Foods High in Manganese

Manganese is the vitamin C of minerals, in that it is very easy to get the amount that you need through your diet. Whereby there are limited foods that act as a source of certain nutrients, there are rather a lot of foods high in manganese. This page is going to provide you with a list of foods with manganese in them, as well as explaining how much manganese you need each day. Not only that, but we are also going to highlight just why manganese is critical to your health, with a section on manganese benefits

How much manganese do you need per day?

Before we go on to cover foods high in manganese, let's first look at the total amount of this mineral that you should be consuming each day, in order to avoid developing a deficiency. The figures below show the recommended daily intake, or RDI as it is commonly referred to as, for various ages and genders.

Babies 0 to 6 months - 0.003 mg
Babies 7 months to 1 year - 0.6 mg
Children 1 to 3 years - 1.2 mg
Children 4 to 8 years - 1.5 mg
Males 9 to 13 years - 1.9 mg
Males 14 to 18 years - 2.2 mg
Females 9 to 18 years - 1.6 mg

Males 19 years and older - 2.3 mg
Females 19 years and older - 1.8 mg
Pregnant women - 2 mg
Breastfeeding women - 2.6 mg

Anybody exceeding 5 mg of manganese each day could prevent their body from being able to effectively absorb iron.

Which foods contain manganese?

As with all vitamins and minerals, the best sources of manganese are natural foods. There are many foods that act as a very rich source of this mineral, such as walnuts, and can strongly contribute towards keeping the amount of manganese in your body at a safe level. There are also many more that can provide you with a trace of the mineral, which when combined can still make a positive difference.

The list of manganese foods below is going to highlight what the best sources of this important mineral are. We will show you exactly how much manganese a simple serving can provide you with, which will make clear just how easy it is to avoid the prospect of ever being deficient.

List of high manganese foods

Here are 5 mega sources of manganese, followed by a long list of other great sources of this important mineral.

1. Nuts

Two of the richest sources of manganese that you are ever likely to come across are pine nuts and hazelnuts. Below we have highlighted how just a 100 g serving of each of these can provide you with all of the manganese you need in an entire day, and loads more.

In 100 g of pine nuts you will find 8.8 mg of manganese, which works out as 440% of your RDI.
In 100 g hazelnuts you can obtain 309% of all the total you need in a day, getting 6.2 mg.
In 100 g of pecan nuts you can get 4.5 mg, this is 225%.
In 100 g of English walnuts there is 3.4 mg of manganese, which is 171% of the total needed in a day.
In 100 g of raw almonds there is 2.29 mg, this is 109% of the total required each day.
In 100 g of salted peanuts there are 1.8 mg of manganese, which comes to 92% of the total needed in one day.
In 100 g of raw cashew nuts there is a massive 1.7 mg of manganese, which is 83% of what you need in a day.
In 100 g of raw pistachio nuts there is 1.2 mg, and this amounts to 60% of your total daily requirement.

2. Pumpkin and squash seeds

Seeds such as pumpkin and squash seeds are a wonderful source of manganese. Just a simple serving of a cup of dried pumpkin or squash seeds has over twice the total manganese that you require in a whole day, as well as providing you with many more nutritional benefits.

A 138 g cup of dried pumpkin/squash seeds has 4.2 milligrams of manganese, 208% of the total you need in a day.

3. Mussels

An 85 g serving of cooked mussels have 5.8 mg of manganese, and this provides you with 289% of all you need of this mineral in a day.

4. Brown rice

Brown rice is a wonderful source of manganese. Rice is a staple food and one that is very flexible in what it can be eaten with, and also when it can be eaten.

In a 195 g serving of boiled long grain brown rice there is 1.8 mg of manganese, which equates to 88% of your total daily requirement.

5. Chickpeas

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans as they are otherwise known are a highly nutritious legume.

In a 164 g cup of cooked chickpeas there is an incredible 1.7 mg, and this is a staggering 84% of the total you need in a day.

6. Quinoa

Quinoa, or 'keen-wah' as it is pronounced, is a seed that is seen as a whole grain. It is a wonderfully nutritious food that can be used in meals as a replacement for rice. Besides being crammed with manganese and other nutrients, it is also a complete protein.

In a 185 g serving of cooked quinoa there is 1.2 mg of manganese, which is 58% of all that you need in a day.

There are plenty more foods that act as a rich source of manganese, and many of them you may already find that you eat on a regular basis. In order to ensure that your manganese levels are constantly topped up, it is important to make sure at least some of these foods feature in your meals on a daily basis.

