In a method and magnetic resonance apparatus to acquire magnetic resonance data with a diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance sequence wherein the magnetic resonance apparatus as a gradient coil arrangement with three gradient coils designed to generate a gradient in gradient directions orthogonal to one another, the readout gradient is flipped relative to at least one of the gradient directions such that at least two gradient coils contribute to a possible slew rate of a readout gradient pulse, and such that a phase coding gradient that is constant over the readout time period is selected.