Monday, December 13, 2010

All About Calcium

Calcium is one of the many minerals that you need to be healthy. Calcium is very important to ensure strong, healthy bones and teeth. It also helps muscles and nerves to work properly. In addition, calcium may help you to manage your weight and blood pressure, and play a role in preventing colon cancer.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Non-Dairy Food Source of Calcium

Food, Standard Amount

Calcium (mg)

Calories

Fortified ready-to-eat cereals (various), 1 oz

236-1043

88-106

Soy beverage, calcium fortified, 1 cup

368

98

Sardines, Atlantic, in oil, drained, 3 oz

325

177

Tofu, firm, prepared with nigarib , ½ cup

253

88

Pink salmon, canned, with bone, 3 oz

181

118

Collards, cooked from frozen, ½ cup

178

31

Molasses, blackstrap, 1 Tbsp

172

47

Spinach, cooked from frozen, ½ cup

146

30

Soybeans, green, cooked, ½ cup

130

127

Turnip greens, cooked from frozen, ½ cup

124

24

Ocean perch, Atlantic, cooked, 3 oz

116

103

Oatmeal, plain and flavored, instant, fortified, 1 packet prepared

99-110

97-157

Cowpeas, cooked, ½ cup

106

80

White beans, canned, ½ cup

96

153

Kale, cooked from frozen, ½ cup

90

20

Okra, cooked from frozen, ½ cup

88

26

Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup

88

149

Blue crab, canned, 3 oz

86

84

Beet greens, cooked from fresh, ½ cup

82

19

Pak-choi, Chinese cabbage, cooked from fresh, ½ cup

79

10

Clams, canned, 3 oz

78

126

Dandelion greens, cooked from fresh, ½ cup

74

17

Rainbow trout, farmed, cooked, 3 oz

73

144


Dairy Food Source of Calcium

Food, Standard Amount

Calcium (mg)

Calories

Plain yogurt, non-fat (13 g protein/8 oz), 8-oz container

452

127

Romano cheese, 1.5 oz

452

165

Pasteurized process Swiss cheese, 2 oz

438

190

Plain yogurt, low-fat (12 g protein/8 oz), 8-oz container

415

143

Fruit yogurt, low-fat (10 g protein/8 oz), 8-oz container

345

232

Swiss cheese, 1.5 oz

336

162

Ricotta cheese, part skim, ½ cup

335

170

Pasteurized process American cheese food, 2 oz

323

188

Provolone cheese, 1.5 oz

321

150

Mozzarella cheese, part-skim, 1.5 oz

311

129

Cheddar cheese, 1.5 oz

307

171

Fat-free (skim) milk, 1 cup

306

83

Muenster cheese, 1.5 oz

305

156

1% low-fat milk, 1 cup

290

102

Low-fat chocolate milk (1%), 1 cup

288

158

2% reduced fat milk, 1 cup

285

122

Reduced fat chocolate milk (2%), 1 cup

285

180

Buttermilk, low-fat, 1 cup

284

98

Chocolate milk, 1 cup

280

208

Whole milk, 1 cup

276

146

Yogurt, plain, whole milk (8 g protein/8 oz), 8-oz container

275

138

Ricotta cheese, whole milk, ½ cup

255

214

Blue cheese, 1.5 oz

225

150

Mozzarella cheese, whole milk, 1.5 oz

215

128

Feta cheese, 1.5 oz

210

113


No matter what age a woman is when she becomes pregnant, calcium is very important to both the mother and the baby. Calcium from the mother's body is used by the developing baby, putting increased demands on the mother's supply. During pregnancy, calcium transfer from mother to developing baby reaches 270 mg daily, on average, by the third trimester. Additional calcium may be needed for both mother's and baby's health.

A recent analysis of 14 scientific studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that women with initially who took about 1,500 mg of 2,000 mg of supplemental calcium every day while they were pregnant had a significantly lower risk of preeclampsia, a leading cause of premature birth.

Preeclampsia is a disorder that occurs during pregnancy and affects both the mother and the developing baby. Affecting at least 5-8% of all pregnancies, it is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. It can possibly result in serious consequences for both mother and child.

Moreover, research also demonstrates that pregnant women with low dietary calcium consumption who were supplemented with calcium during their second and third trimesters gave birth to babies who had a 15-percent increase in bone mineral content over children whose mothers were given a placebo during pregnancy. The babies of mothers who were getting adequate daily dietary calcium showed no significant difference in fetal bone content between the treatment group and the placebo group.


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