Sources of dietary magnesium and calcium
You need twice as much calcium to three times as much calcium as your magnesium intake. Personally I take the vegan version of Jarrow Formula's CalMag (if you buy it from CZ sponsor Utopia Silver, you can get 15% with the discount code LR001 provided it is not currently on sale). Each capsule contains 50% of the RDA of Calcium (500 iu) and 63% of the RDA of Magnesium (250 iu). The RDA is usually much less than the optimum daily amounts and thus you likely would benefit from more than just that amount, as is true with most vitamins and minerals.
I suggest you adjust how much you take according to the estimated daily average amount you get from your diet. It sounds like the original poster and perhaps yourself may be taking plenty or even excessive magnesium and not enough calcium. Also keep in mind that Vitamin D and Vitamin K are also important co-factors for the intake of calcium and magnesium and that potassium can be an important supplement for cramping (a good natural source is bananas).
As you can see below, lots of foods contain calcium besides just dairy products - and given all the antibiotics and growth hormones in typical grocers milk these days that is not really a good source in my opinion. Likewise, lots of foods are good sources of magnesium. Take a look at the following list to help you caculate.
List of Calcium Rich Foods
Food with Calcium |
Serving size
|
Calcium per serving (mg)*
|
Dairy products |
|
|
Milk† |
1 cup
|
290-300
|
Swiss cheese |
1 oz (slice)
|
250-270
|
Yogurt |
1 cup
|
240-400
|
American cheese |
1 oz (slice)
|
165-200
|
Ice cream or frozen dessert |
1/2 cup
|
90-100
|
Cottage cheese |
1/2 cup
|
80-100
|
Parmesan cheese |
1 Tbs
|
70
|
Powdered nonfat milk |
1 tsp
|
50
|
Other |
|
|
Sardines in oil (with bones) |
3 oz
|
370
|
Canned salmon (with bones) |
3 oz
|
170-210
|
Broccoli |
1 cup
|
160-180
|
Soybean curd (tofu) |
4 oz
|
145-155
|
Turnip greens |
1/2 cup, cooked
|
100-125
|
Kale |
1/2 cup, cooked
|
90-100
|
Corn bread |
2 1/2-in. square
|
80-90
|
Egg |
1 medium
|
55
|
Calcium-fortified food (bread, cereals, fruit juices)‡ |
1 serving |
Varies
|
|
Foods High in Magnesium |
Serving Size |
Magnesium (mg) |
Beans, black |
1 cup |
120 |
Broccoli, raw |
1 cup |
22 |
Halibut |
1/2 fillet |
170 |
Nuts, peanuts |
1 oz |
64 |
Okra, frozen |
1 cup |
94 |
Oysters |
3 oz |
49 |
Plantain, raw |
1 medium |
66 |
Rockfish |
1 fillet |
51 |
Scallop |
6 large |
55 |
Seeds, pumpkin and squash |
1 oz (142 seeds) |
151 |
Soy milk |
1 cup |
47 |
Spinach, cooked |
1 cup |
157 |
Tofu |
1/4 block |
37 |
Whole grain cereal, ready-to-eat |
3/4 cup |
24 |
Whole grain cereal, cooked |
1 cup |
56 |
Whole wheat bread |
1 slice |
24 |
Due to concerns over Soy, I DO NOT recommend Soy Milk for anyone for any purpose.
All the best,
Tony