Check out some more examples of foods containing manganese:

Pineapple - A 165 g cup of pineapple chunks has 1.5 mg of manganese in, this is a huge 76% of your RDI.
Coconut - 100 g of coconut contains 1.5 mg, a massive 75% of the total you need in a day.
Spinach - A 100 g serving of boiled spinach has 0.9 mg, this is 47% of your recommended daily intake.
Sunflower seeds - A 46 g cup of dried sunflower seed kernels has 15.3 mg of manganese in them, a whopping 45% of the total needed in one day.
Oatmeal - A 28g packet of instant fortified plain oats contains 0.8 mg, this works out as 41% of your RDI.
Raspberries - A 123 g cup of raspberries provides 0.8 mg of manganese, 41% of your recommended daily intake.
Hummus - A 100 g serving of hummus will provide you with 0.8 milligrams of manganese, 39% of your RDI.
Black beans - A 172 g serving of black beans has 0.4 mg, this is 28% of your daily need.
White rice - A 158 g serving of boiled long grain white rice has 0.7 mg in it, a helpful 37% of the total needed in a day.
Strawberries - 144 g of strawberries contains 0.6 mg of manganese, this is 28% of what you need each day.
Spices and herbs - A tablespoon of spices such as saffron can get you around 28% of your daily manganese requirement. Similarly so can ginger, cinnamon, parsley and various other herbs and spices.
Prunes - A 174 g cup of pitted dried plums, or prunes, has 0.5 mg, 26% of your daily requirement.
Blueberries - A 148 mg cup of blueberries has 0.5 mg in, 25% of your RDI.
Lentils - A 100 g serving of boiled lentils have 0.5 mg, working out at 25% of your RDI.
Raisins - A 145 g cup of seedless raisins has 0.4 mg, 22%.
Kale - A 100 g serving of boiled kale has 0.4 mg of manganese in, 21% of all you need in a single day.
Sweet potato - A 151 g boiled sweet potato with skin, has 0.4 mg of manganese in, 20%
Yam - 100 g of boiled yam has 0.4 mg of manganese, which equates to 20% of the total needed in a day.
Green beans - 125 g of boiled green beans has 0.4 mg, 18%.
Banana - A 136 g banana has 0.4 mg 18%
Broccoli - A medium 180 g stalk of boiled broccoli has 0.3 mg, 17%.
Pomegranate - 282 g pomegranate has 0.3 mg, 17%.
Avocado - A 201 g avocado has 0.3 mg in, 14%.
Asparagus - A 180 g serving of boiled asparagus has 0.3 mg in, 13% of your RDI.
Peas - 80 g of boiled green peas from frozen has 0.2 mg in, 11%.
Green pepper - A large 164 g raw sweet green pepper has 0.2 mg, which is 10%.
Cabbage - A 100 g serving has 0.2 mg in it, totaling 10%.
Tomato - A large 182 g tomato has 0.2 mg in it, this is 10%.
Butternut squash - 100 g has 0.2 mg in, this is 10%.

Please note that the percentages shown for recommended daily intake (RDI) are for a healthy male in their twenties. The figure for other age and gender groups, pregnant women, lactating women, and breastfeeding babies may be much different.

To find out how much of this nutrient is needed for different genders and age groups please see our page covering recommended daily intake of nutrients.

Why do we need manganese?

Manganese benefits

Manganese plays a part in various critical bodily functions, and anybody who does not get enough of this important mineral could face serious health problems. Let's take a look at some manganese benefits:

Helps to deal with inflammation
Acts as a powerful antioxidant
Vital to the function of your nervous system
Important for your brain working properly
Helps to regulate your sugar levels
Plays a big part in growth and development of your bones
Manganese triggers enzymes that help to metabolise carbohydrates, glucose amino acids, and cholesterol
Aids your digestive system
Ladies, manganese is a mineral that can help to relieve PMS
Manganese helps the body to absorb other nutrients such as magnesium, B vitamins and vitamin E

As you can see the benefits of magnesium are vast, which is why it is very important to ensure that you are making a conscious effort to include magnesium rich foods in your diet every single day.

More information

We hope that you have found the information that we have provided on foods high in manganese useful. You can find out all about the calories, and other nutrients that each of these foods contain via the menu on the left hand side of the page. Please take the time to check out all of the free information that we have provided on the site. If you don't have time to look around now, perhaps you can bookmark us and come back at a later date.

Don't forget to like or recommend us on Facebook or twitter.