Teenage girls and magnesium

In a study at Yale med school, scientists discovered that teenage girls with a higher magnesium intake have better bone mineral density. They determined this by studying 44 teenage girls (ages 14 to 18) who took either a magnesium supplement or a placebo for a year. At the end of the study, the supplement group had greater bone mineral content than the placebo group. The study authors are quick to caution that this does not mean young girls should start taking magnesium supplements. But the study does point out that magnesium is critical to optimum bone health in growing young women.

We think that a good thing to do for your kids, especially if you have any teenage daughters, is get more magnesium into their diets. The RDA for magnesium for girls in the 14-18 year range is 360 mg.

Here are some foods that will provide at least 30% of that in a single serving:

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup cooked spinach
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1 cup cooked white or black beans
• 4 ounces tofu
• 5 ounces cooked halibut

[P.S. 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate has 50% of the magnesium a teenager needs. Shhhh.]