Calcium

amandagreen1980

I just watched one of these diet programs and they mentioned calcium and osteoporosis. I knew you had to have calcium so as to avoid getting this disease but i never really knew how much and they mentioned a lot of foods that i don't eat!
It made me check the nutrition progress in the reports for all the time i have been on this site and my daily intake of calcium was wwwwwaaaaayyyyyyyy low!! :noway:

It was often only 10 of the RDA! This concerns me a lot! :frown:

I eat cheese but as far as i can see that is about it and obviously i don't eat a lot of cheese because of the calorie content. I mean i probably eat a bit a day but it is not doing anything for the RDA.

I am ok with milk but don't really have a lot of things that require it, and i'm not one for just drinking a glass of it.

Do you think i should be concerned?

amandagreen1980

I just watched one of these diet programs and they mentioned calcium and osteoporosis. I knew you had to have calcium so as to avoid getting this disease but i never really knew how much and they mentioned a lot of foods that i don't eat!
It made me check the nutrition progress in the reports for all the time i have been on this site and my daily intake of calcium was wwwwwaaaaayyyyyyyy low!! :noway:

It was often only 10 of the RDA! This concerns me a lot! :frown:

I eat cheese but as far as i can see that is about it and obviously i don't eat a lot of cheese because of the calorie content. I mean i probably eat a bit a day but it is not doing anything for the RDA.

I am ok with milk but don't really have a lot of things that require it, and i'm not one for just drinking a glass of it.

Do you think i should be concerned?

icandoit

I felt the same way. I didn't think I was getting enough. My doctor told me to eat one chocolate calcium (candy-that what I call it) a day. I get them at GNC and they are really good. Most drug store carry them.

I use

GNC ActiveCal™ - Chocolate
description
Calcium is a major mineral that is essential for teeth and building bones.
Each soft chew contains 500 mg of Calcium along with 100 IU of Vitamin D and 40 mcg of Vitamin K.
Vitamin D is also necessary for healthy teeth and bones.*
Bone calcium begins to decrease in young adulthood and progressive loss of bone calcium occurs as we age, daily calcium intake is vital to maintain bone strength and bone density throughout life.
Delicious Chocolate chew without the chalky residue.

product info
Calcium is a major mineral that is essential for teeth and building bones.
Each soft chew contains 500 mg of Calcium along with 100 IU of Vitamin D and 40 mcg of Vitamin K.
Vitamin D is also necessary for healthy teeth and bones.*
Bone calcium begins to decrease in young adulthood and progressive loss of bone calcium occurs as we age, daily calcium intake is vital to maintain bone strength and bone density throughout life.
Delicious Chocolate chew without the chalky residue.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Take one chew up to three times a day, preferably with meals, or as recommended by your doctor.





Serving Size 1 soft chewable tablets
Servings Per Container 75



Amount Per Serving % DV




Calories 20.00

Calories from Fat 5.00

Total Fat 0.50 g 1%

Total Carbohydrate 3.00 g 1%

Sugars 2.00 g




Vitamin D 100.00 IU 25%

Vitamin K 40.00 mcg 50%

Calcium 500.00 mg 50%

Sodium 0.50 mg 0%




** Daily Value (DV) not established




Other Ingredients: Corn Syrup, Calcium Carbonate, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Soya Lecithin, Vitamin K, Vitamin D, Artificial Flavor, mono and diglycerides, Whey, Sweetened Condensed Skim Milk (Skim Milk, Sugar)

icandoit

I found this



Calcium is a major mineral essential for healthy bones and teeth. There are several minerals known to be essential to the human body and which must be obtained from food. The major minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride and potassium) are needed in the greatest quantities or are present in large amounts in the body. The three main functions of minerals are as constituents of the skeleton, as soluble salts which help control the composition of the body fluids, and as essential adjuncts to the action of many enzymes and other proteins.

Calcium Requirements
The UK Department of Health recommended Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for calcium is as follows. The RNI is a daily amount that is enough or more than enough for 97% of people. The RNI is similar to the Recommended Daily Amount used previously in the UK.

Age/Sex Calcium requirement (mg/day)
Infants & children, depending on age 350-550
Teenage girls 800
Teenage boys 1000
Adult men & women 700
Breast-feeding women extra 550

The 1989 US recommendations are generally slightly higher. In 1994 the US recommendations for children aged 1-10 was increased from 800mg to 1,200mg daily and for young adults aged 11-24 years it was increased from 1,200 to 1,500mg. During pregnancy and breast feeding women in the USA are now advised to have 1,400mg calcium daily and American men and women over the age of 50 years are advised to increased their calcium intake towards 1,500mg because the intestinal absorption of calcium declines with age.

