How to get calcium naturally & from food – 18 tips & foods
Calcium is an extremely crucial mineral that people need to stay healthy and strong. It is very important for teeth and bone health. It can also help to control the functions of nerves and muscles, as well as regulating the alkaline/acid balance (called pH) in the blood.
Calcium is essential for the secretion of certain enzymes and hormones, the development and maintenance of strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction, and nerve signaling. A calcium deficiency can cause numbness in toes and fingers, lethargy, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, abnormal heart rhythms, and convulsions. Conversely, excessive calcium (particularly from supplements) can cause calcification of soft tissue, kidney stones, and increased risks of cardiovascular conditions like heart attack and stroke. The most abundant amounts of calcium are found in dairy and dark leafy greens. While there are some evidences that oxalates in green veggies can hinder calcium absorption, they still contain excellent sources of calcium, and the DV (calculated daily value) already takes into account bio-availability and absorption. Foods rich in calcium include broccoli, fish canned with their bones, green beans, okra, fortified tofu, almonds, bok choy, low fat yogurt and milk, cheese, and dark leafy greens.
The content of calcium inside your body is higher than any other mineral. Almost 99% of it is stored in your teeth and bones. The other 1 % is present in the muscles, blood, and other bodily fluid and tissues.
The amount of calcium that your body requires depends on your sex and age. Here is the dietary allowance recommended basing on ages:
51 to 70 years – 1,000 mg/day (male), 1,200 mg/day (female)
19 to 50 years – 1,000 mg/day
9 to 18 years – 1,300 mg/day
4 to 8 years – 1,000 mg/day
1 to 3 years – 700 mg/day
7 to 12 months – 260 mg/day
0 to 6 months – 200 mg/day
A deficiency of calcium can cause the weakening and thinning of the osteoporosis and bones. Other symptoms of calcium deficiency may include tingling and numbness sensations in different body parts like the feet and hands, memory loss, muscle spasms, and depression.
You can easily improve a deficiency of calcium by making certain modifications in your lifestyle and diet.
In this article today, I would like to reveal some of the best tips on how to get calcium that are very beneficial for human health. The best tips on how to get calcium in this article are:
1. Avoid High Sodium Intake:
This is the very first out of the best tips on how to get calcium that I would like to introduce in this entire article and want you and my other readers to learn and make use for good!
Consuming too much salt can lead to calcium loss. Thus, when attempting to increase the content of calcium inside your body, keep your salt consumption in check.
High levels of sodium can bar the calcium absorption process of your body. In reality, it can lead to the excretion of calcium through the urine. Thereby, by zapping calcium from the bones, this compels the body to use it.
Use spices and herbs to flavor your foods rather than adding salt. Moreover, avoid processed foods, which are usually rich in sodium.
2. Avoid Excess Caffeine:
A lot of people drink a strong cup of coffee to start their day. Nevertheless, if you suffer from a deficiency of calcium, it is time to stop your regular habit of drinking coffee. Caffeine can leach calcium from bones and thereby zapping their strength.
According to a research published in the Osteoporosis International journal in 2006, a daily consumption of four or more cups of coffee can lead to the increased risks of osteoporotic fractures, especially in females who have low calcium consumption.
Remember not to drink over 2 cups of coffee per day. To buffer the influences of caffeine, opt for coffee served with milk. It would be better for you to use green tea or any other herbal tea to replace your regular cup of coffee as they are much healthier. Opt for decaffeinated hot tea and iced tea. At the same time, avoid excessive consumption of any kind of caffeine-laden drinks.
This is, in fact, one of the best tips on how to get calcium naturally that people should follow to get the good amount of calcium with ease.
Caffeine is actually one of the worst trigger foods that bar the calcium absorption of the body, so…
Soda, including decaffeinated and diet soda, can interfere with the absorption of calcium. Therefore, it is better to avoid excessive consumption of soda drinks.
An excessive consumption of soda drinks can lead to an increased phosphate levels inside our blood. This, in turn, could increase calcium excretion in your urine and leach calcium from your bones. High phosphate levels would prevent the absorption of calcium as well.
An occasional glass of soda is not a matter, but excessive consumption is totally not good for your health. Along with soda, you also need to keep your alcohol intake in moderation.
In fact, this is also among the best and best tips on how to get calcium naturally that people should add to the daily lifestyle and habits for good!
