Calcium Weight Loss Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Calcium Strengthens Bones

By Hazel Hawkins

Calcium is one of the best minerals for your body, health experts say. Not only will you strengthen your bones, but you’ll also protect yourself from osteoporosis, high blood pressure and possibly even colorectal cancer.

Some recent studies even suggest that adding calcium rich foods to your diet will help with weight loss management. The good news is that this chemical element can be found in a number of delicious foods, although the bad news may be that absorption is not always as easy as simply digesting.

Plenty Of Calcium In Dairy Foods, Leafy Green And Some Fish

So where can you find calcium? Most people instinctively think of milk, cheese and yogurt, as dairy products are the most significant source for this essential mineral. The good thing about deriving your calcium intake from milk is that milk also contains phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D, which help the body absorb and use the mineral more effectively.

What you may not realize is that you can also get this essential chemical element from leafy greens, such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, bok choy and turnip greens. Salmon, sardines, shellfish, almonds, Brazil nuts, fortified soy milk and baked beans are other sources, although you may need to eat a lot to get the kind of levels dairy products contain.

Calcium Supplement

A calcium supplement may be taken daily or a few Tums may do the trick. Sometimes, orange juice or bread may have certain calcium levels to help those who are lactose intolerant achieve their daily recommended value.

Typically, adults should review their options and aim for 1,200mg of calcium per day, yet having an intake as high as 2,500mg per day appears to be safe, researchers agree. To give you an idea of how many milligrams you may be consuming, consider that a glass of milk contains 300, two ounces of Swiss cheese contains 530, six ounces of yogurt contains 300, two ounces of sardines with bones contains 240, six ounces of cooked turnip greens contains 220 and three ounces of almonds contains 210mg. The ADA recommends 2-3 servings of dairy each day to help you get your bone-strengthening minerals.

Hypocalcemia Is A Calcium Deficiency

Hypocalcemia, which is a calcium deficiency, may result from renal failure, stomach surgery or the use of certain diuretics. As a result, patients who cannot absorb sufficient calcium may experience numbness in their fingers, muscle cramps, convulsions, lethargy, mental confusion or poor appetite, and in the worst cases, abnormal heart rhythms.

People with this affliction should be under strict doctor supervision and may need to take a special type of calcium supplement to ensure intake and absorption. Another concern is osteoporosis, or a loss of bone density, which affects more than 10 million Americans, 80% of whom are women, and leads to broken bones, trouble with mobility and pain.

Please Note: All information given on this site is for general information purposes and is not to replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis given by a qualified medical doctor, a dietitian/nutritional expert or any other medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see your medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.

This article was about Calcium.

About the Author:
Hazel Hawkins is an author of nutrition, dieting and weight loss articles including Raw Vegan Diets, Intuitive Eating, Raw Food Books, Raw Food Detox.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.

Did You Know?

There is always the scare of undercooked meats and vegetables. Recent news reports of botulism, mad cow disease and other deadly germs have all of us cooking our food until it is charred.

The idea of raw food diets petrifies us to the point of boiling all of our food until there are no nutrients remaining. It does not have to be this way. A raw food diet is a healthy lifestyle that can be safe if you know what you are doing and know how to prepare certain foods for your consumption.