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Health Benefits
Of Calcium
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Calcium is one of the main nutrients that the body requires in order to overcome the problems of high blood pressure, heart attack, premenstrual syndrome and colon cancer. One of the main health benefits of calcium is that it helps in keeping the bones strong and healthy. Read further to explore information about calcium health benefits…
Owing to the advantages of calcium, the market today is flooded with innumerable kinds of calcium supplements including calcium |
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carbonate, calcium gluconate, calcium citrate, calcium citrate malate, calcium lactate and calcium phosphate. Calcium helps to ensure that your teeth are strong and thus prevents dental problems from torturing you.
The consumption of calcium helps in facilitating the movement of nutrients across cell membranes. |
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By keeping the bones healthy, calcium paves way for prevention of osteoporosis. Calcium intake helps in relieving backache by strengthening your backbone. Calcium
helps to keep a check on the blood pressure and also it
aids in muscle contraction, thereby enabling the heart
and blood vessels to perform their functioning
effectively. The best sources for calcium intake are low
fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables. So, make it a
point to drink milk regularly and also consume other
calcium rich foods, so as to promote your health
fitness. |
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Best
Sources Of Calcium:
Calcium is the main
component of bones and teeth. It is essential for growth in
children, and helps to ensure efficient muscle contraction and
blood clotting. It is also useful for lower blood pressure. Our
bodies use calcium to help our heart, muscles and nerves work
properly.
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Our bodies
cannot make calcium it self so, we must get it from the
foods we take. When we eat calcium rich food the calcium
enters our blood and is carried to the organs to perform
the work that is needed. The extra calcium we eat is
stored in our bones & when there is deficiency of
calcium from food, the body will take the calcium from
our bones to meet its needs. Milk and dairy products are among the major sources of calcium.
Milk is one of the best providers of calcium in the diet. |
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A 200ml
glass of milk provides 55 per cent of the calcium to a
six-year-old child. Cheeses and yogurts are also good
sources of calcium and according to The Dairy Council-
three dairy products a day are recommended to meet the
daily requirement. People in the age group of 19-50 are
recommended to consume about 1,000 mg of calcium per
day, while for people in 50s; it should be approximately
about 1200 mg per day. Other then milk & dairy products there are several other types
of non-dairy sources of calcium that you can opt as to ensure
your daily calcium intake. |
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The soft
bones of fish, as with sardines, pilchards and tinned salmon, provide us
with valuable calcium. Other useful sources include Soya bean products,
such as tofu, as well as sesame seeds, nuts, white bread, dried fruit,
pulses and green leafy vegetables. Okra and curly kale are also rich
vegetable sources of calcium. Soya milk alternatives, bottled water,
breakfast cereals and orange juice are also fortified with extra
calcium. |
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Here is presented a chart indicating good sources of calcium:
Food
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Amount
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Calcium
(In mg)
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| Yogurt,
plain, low fat |
8 oz
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415
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| Skim milk |
1 cup |
306
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| Spinach,
frozen, Boiled |
1 cup |
291
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Yogurt,plain,whole milk |
8 oz |
275
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| Cheese food,
pasteurized American |
1 oz |
162
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| Cottage
cheese,1% milk fat |
1 cup |
138
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| Baked beans,
canned |
1 cup |
154
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| Oranges |
1 cup |
72
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| Trail mix
(nuts, seeds, chocolate chips) |
1 cup |
159
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| Almonds |
1 oz (24
nuts) |
70
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| Black eye
peas, boiled |
1 cup |
211
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| Green peas,
boiled |
1 cup |
94 |
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