4. Take A Daily Supplement:
To satisfy your daily requirement for calcium, you can also make use of the supplements. Calcium supplements are available in different forms, such as powders, liquids, chewable tablets, capsules, and tablets.
The proper dosage depends upon your health status and ages. Thus, do not take calcium supplements before consulting your doctor carefully. Try to take supplements soon after a meal with food for better absorption.
Do not take high daily doses of calcium supplements as it can damage your heart and lead to some harmful unwanted side effects.
This is, in brief, one of the best tips on how to get calcium for human beings so that people should not look down yet try to make use by adding this ingredient to the daily diet and enjoy good health.
5. Eat Magnesium-Rich Foods:
Magnesium is another nutrient essential for calcium absorption. The metabolism of both magnesium and calcium is closely related. The renal excretion and the intestinal absorption of these 2 ions are interdependent.
Without sufficient amount of magnesium, you could have to suffer from a calcium deficiency. As our body is not good at storing magnesium, it is extremely needed to add more foods rich in magnesium into your diet.
Some of the best sources of magnesium include cashews, almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, green beans, cucumbers, avocados, sea vegetables, broccoli, mustard greens, turnips, summer squash, Swiss chard, and spinach.
This is actually also one out of the best tips on how to get calcium from food that a lot of people in the world love and will make use to reduce the risks of many health issues related to the calcium deficiency.
6. Eat Foods Rich In Vitamin D:
Another tip on how to get calcium from food naturally that I would like to reveal in the entire article today and want you and my other readers to learn and consider making use is to eat more foods rich in vitamin D.
In addition to getting vitamin D through sun exposure, people can opt for adding more foods rich in vitamin D into the daily diet.
Some of the vitamin D-rich foods include oysters, shrimp, margarine, butter, eggs, liver, cheese, fortified cereal, fortified milk, and fatty fish. After consulting your doctor, you can also take a vitamin D supplements and enjoy the same effects.
7. Enjoy Early Morning Sunlight:
Another out of the best tips on how to get calcium naturally that I would like to reveal in this entire article and want you and my other readers to learn and remember to make use is to enjoy early morning sunlight.
Vitamin D can help the body absorb calcium and regulate the level of this mineral inside the blood. You should get between 200 IUs (international units) and 400 IUs of vitamin D per day.
Our body will synthesize vitamin D when it is exposed to the sun. Thus, you need to ensure to give your body the exposure to early morning sunlight it needs within about ten to fifteen minutes (without sunscreen) every day.
Avoid exposing directly to the sunlight during the peak hours (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m). Choose appropriate skin protection when going out in the sunlight during those hours.
8. Eat Calcium-Rich Food:
This is also one of the best food tips on how to get calcium from food that people should learn and make use for good, especially those struggling with health issues due to the deficiency of calcium.
To increase your calcium consumption, the simplest thing you can do is to consume more foods rich in calcium in your daily diet. Many foods contain excellent amounts of calcium. Some good choices are:
Soybeans and other soy products
Dark leafy greens such as collard greens, turnips, kale, and spinach
Dairy products like cheese and yogurt
Calcium-fortified foods are also beneficial for increasing calcium levels inside your body because they have high calcium absorbability.
Some of the famous calcium-fortified foods include breakfast bars, breakfast cereals, orange juice, rice milk, almond milk, and soy milk. In fact, just one cup of soy milk or calcium-fortified orange juice provides as much as 300 mg of calcium.
I. Foods Rich In Calcium:
Adding foods rich in calcium to your family’s daily diet can help to ensure healthy teeth and bones in kids as well as preventing osteoporosis later in life. We recommends that kids from one to three years old need to consume 500 mgs of calcium per day, while required dosage for teens and adults increase to between 1000 mgs and 1300 mgs. Dairy products is still the highest non-fortified source of calcium.
Blackstrap molasses is not only abundant in potassium and iron, but it also has excellent content of calcium. Just 1 tbsp. contributes 172 mgs of calcium to your diet. Thus, you should use molasses to replace syrup on your oatmeal, or as a sweetener in baked bean dishes and desserts.
Similar to any other type of soy product, tofu is very rich in calcium. According to the USDA, 1/2 cup of firm tofu averages 253 mgs of calcium. Consider adding mashed, stir-fried, or baked tofu to your recipes.
3. Oatmeal And Fortified Cereals:
Making use of oatmeal and fortified cereals is also one of the best tips on how to get calcium from food that I want to reveal.
