We all know that calcium is very important and helps keeping our bones strong. We my be 15 or 60- either way calcium has a significant role to play.The easiest source, when one thinks of calcium are dairy products. But sometimes, dairy products don’t agree with our body.
The other possibility is that may be we are following a certain diet and trying to cut calories to lose weight or we just don’t like the taste of milk, we don’t agree with the way the cows are bred and milked in terms of hygiene etc.
Under such circumstances how do we get our calcium? It is possible! Provided we are resourceful and determined.
I am emphasizing on being determined because you will agree that drinking milk or eating your bowl of yogurt are easy and quick and get you to the daily goal faster than having broccoli, almonds, sardines and so on.
We will first discuss the age-wise requirement for calcium. When a child is born till he/she is 6 months old the body needs 210 mg of calcium per day. When the baby is between 7 months and 1 year of age their daily intake of calcium should be 270 mg.
When the child is between 1 year to 3 years the daily intake of calcium for healthy an strong bones is 500 mg. When the child is between 4 to 8 years the calcium required is 800 mg.
Between 9 to 18 years the need goes up to 1300 mg per day. Between 19 and 50 100 mg of it per day is the per day requirement. And lastly for people over 50 1200 mg of calcium is ideally required.
Some sources and avenues other than dairy products, from where you can get adequate amount of calcium – the crucial nutrient are listed here. But for information’s sake keep it in mind that a glass of milk – one of the richest sources of calcium, contains about 350 milligrams of calcium.
See if you can find low lactose standard products in the market. You can try low fat yogurt. The way yogurt is formed or made it has certain compounds that make it easier to digest than milk.
There are many cereals and breads available in the market that has extra calcium. Like fortified apple juice, soymilk, calcium-processed tofu are also available in the marker. Vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collards, and several other leafy greens, kidney beans, dried figs, and some kinds of nuts are loaded with calcium.
If the calcium you are getting from food is not enough you can go for calcium pills also. But always use it as the next best option. Always try to get your calcium or other nutrients from foods rather than from supplements. Body absorbs them better and results are much better.
The body has a capacity to absorb only 500 mg of calcium at a time, so make sure you are taking calcium-rich foods throughout the day instead of trying to have the entire need at one go.
It doesn’t help. Also remember that animal protein tends to interfere with the body’s absorption of calcium. So either eat very small portions of red meat and poultry or better still skip them completely. Vitamin D helps absorbs calcium better.
Stop drinking and smoking while you are working on getting calcium. And last but not the least, continue exercising. If you are not doing it, start working out.
