For example, magnesium is the center of the chlorophyl molecule, which means that EVERY leafy green is a good food source of magnesium. Technically, I suppose every green leaf would be, if they were all edible. Why not add lime leaves to a few of your dishes as Thai food does? Or some beet and turnip greens?

So, obviously spinach, swiss chard, most lettuces, and green tops to other plants (I’ve heard that carrot tops can be eaten, but I’ve never tried it) are good food sources of magnesium, but even if you eat raw, you need more food than just greens.

Fish:

Salmon, Halibut, Pollock, Tuna, and Haddock  are listed as being high in magnesium. Other fish may be as well, but these are the ones that are high enough in magnesium to be considered a good food source.

Legumes/Beans/Seeds/Nuts/etc:

Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, and sesame seeds are high in magnesium.

In addition to the nuts and seeds, soy beans and products made from soy, black beans, navy beans, and pinto beans, white beans, lima beans, lentils, kidney beans, black eyed peas, and peanuts (and products made from peanuts), are all listed as good food sources of magnesium.

Grains:

Quinoa is supposedly high in every nutrient, and magnesium is no exception. Also high in magnesium are wheat germ and bran- the parts that are stripped out of wheat to make white flour- so any whole grain wheat anything is high in magnesium, and germ and bran can be easily added to a number of foods including high fiber meatloaf. Oats and brown rice are also considered to be high in magnesium.

Other:

Okra, avocados, potatoes, bananas, raisins, and artichokes are considered to be good food sources of magnesium.

In fact, the nutritional value of black beans is nearly identical to the nutritional value of pinto beans. They both have nearly 200% daily value of molybdenum in a 1 cup (cooked) serving, but black beans are just the tiniest bit higher in molybdenum than pinto beans are (about 1%).   Molybdenum helps to detoxify sulfites, a common preservative that causes equally common reactions, such as headaches.

Black beans are a good source of dietary fiber as well, which is particularly useful to diabetics and those who are insulin resistant, as dietary fiber helps to balance blood sugar levels.   Also found in black beans (in high enough levels to be useful) are folate, tryptophan , manganese, protein, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, and vitamin B1 (thiamin).

Pinto beans are slightly higher in folate than black beans, but black beans beat pinto beans in dietary fiber and tryptophan.  But really, their nutritional profiles are nearly identical and they’re bred from the same original bean, so feel free to interchange as taste and aesthetics demand.

How To Soak Black Beans:

Cooking black beans is very easy. They need to be sorted (remove damaged beans and gravel) and rinsed, then soaked.

You can soak black beans one of two ways. The quick soak method is to put the cleaned beans into a pot of water, bring it to a boil, then remove from heat and let sit for an hour or two.  The other soaking method is to simply pour the beans and water into a bowl or pot and allow them to soak overnight. Soaking the beans makes them cook quicker, but it also reduces the sugars that cause flatulence.

Please note that dried beans will expand to 2 or 3 times their size when soaked. Please leave ample room in your soaking container.

How to Cook Black Beans:

Once black beans have been properly soaked (see above), simply pour off the soaking water and refill the pot with fresh water. Make certain that there are at least 2″ of water above the beans. Bring the pot to a boil, and then simmer for 1-2 hours.

Do not add salt or any acidic liquids or foods (such as tomatoes or vinegar) until after the beans are thoroughly cooked. Salt and acid will toughen black beans, and it will take much (much!) longer to cook.

All legumes are excellent foods for your health, but pinto beans in particular are packed with molybdenum (almost 200% daily value in 1 cup of cooked pinto beans). They are also a good source of folate, dietary fiber, tryptophan, manganese, protein, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, and vitamin B1 (thiamin).

Molydenum detoxifies sulfites, which are common preservatives that can give you bad reactions (such as headaches) when consumed. The fiber found in pinto beans can help regulate blood sugar, making them an ideal food for diabetics and those who are insulin resistant.

How To Cook Pinto Beans:

Cooking dried pinto beans is very simple. Just rinse and sort the beans (removing any insect damaged beans and gravel), and then pre-soak. You can quick soak the beans by bringing them to a boil for a few minutes and then removing from heat for about an hour, or you can soak them in a bowl overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, pour off the soaking water and replace with fresh water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours.  Be forewarned that pinto beans expand to approximately 3 times their size when soaked, but soaking helps reduce the sugars that cause flatulence.

Also, make certain that you don’t salt the water or add anything acidic to the beans (including tomato anything) until they’re fully cooked, as this will toughen the beans and increase the cooking time.