pumpkin seed kernels has a whopping 168 mg.

2. Almonds

A quarter of a cup of dry, unroasted almonds for your afternoon snack will grab you 105 mg.

3. Spinach

A half of a cup of boiled spinach contains 78 mg (alongside all that amazing iron).

4. Oatmeal

A single cup of cooked oatmeal contains around 57.6 mg. Sounds like the perfect skin-boosting breakfast!

5. Dark Chocolate (60-69% cocoa)

One ounce of dark chocolate provides 50 mg. Skin care never tasted so good!

6. Whole Wheat Bread

Two slices of whole wheat bread will get you around 46 mg.

7. Avocado

The humble avocado never lets you down in the nutritional stakes. One cup will provide you with 44 mg.

8. Bananas

One medium banana contains 33 mg. Perfect for topping your oatmeal!

9. Beets

Just half a cup of beets gives you around 31.5 mg. Most veggies can’t “beet” that.

10. Atlantic Salmon

A nice 3 oz. cut of salmon provides 26 mg, along with loads of wonderful, skin-nurturing fatty acids.

11. Milk

One cup of milk brings in 24–27 mg. If you’re dairy intolerant, a cup of soy milk will actually boost your magnesium by about 61 mg.

12. Broccoli

Half a cup of cooked broccoli is the perfect serving for a side veggie and will still give you 12 mg of this super mineral.^10,11

A Different Kind of Mineral Make Up

So, as part of your healthy skin care routine, don’t forget about magnesium. If you’re not eating plenty of leafy greens, nuts, and legumes, you may be deficient in this wonderful mineral. The benefits are incredible – so start incorporating these 12 magnesium-rich foods into your diet, and you’ll be well on your way to a healthier body with healthier skin.

Learn More:
The 6 Best Vitamins to Help You Get Glowing Skin

Sources
1. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5637834
3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-4632.2005.02079.x
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23101308
5. https://nationaleczema.org/skin-directed-atopic-dermatitis-report/
6. https://www.aad.org/media/news-releases/growing-evidence-suggests-possible-link-between-diet-and-acne
7. http://www.immh.org/article-source/2016/11/17/magnesium-the-missing-link-in-mental-health
8. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987709007300
9. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium#RDA
10. https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Documents/CP0403MagnesiumRichFoods.pdf
11. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15650-magnesium-rich-food