Calcium should be a very important part of your daily diet. If you do not absorb a sufficient amount of calcium into your body, then in the long run it can cause problems with bone and tooth growth and formation.

At one point in time, it was thought that too much calcium intake would contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Now studies have shown that high calcium intake can actually decrease the formation of kidney stones. However, this does not mean you should go overboard and add a large amount of products with calcium to your diet – this can actually hurt your body. It can cause hypocalcaemia, reduce the absorption of other minerals and compromise your kidney function.

You should also be sure that along with ensuring that you have a sufficient amount of calcium in your diet, that you also include Vitamin D, which helps the body absorb the calcium.

How should you get the calcium that you require? Dairy products are known for the amount of calcium they have. Milk also has vitamin D to help absorb the calcium.

Unfortunately, much of the population is allergic to dairy products, particularly those who are not of Indo-European descent. There are also people (like vegans) that do not consume dairy products because of ethical reasons. Therefore they must find other ways to get the calcium they need to stay healthy. There are many other food products that have calcium in them such as oranges, broccoli, seaweeds, almonds, sesame seeds, and many more including crushed eggshells.

There is also an abundance of health supplements on the market that can substitute for food products. However, it is suggested be medical authorities that if you use a supplement, you only take 500 mgs at a time. This is because the more calcium that you put into your body, the less your body absorbs. You should also spread your doses throughout the day. Recommended intake of calcium ranges from 1000 to 1200 mgs a day depending on your age.

You can find the calcium content amount in most foods in the USDA National Nutrient Database. Calcium amounts required for a healthy body must be met throughout life or the deficiency can have harm effects. Long-term deficiency of calcium can cause osteoporosis. It has also been shown that calcium increases lymphatic fluids.

As mentioned, the calcium required to have a healthy body varies by age. Babies 0-6 months need 210 mgs per day; babies 7-12 months require 270 mgs per day. Toddlers 1-3 years of age should intake 500 mgs per day. Children 4-8 years of age need 800 mgs a day and children 9-18 years require 1300 mgs a day. As for adults, those 19-50 years of age need 1000 mgs a day and older adults should take 1200 mgs of calcium per day.

In conclusion, everyone should have the recommended mgs of calcium a day to stay healthy. Without calcium, our bones and teeth can become very brittle and we can have problems such as osteoporosis in our later years. So for those of you who can tolerate dairy products, eat/drink them daily. For those who cannot, take a multivitamin or calcium supplement daily.

By: Colin Albert

Calcium, we see the word on our toothpaste box, orange juice container and anywhere else manufacturers can find a place to print that word, hoping it will inspire us to buy more of their product. But do we know what calcium is and why is it so important to us? The history of calcium actually dates back to the first century, when the Romans prepared lime as calcium oxide, but it wasn’t until 1808 that a man from England named Sir Humphrey Davy first isolated calcium.

Calcium is a soft, greyish, metallic element, it can be derived from calcium fluoride, with the use of electrolysis. If you were to see calcium burn, the flame would look yellowish-red and once it is exposed to the air, it would form a white nitride coating. Calcium also reacts to water, so much so that it actually takes the place of hydrogen in the water and creates something called calcium hydroxide. Calcium is very important when it comes to muscle contraction, building strong bones and teeth, helping to regulate heartbeats, blood clotting, the transmission of nerve impulses and maintaining a fluid balance within the cells. It is suggested that in the US, between 50 to 75% of adults don’t get enough calcium in their normal daily eating habits. I’m sure that this is a major reason why so many manufacturers are plastering the word calcium on any product they can find, that falls within the legal limits of the FDA, of course.

Calcium is a very important ingredient in a healthy diet. The lack of calcium can cause the teeth and bones to form in a less then normal manner. Of course, too much calcium can cause kidney stones. To absorb calcium you need Vitamin D. For most people, dairy products, such as milk and cheese, are where they usually get their normal intake of calcium. However, some people are allergic to dairy products and there are others who are lactose intolerant. For these people, they have to find other ways to get calcium into their bodies and fortunately there are other sources of calcium besides dairy products. Some of these sources include, nuts, seeds, beans, oysters, shrimp, okra and broccoli.

Though we only seem to focus on calcium in terms of our health, other uses for calcium have also been discovered. Some of these uses include acting as a reducing agent while helping to extract other metals, such as uranium and thorium. Being used as a alloying agent to help produce copper, lead and aluminium and, probably the most common use of calcium, besides trying to add it to our diets is, calcium is an important ingredient in the making of cements and mortars, which we use for construction.

There is no shortage of supply of calcium on earth and it is one of the most abundant minerals in the human body. Calcium, like anything else that’s good for the body, must be used in moderation. The recommended daily intake of calcium seems to vary depending on your age and with manufacturers trying to stick calcium into every conceivable product, who’s to say how much calcium your body is absorbing when you purchase one of the calcium enriched products.

By: Michael Russell

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients your body needs to maintain health. It is essential to meet many of your bodies needs. Calcium play an important role in many body functions and development. Knowing how much calcium you need daily and where to get it can ensure that your body will reap the benefits of this great nutrient.

Calcium does many things for your body. Everyone knows calcium is beneficial to bones and teeth. It is also important to keep your muscles and nerves working properly. It helps blood clot and keeps your heart beating properly. Lacking calcium in your diet can greatly effect your health now and in the future.

When your body does not get enough calcium it begins to take it from the bones. When this happens, if the calcium is not replaced through your diet the bones become deficient in calcium. This can lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease where the bones get thin and brittle. It is fast becoming a major disease among older adults. Calcium is important at any age. For children calcium is essential to ensure proper bone growth. In pregnant women calcium intake is also important. The baby needs calcium to grow and takes this calcium from the mother, so increased calcium intake is important during pregnancy. Some guidelines for calcium are 1,200mg a day for children age 1-10, 1,500mg a day for age 11-24. Pregnant and breast feeding mother should get 1,400mg a day and older adults should have 1,500mg a day. It is very difficult to take too much calcium and intakes of up to 2,500mg have proven safe. Excess calcium is easily removed form the body through waste.

To get a good daily intake of calcium diet choices are important. At least three servings a day of dairy products is essential to maintaining good calcium levels. Broccoli is another great calcium source. Today many products, like orange juice, have calcium added. Making simple choices when buying foods with added calcium can help you to make sure you are getting enough calcium daily.

Calcium is often overlooked in its importance. Fortunately it is quite easy to add calcium rich foods into your diet. Preventing future problems is important. Frail bones are most often contributed to a lack of calcium. To keep your body functioning properly today and in the future make sure your calcium intake is sufficient.

By: Jeanette Pollock