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Eat Foods High In Calcium For Maintaining A Healthy Body Weight

Including foods high in calcium in your diet can provide you with all the calcium you need to maintain healthy bones and teeth, as well as healthy function of the nervous system. An important finding is that calcium contributes to maintaining a healthy body weight.

Facts About Calcium

Wondering why we need to eat foods high in calcium? While calcium is one the most abundant minerals in the body, we need to maintain adequate levels in the body through our diet as this nutrient not only helps maintain bones and teeth, but is also involved in regulating the rhythm of our heart, blood clotting, stabilizing blood pressure, and is extremely important in nerve and muscle function. Additionally, calcium has heart protective effects and since it is able to suppress the growth of polyps it reduces the risk of colon cancer. Particularly for women, calcium reduces premenstrual mood swings.

An important piece of calcium information is that research suggests that people who are deficient in calcium are more likely to be overweight. When calcium levels are low in the body, parathyroid hormone is released. This causes release of calcium from your bones into your blood to restore the blood calcium level. Parathyroid hormone also stimulates fat production and inhibits fat breakdown therefore the final effect is a decrease in fat breakdown and hence increased weight.

Calcium and Magnesium Supplement

It is important to note that a deficiency in magnesium can lead to calcium depletion. Calcium and magnesium supplements are readily available as single ingredient preparations or in combination. However, since both these minerals compete with each other for absorption it is best to take them at different times of the day rather than one combination supplement.

List Of Calcium Rich Foods

The best source of calcium is milk and dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese. However, there are non-dairy sources of calcium available as well.

Food Portion Calcium
Milk 1 cup 300mg
Yoghurt 100 150mg
Cheese 100g 300 - 800mg
Sardines 100g 500mg
Tofu 100g 500mg
Almonds 100g 250mg
Milk Chocolate 100g 220mg
Spinach 1 cup 150mg
Orange Juice 1 glass 300mg
Brocolli 1 cup 80mg
Egg 1 medium 55mg
Sesame Seeds 100g 975mg

In summary, calcium plays a vital role in our body, and though the recommended daily allowance is 1000mg per day, the optimal allowance is closer to 1200-1500mg per day. If you feel as though your diet lacks in foods high in calcium, you should consider supplementing your diet with a calcium supplement.

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