Increase Your Calcium Intake Naturally and Reap Off the Benefits
We learn from a young age that milk equals calcium because our mothers always told us that if we drink all of our milk, we will grow strong and healthy. Essential for our bone structure and for the health of our teeth, calcium is a very important mineral that we can’t go without because even our muscles need it. At the same time, it balances the pH in our blood.
Calcium is the most present mineral in our body. 99% is found in our teeth and bones and 1% is found in our muscles, blood and other fluids. The level of calcium depends on the age that you have and on your gender. Further on, we will present you the daily amount of calcium that your body needs based on your age:
- from 0 to 6 months, you will need 200 mg per day
- from 7 to 12 months, you will need 260 mg per day
- from 1 to 3 years, you will need 700 mg per day
- from 4 to 8 years, you will need 1000 mg per day
- from 9 to 18 years, you will need 1300 mg per day
- from 19 to 50 years, you will need 1000 mg per day
- from 51 to 70 years, 1200 mg per day for females and 1000 mg per day for males
- from 71 years, 1200 mg per day
If you have calcium deficiency, the bones will feel weaker and in the end this will lead to osteoporosis. But this is not the only symptom of those suffering from calcium deficiency. In time, symptoms like memory loss, numbness, muscle spasms or depression can appear.
In order to improve the calcium level in your body, you can follow these easy steps that will lead you to a healthier life:
- Consume foods rich in Calcium: You can start eating more calcium-rich products, like sardines, soy products, orange juice, skim milk, cereals, yogurt, cheese, spinach, turnips, kale. The best-known calcium-rich foods are: almond milk, soy milk, orange juice, rice milk, cereals for breakfast. Let me give you a tip: a cup of soy milk or orange juice has 300 mg of calcium.
- The morning sunlight is perfect for improving your calcium levels: We all know that the sun offers us vitamin D, which we need everyday, from 200 IUs to 400 IUs ( international units). A daily sunbath in the morning of about 10 to 15 minutes is perfect for strengthening your level of calcium, but you need to be careful with the sunlight and wear sunscreen between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Consume foods rich in Magnesium: Magnesium helps your body absorb calcium. You can find Magnesium in: spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, turnips, summer squash, green beans, pumpkin seeds and almonds.
- Foods rich in vitamin D will help you preserve calcium better: Even if you get vitamin D from the sun, you can always eat food that is rich in vitamin D. For example, you can consume eggs, liver, cereals, milk, fish, butter and oysters.
Calcium is one of the most important minerals in our body, so we should be very careful to always maintain it in the given parameters.