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    Ingredient guide · Ingredient reference

    Magnesium in pistachios: count the edible kernels

    Raw pistachio kernels contribute magnesium. Shell weight should not be included when using an edible-food composition value.

    Read the evidence ↓

    Supplement Science Insights Editorial Team

    Published September 23, 2026

    The amounts in the reference foods

    USDA’s final SR Legacy 2018 release reports raw pistachio kernels: 121 mg per 100 g; raw pistachio kernels: 121 mg per 100 g. These are named historical reference foods, not measurements of a current package or meal. [1]

    What changes the interpretation

    The USDA raw pistachio entry gives 121 mg magnesium per 100 g edible food. A bag weighed with shells includes material that is not eaten, so that purchase weight cannot be inserted directly into the nutrient calculation. Roasted, salted or flavored pistachios need a matching food description when precision matters. [1]

    A hypothetical portion comparison

    A hypothetical 28 g edible-kernel portion gives 33.88 mg magnesium;56 g gives 67.76 mg. Those values describe a contribution, not a complete daily requirement. Comparing nut types should also use edible portions rather than shell-on package weights. The table uses the explicitly chosen edible weights. Scale a matching per-100-g value by the grams eaten divided by 100; a count of pieces or an unspecified spoonful is not the same denominator. [1]

    Hypothetical example — compare the chosen edible portions with the original food descriptions
    FoodChosen portionNutrient estimate
    Raw pistachio kernels28 g33.88 mg
    Raw pistachio kernels56 g67.76 mg
    Magnesium in pistachios: count the edible kernels — original article outline diagram
    Original editorial diagram of this article’s sections; no product photograph or clinical finding is depicted.

    Sources for this article

    1. USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy April 2018 composition and portion tables
      Source consulted: 2026-09-20. This is a reference resource, not a claim that we conducted the studies or tested a product.