Magnesium-Rich Foods for Floaters

If you've decided to take magnesium for your benign eye floaters, nutritious foods make better magnesium sources than supplements. Since your body needs an average of 400 mg of magnesium each day, the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests using food sources that provide other nutritional value, too. That way, you'll get your daily value, or DV, of magnesium, as well as fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals that may be in short supply in your diet.

Fish

Deliver strong mineral content to address your eye floaters by choosing magnesium-rich foods with 20 percent DV or more per serving. Three ounces of halibut fits this requirement, reports the USDA, and also contains substantial protein and B-vitamins. Pollock, yellowfin tuna and haddock have lesser mineral content, which you can complement in your meals with magnesium-rich grains or greens.

Seeds and Nuts

You may be surprised to find that pumpkin seed kernels are some of the most magnesium-rich foods, with nearly 40 percent DV of magnesium in just 1 oz. Squash seeds and Brazilnuts have similar high content. The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, names almonds and cashews as moderate contributors of dietary magnesium. Almond, cashew and peanut butters make convenient food sources of magnesium and other minerals.

Cooked Spinach

Cooking concentrates spinach nutrients, as the USDA Nutrient Database illustrates. Cooked spinach provides up to 163 mg of magnesium per 1 cup, versus raw spinach with just 24 mg. Besides 40 percent DV of magnesium, cooked spinach offers an abundance of extra nutrition, including iron, potassium, fiber and vitamin A.

Beans

Healthy legumes support your efforts to control eye floaters, according to the NIH. One cup of white or black beans offers 30 percent DV or more of magnesium. Soybeans, lima and navy beans, black-eyed peas, pinto and kidney beans all deliver high magnesium content. These legumes also contain significant iron, calcium, potassium, fiber and vitamin B.

Grains

Whole grains are magnesium-rich foods that pair well with cooked beans and peas for strong dietary protein, iron, fiber and B-vitamins. Meal options include ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, such as whole-wheat bran flakes, with 25 percent DV of magnesium in just 1/2 cup. One cup of cooked oat bran, or an oat bran muffin, offers more than 20 percent DV of magnesium, as does 1 cup of brown rice. You'll find more moderate content in 1-cup servings of bulgur, barley and quinoa.

References

Article reviewed by J.A. Rist Last updated on: Dec 2, 2010

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