Research shows that magnesium supplements can help improve sleep conditions like restless leg syndrome (1) and insomnia (2).
Magnesium deficiency can also come with symptoms like nausea, fatigue, and cramps.
It’s usually not too common on a vegan diet if you eat quite a few seeds and nuts, but it does occur.
This is a simple and quick review of what to look for in a vegan magnesium supplement, as well as a short list of the best ones in my opinion.
How Much Magnesium Do You Need Per Day?
The recommended daily allowance of magnesium ranges from 310-420 mg for adults (Source).
You can see a list of the top vegan magnesium sources here for reference.
You’ll obviously be getting some magnesium from food, so you don’t necessarily need 400 mg from supplements (depending on how well they absorb).
Types of Magnesium Supplements
Magnesium, like many other minerals, is not that easy to digest.
Many magnesium supplements that are poorly absorbed can cause stomach problems, as they can have a laxative effect.
So even though more absorbable forms of magnesium are a bit more expensive, they’re worth it for most people.
These are the types of magnesium you’ll see in supplements, from best to worst:
- Chelated magnesium glycinate
- Magnesium glycinate (Non-chelated)
- Magnesium sulfate
- Magnesium malate
- Magnesium citrate
- Magnesium oxide
Magnesium glycinate is the most efficient form, and a chelated version makes it even easier to digest. That means that you don’t need to take as much to get enough magnesium, which decreases the chances of stomach issues even further.
For reference, chelated magnesium glycinate absorbs about 6x as effectively as magnesium oxide (3).
While a bit more expensive (still affordable), chelated magnesium glycinate is the best form of magnesium to look for in a supplement.
The Top Vegan Magnesium Supplements
To make it simple for you to find a good supplement, I’ve narrowed down your options to the 3 best in my opinion.
| Name | Magnesium Per Serving (mg) | Type | Price | Capsule size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future Kind Vegan Magnesium Glycinate | 200 | Chelated Magnesium Glycinate | $$ | Medium |
| VegLife Vegan Magnesium | 400 | Magnesium Glycinate, Malate, Citrate | $$ | Large |
| Now Supplements Magnesium | 400 | Magnesium Oxide, Citrate, Aspartate | $ | Large |
This list is in order of quality, however, in certain situations (budget, swallowing concerns, etc.), one might be better than another for you.
I’ll go over why below.
1. Future Kind Vegan Magnesium Glycinate
Future Kind makes premium vegan supplements at a pretty affordable cost. I’m a pretty big fan of their company’s quality and approach.
Here’s why I ranked this as the number 1 vegan magnesium supplement:
- Uses chelated magnesium (most absorbable and hard to find)
- No filler ingredients, it’s just magnesium plus the vegan capsule
- Relatively affordable considering quality
- Ships worldwide
- 3rd party tested for quality
So even though there is “only” 200 mg of magnesium per serving, you’re absorbing more magnesium than many supplements that have more.
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2. VegLife Vegan Magnesium
VegLife is another vegan company, and their products are all vegan certified.
This supplement has a blend of different types of magnesium (magnesium glycinate, malate and citrate). Without knowing the exact breakdown, it’s hard to know how well it absorbs.
However, I couldn’t find any reports of stomach issues, so it’s probably a high quality blend.
There is 400 mg per serving, but each serving is 3 fairly large capsules. You obviously don’t need to take that many if you don’t want to, but it’s something to consider.
3. NOW Supplements Magnesium
I included this magnesium product as a really good budget option.
It’s cheaper than the other 2, but still made by a reputable company that makes quite a few other vegan products.
There’s not too much else to say other than it contains magnesium in multiple forms (magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate and magnesium aspartate). These are cheaper and less absorbable forms of magnesium, but still better than nothing if you’re lacking it in your diet.
The capsules are quite large and may be difficult for some people to swallow.
