Calcium
Why You Need Calcium
Everyone needs calcium every day to keep their bones strong and less likely to break, and this is especially important for girls and women. Most women do not get enough calcium daily. The body cannot produce calcium, it must be absorbed through food.
Calcium is a mineral needed by the body for:
- Strong bones
- Strong healthy teeth
- Proper function of the heart
- Muscle contraction
- Blood vessel expansion and contraction
- Secretion of hormones and enzymes
- Transmitting impulses throughout the nervous system
- Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis later in life (weak bones and bone loss)
Daily Recommended Calcium Intake mg = milligrams
- Birth to 6 months – 210 mg
- 7 to 12 months – 270 mg
- 1 to 3 years – 500 mg
- 4 to 8 years – 800 mg
- 9 to 18 years – 1,300 mg
- 19 to 50 years – 1,000 mg
- 50+ years – 1,200 mg
Calcium is found in some foods, added to others, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines, such as antacids for heartburn. Vitamin D also plays an important role in healthy bone development. Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium – this is why milk is fortified with vitamin D.
Example:
3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk = 900 mg of calcium
Plus additional servings of calcium-rich foods = 400 mg of calcium
Total = 1,300 mg of calcium everyday
Good Sources of Calcium Include
- Rhubarb, frozen, cooked, 1 cup 348 mg
- Sardines, with bone, 3 oz. 325 mg
- Spinach, frozen, cooked, 1 cup 291 mg
- Salmon, canned, with bone, 3 oz. 181 mg
- Low fat or nonfat milk, cheese, and yogurt
- Dark green leafy vegetables such as bok choy and broccoli
- Calcium fortified foods such as orange juice, cereal, bread, soy beverages, and tofu products
- Nuts such as almonds
1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over the age of 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis.
Some people don’t even know they have osteoporosis until they break a bone.
Make sure you are getting enough calcium everyday!!