Calcium-fortified cereals, which often come with the added benefits of pairing with milk, give people a smart option for those finding it hard to get sufficient calcium intake from their daily diets. According to the USDA, brands range from an impressive 236 mgs to a staggering 1043 mgs per one ounce serving, the latter delivering all the calcium required for a whole day. Instant oatmeal can make a calcium-rich option as well, ranging from 99 mgs – 110 mgs of calcium per one ounce serving, depending on the variety.
Bean is very rich in protein, and it is also a food choice rich in calcium. The most calcium-rich beans are canned white beans, cooked cowpeas, mature or cooked green soybeans. The calcium content ranges from 88 mgs to 130 mgs of calcium every half of a cup.
Many green veggies traditionally steamed, stir-fried, or boiled are abundant in calcium. Top choices on the USDA list include dandelion greens, pak-choi, okra, kale, turnip greens, spinach, and collards. They range from 178 mgs of calcium per half 1 cup for collards to 74 mgs of calcium per half 1 cup for dandelion greens. In fact, making use of greens in cooking is also one of the most effective tips on how to get calcium from food naturally that I would like to reveal in this entire article and want people to learn and make use as soon as possible.
Salmon and sardines are both rich in calcium. A 3-ounce portion of Atlantic sardines provides 325 mgs of calcium, while the same amount of pink salmon yields 181 mgs. The same serving size of cooked rainbow trout, canned clams, and canned blue crab also has decent levels of calcium, ranging from 73 mgs to 86 mgs.
Calcium-fortified soy milk, also called soy beverage, has 98 calories and 368 mgs of calcium per cup. If you do not like the taste as a drink but still want to take it into your diet, then you should use soy milk to replace regular milk in baked goods, casseroles, and on cereals.
According to the USDA, fat-free milk has the highest levels of calcium among all varieties of the cow’s milk products. It has 306 mgs of calcium per cup. Low-fat chocolate milk and 1 % and 2 % milk also contain excellent levels of calcium, at between 285 mgs and 290 mgs per cup. Regular chocolate milk and whole milk are also on top of the list containing the best calcium dairy foods. In brief, cow’s milk is among the healthiest foods rich in calcium and consuming more this food is among the most useful tips on how to get calcium from food naturally that people should not look down!
Cheese is well represented on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s list of top 25 calcium-rich dairy foods. Romano cheese ranks the no.1 place at 452 mgs of calcium for 1.5 ounces. Other top choices, all providing more than 300 mgs of calcium per serving, include processed and pasteurized Swiss cheese or American cheese, provolone, part-skim ricotta, part-skim cheddar, mozzarella, and Muenster cheeses. Whole-milk ricotta cheeses, blue and Feta cheeses all contain over 200 mgs calcium per serving.
This is the last but very important one on the list of the best food tips on how to get calcium from food that I would like to reveal in this entire article and want you and my other readers to make use for good.
Plain yogurt is on top of the list containing all calcium-rich foods. An 8 ounce serving of this ingredient provides 452 mgs of calcium. Low-fat fruit yogurts also rank fairly high, averaging 345 mgs.
Now, after reading this entire article and learn clearly about the best tips on how to get calcium from food and how to make use of these tips to prevent the calcium deficiency and related health issues is to spend time reading another writing that reveals information about another important and essential nutrient – the List Of 16 Best Benefits Of Vitamin C article. All of us know that vitamin C is very important and essential for our body’s development and functions. Without vitamin C, similar to calcium, our body would not be able to function well, and this can even lead to serious health issues due to the vitamin C deficiency. This writing is actually an entire collection of the most important benefits and roles of vitamin C for human health in general so that people should read this article to understand why you need to consume more vitamin C every day, as well as how you can take more this nutrient naturally. These benefits of vitamin C have been proven by prestigious professionals and scientific evidence with several types of research and studies so that readers should not doubt anything about it.
This is the list of 8 most common and best tips on how to get calcium naturally from food and 10 best food sources of calcium that people who are worrying about their current risks of the calcium deficiency should learn and try making use as soon as possible for good. Actually, calcium is an important mineral that is essential for health, especially for bone and teeth health. In fact, a calcium deficiency can lead to several health issues, so if you are at high risks of this deficiency, then you need to find ways to increase your calcium intake as soon as possible. Calcium can be taken from several different ways so people will not meet difficulty when trying to take more this mineral. The tips on how to get calcium from food naturally revealed in this article and the foods suggested have been actually proven by science so people should not worry when making use of them.
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