Pumpkin Seeds and Magnesium

(Posted by Patrick Sullivan Jr.)

WebMD published an article for Men's Health called, "The 10 Best Foods You Aren't Eating".  Pretty cool list of exotic foods I'm going to try and add to my diet.

And of course, since I'm such a magnesium zealot, this note about pumpkin seeds really jumped out at me:

10. Pumpkin seeds

These jack-o'-lantern waste products are the most nutritious part of the pumpkin.

      Why they're healthy: Downing pumpkin seeds is the easiest way to consume more magnesium. That's important because French researchers recently determined that men with the highest levels of magnesium in their blood have a 40 percent lower risk of early death than those with the lowest levels. And on average, men consume 353 mg of the mineral daily, well under the 420 mg minimum recommended by the USDA.

      How to eat them: Whole, shells and all. (The shells provide extra fiber.) Roasted pumpkin seeds contain 150 mg of magnesium per ounce; add them to your regular diet and you'll easily hit your daily target of 420 mg. Look for them in the snack or health-food section of your grocery store, next to the peanuts, almonds,  and sunflower seeds.