Magnesium and potassium are minerals required in amounts greater than 100 mg daily for optimum health. These minerals work in tandem to ensure metabolic function and support enzymatic synthesis in the human body. Diets rich in these nutrients, in addition to calcium, but low in sodium support cardiac health, and may help lower blood pressure. Foods rich in both of these minerals include plant-based foods, such as vegetables, dried fruits and legumes. Adult women over age 31 need 320 mg magnesium daily and adult men over age 31 require 420 mg. The recommended adequate intake, or AI, for potassium is 4,700 mg.
Vegetables
Plant foods, such as leafy green vegetables, are an excellent food source of both minerals. Swiss chard is a mineral-rich leafy green, with a 1 cup serving providing 150 mg magnesium and 960 mg potassium. One cup of cooked spinach offers 157 mg magnesium and 839 mg potassium, meeting 39 and 24 percent of the DV for each, respectively. Raw kale provides less of each nutrient--a 1 cup serving meets 15 percent of the DV for magnesium and 9 percent for potassium.
Dried Fruit
A 1 oz. serving of sun-dried tomatoes provides 54.3 mg magnesium and 960 mg potassium, or 13.5 and 27 percent of the DV for each nutrient. A 1/2 cup serving of dried figs meets 12 percent of the DV for magnesium and 14 percent for potassium. A 1/2 cup apricots, dried and sulfured, provides 38 mg magnesium and 1,101 mg potassium. A 1/2 cup dried plums, also known as prunes, offers about the same amount of magnesium as dried apricots.
Other dried fruits high in both magnesium and potassium include figs, raisins and dates.
Legumes
Legumes, such as soy products, peanuts and starchy beans are rich in many minerals, including potassium and magnesium. A 1/2 cup serving of roasted soybeans provides 196 mg magnesium and 1,173 mg potassium, meeting 1/2 and 1/3 of the DV for each nutrient. Tempeh, a protein-rich meat replacement made from cultured and fermented soybeans, offers 77 mg magnesium and 401 mg per 100 g serving. A 1/2 cup serving of oil-roasted peanuts, another tasty legume, provides 269 mg magnesium and 932 mg potassium.
Other legumes rich in both minerals include starchy beans, such as navy, pinto and black beans, which meet 20 to 30 percent of the DV for magnesium and 15 to 25 percent of the DV for potassium per 1 cup serving.
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