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Friday 3 December 2021

Calcium - has several important functions


Calcium has several important functions.

These include:
helping build bones and keep teeth healthy
regulating muscle contractions, including your heartbeat
making sure blood clots normally

A lack of calcium could lead to a condition called rickets in children, and osteomalacia or osteoporosis in later life.

Sources of calcium include:
milk, cheese and other dairy foods
green leafy vegetables – such as curly kale, okra but not spinach (spinach does contain high levels of calcium but the body cannot digest it all). Spinach is high in both calcium and oxalates, so people who are at a high risk of developing kidney stones should limit their intake
soya drinks with added calcium
bread and anything made with fortified flour
fish where you eat the bones – such as sardines and pilchards

How much calcium do I need?
Adults aged 19 to 64 need 700mg of calcium a day.

You should be able to get all the calcium you need from your daily diet.

What happens if I take too much calcium?
Taking high doses of calcium (more than 1,500mg a day) could lead to stomach pain and diarrhoea.

What does the Department of Health and Social Care advise?
You should be able to get all the calcium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

If you take calcium supplements, do not take too much as this could be harmful.

Taking 1,500mg or less a day is unlikely to cause any harm.
Words above taken from here

Related Posts
Five Ways That Drinking Milk Can Improve Your Health see here
Cheese Is Good For You - Some Reasons Why see here
Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium-Rich Foods see here

The above is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.


Dear reader, a variety of articles, studies and recipe ideas are within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

26 comments:

William Kendall said...

Milk and cheese are my go to for that.

John's Island said...

Hi Jan, Thank you for this informative post about Calcium. I love milk and cheese and it's neat to know that they are helping me get the Calcium I need. Well, the last month of the year is here. Best wishes to you and Eddie as we move toward the holiday season. John

My name is Erika. said...

Calcium is really important. Not only for kids bones too. Thanks for sharing this interesting post. Happy December to you.

Rose said...

Interesting about the spinach...I would never have guessed.

Tom said...

...good to know.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Dairy! A reason why I could never be a vegan. Love my cheese, half and half (light cream) in my coffee, and cream soups. Great post, Jan.

happyone said...

I drink plenty of milk and get most of my calcium that way.
I thought women over 50 need 1200 mg a day.

J.P. Alexander said...

Adoro el queso te mando un beso

peppylady (Dora) said...

I know milk is over rated when it comes to calcium.
Coffee is on and stay safe

Christine said...

I forgot spinach has calcium

Elephant's Child said...

Good to know. Thank you.

Margaret D said...

A good post about calcium Jan.

Valerie-Jael said...

Calcium is very important indeed. Have a great day, Valerie

Jo said...

I love cheese and we always eat plenty of green leafy veg, my dad always used to tell me as a little girl that it was so good for you and it's stuck. It does help that we love this type of veg anyway.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
I like spinach and cheese! Great info on calcium.
Take care, have a great weekend!

Jeanie said...

I see some of my favorite foods in this photo (especially the cheese!). Excellent info!

R's Rue said...

Thank you for sharing.

Ananka said...

I take multi vits and it has calcium in it.

Lowcarb team member said...

happyone said...
I drink plenty of milk and get most of my calcium that way.
I thought women over 50 need 1200 mg a day

Hello there and many thanks for your comment/question.

Here in the UK 700 mg is recommended.

However you may be interested to read an article published in The Harvard Health Magazine.

How much calcium do you really need?

"How much calcium per day is recommended? Like many women, you may have memorized the minimum daily calcium requirement—1,000 milligrams (mg) a day for women ages 50 and younger and 1,200 mg for women over 50—and followed it faithfully in an effort to preserve your bones. You'll probably be surprised to learn that many health authorities don't agree with that recommendation. Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, thinks you're likely to do just as well on half as much calcium.

"Essentially, I think that adults do not need 1,200 mg of calcium a day. The World Health Organization's recommendation of 500 mg is probably about right. The United Kingdom sets the goal at 700 mg, which is fine, too. It allows for a little leeway," he says."

Do please read more here
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-calcium-do-you-really-need

All the best Jan

Hootin Anni said...

I think the calcium intake depends on the individual woman. Young as compared to elder woman (even those thru menopause) will different intakes. Age, pregnancy, sports, etc. should all be considered.

happyone said...

Thank you Jan, that article was VERY interesting and HELPFUL to me!!!

Alicia said...

Yum! That cauliflower rice sounds delicious. I am going to try that for dinner this even except substitute the parsley for cilantro.

DVArtist said...

Great post.

Creations By Cindy said...

I always enjoy reading your wealth of information. Hoping your week will be wonderful. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Conniecrafter said...

I do love my cheeses, and I drink milk too. I did not know that if you have kidney problems you shouldn't eat too much spinach!

Magic Love Crow said...

Very interesting! Thanks Jan! Big Hugs!