Time to make some dietary changes to boost energy and build a healthy immune system? While magnesium is considered a minor nutrient, magnesium superfoods play a significant role in your overall health and are essential to every function and tissue in the body.

In general, to provide magnesium foods to your body, look for those packed with dietary fiber, including:

Almonds

Avocado

Black beans

Bran cereal

Brown rice

Cashews

Cereal (shredded wheat)

Edamame

Kidney beans

Oatmeal

Peanut butter

Peanuts

Potato with skin

Pumpkin

Raisins

Soymilk

Spinach

Whole grain bread

Yogurt

Not only do magnesium foods support a healthy immune system and improve bone health, they may help prevent the inflammation associated with certain cancers, according to a study published in June 2017 in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. Magnesium-rich foods have been found to increase heart health, help prevent stroke, and could even cut your risk of dying from a heart attack. Additionally, magnesium foods help to support normal nerve and muscle function and keep your heartbeat in sync.

A study published in October 2017 in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research found that a nutritionally balanced vegan diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables lowered triglycerides, insulin, and cholesterol in study participants when compared with a healthy, controlled omnivorous diet (both plant and animal foods). A plant-based diet includes magnesium-rich fruits, vegetables, beans and peas, grains, soy, seeds, and nuts. A vegetarian diet is plant-based, but a vegan diet excludes all meat, dairy, and animal products.

Some findings from Harvard University reveal that a high daily magnesium intake reduces the risk of diabetes by up to 33 percent; still other studies conclude that magnesium rich foods help ward off depression and migraines.

Magnesium supplements are available over-the-counter at most supermarkets and pharmacies, but experts say it is preferable to eat whole foods containing magnesium naturally to prevent a magnesium deficiency. While about 30 to 40 percent of the dietary magnesium consumed is usually absorbed by your body, low intakes or extreme losses of magnesium because of health conditions, alcoholism, or some medication use may lead to a magnesium deficiency.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), an American adult should get 380 milligrams (mg) of magnesium daily. Check out the following foods high in the macromineral magnesium, including dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, fish, soybeans, avocados, bananas, dark chocolate, and fat-free or low-fat yogurt.

Salmon and Tuna Are Filled With Magnesium and Omega-3 Fatty Acids