Modern Diet

Calcium Does a Body Good

You've probably heard that calcium is important for your bone and in treating/preventing osteoporosis. Sadly, many women don't do take enough calcium to improve bone health.

Older men and women need calcium...about 1,500 milligrams a day. To give you an idea of how much calcium that is, a glass of milk contains only about 300 milligrams of calcium. That means that you would need to drink about 5 classes of milk a day to meet your increase your daily calcium intake.

Milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are the best sources of calcium. A pint of milk a day, eaten with cereals or taken as a drink, should easily provide the required amount of calcium for healthy bones. Other great sources of calcium include skim milk, nonfat yogurt, collard greens, kale, spinach, broccoli, dried fruits, sesame seeds, almonds, dried beans and peas.

Vitamin C improves calcium absorption, but eating too much protein or fat interferes with it. Health professionals need to inform patients that there are numerous healthy dietary sources of calcium and vitamin D.

Several forms of calcium supplements are commercially available today and health professionals need to understand the similarities and differences between them. If you take a calcium supplement, remember to then with or after a meal since it needs stomach acid for absorption.

Tags: best sources of calcium, bone health, calcium absorption, calcium requirement, calcium supplement, calcium supplements, dairy products, dietary sources of calcium, glass of milk, healthy bones, milk cheese, nonfat yogurt, pint of milk, preventing osteoporosis, sesame seeds, sources of calcium, stomach acid