Vegan Sources of Calcium
Good plant sources of calcium include tofu (if prepared using calcium sulphate contains more than four times the calcium of whole cow's milk), green leafy vegetables, seeds and nuts. The calcium in green vegetables which are not high in oxalate e.g. kale, is absorbed as well or better than the calcium from cow's milk. Some soya milks e.g. Provamel, Plamil, Granovita are fortified with calcium. Drinking hard water can provide 200mg of calcium daily but soft water contains almost none. Other calcium rich foods include black molasses, edible seaweeds, watercress, parsley and dried figs.

Examples of amounts of foods providing 100mg calcium
Type of Food
Black molasses 20g
Dried figs 40g
Almonds 42g
Soya flour 44g
Parsley 50g
Kale 67g
Brazils Nuts 59g
Wholemeal bread 185g

Protein & Calcium
A high protein diet, especially derived from animal foods, causes calcium loss in the body. The higher sulphur-to-calcium ratio of meat increases calcium excretion, and a diet rich in meat can cause bone demineralisation. A report published in 1988 [1] comparing the amounts of calcium excreted in the urine of 15 subjects showed that the animal-protein diet caused greater loss of bone calcium in the urine (150mg/day) than the all-vegetable protein diet (103mg/day). These findings suggest that diets providing vegetable rather than animal protein may actually protect against bone loss and hence osteoporosis. In one study adults on a low-protein diet were in calcium balance regardless of whether calcium intake was 500mg, 800mg or 1400mg a day. [2] Interestingly The American Dietetic Association, in its 1993 policy statement on vegetable diets, pointed out that the calcium intakes recommended in the USA were increased specifically to offset calcium losses caused by the typically high protein consumption in that country.

Calcium Absorption
Only 20-30% of calcium in the average diet is absorbed. Calcium absorption can be reduced because it binds to fibre, phytate or oxalate in the intestine. Vegan diets contain more than average of these substances. Fibre is no longer thought to limit the availability of calcium from food. Phytate or phytic acid is found in grains, nuts and seeds and can bind with calcium making it less absorbable. However, the body does adapt to lower levels of available calcium and the American Dietetic Association and the UK's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Foods as well as the Department of Health believe that fibre, phytate and oxalate do not have a significant effect on calcium intake overall.

Although the calcium intake of adult vegans tends to be lower than the recommended optimum, it is close to the Estimated Average Requirement. There have been no reports of calcium deficiency in adult vegans.

The Estimated Average Requirement (UK) of a nutrient in the diet is an estimate of the average needs of a group of people. About half may need more, and half may need less.

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is the major cause of bone fractures in the elderly. One in four British women are affected by this disease. It is better prevented than treated and prevention includes an adequate intake of calcium throughout life, but especially in childhood and young adulthood; and minimising major risk factors e.g. smoking, heavy alcohol use and lack of physical exercise. Diets high in protein and in salt (sodium chloride) also increase calcium loss from the body and may have an effect on osteoporosis. Post-menopausal women are more prone to osteoporosis because they produce less oestrogen, which protects the skeleton in younger women.

There has been much publicity about the role of dietary calcium in preventing osteoporosis but the fact remains that it is more common in Westernised countries where calcium intakes and consumption of dairy products are high compared to the rest of the world. Osteoporosis is comparatively rare in rural subsistence cultures, even though calcium intakes are much lower. Lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, lower protein intakes, little alcohol consumption and the rarity of smoking, may offer protection to people in these populations.

Cow's Milk & Health
The advertising blurb surrounding cow's milk would make anyone think it is an absolutely essential and natural product for humans. Most people when thinking of increasing their calcium intake would immediately reach for a carton of milk or slab of cheese. However, there are several reasons for not using these products as a nutrient source. Whole cow's milk is suited to the nutritional needs of calves who double their weight in 47 days and grow to 300 pounds within a year. In fact, human beings are the only species to drink the milk of another species, and the only species to drink milk beyond infancy. In addition about 90% of the world's adult population (in Britain the figure is probably 25%) is deficient in the enzyme needed to digest milk properly. The enzyme lactase is present in infants for digesting their mother's milk, but levels decline after the age of five years. Adults who lack the enzyme suffer from bloating, cramping, wind and diarrhoea if they drink milk.

The most significant connection between milk and ill-health is probably through its contribution to heart disease. Too much saturated fat in the diet can lead to atherosclerosis, where the arteries 'fur up' with cholesterol deposits and cannot deliver enough blood to the vital organs. The heart is particuarly susceptible. Milk and other dairy products account for about half of all saturated fats eaten in this country. Meat accounts for the rest. The UK has the highest level of heart disease in the world.

Child-care expert Dr Benjamin Spock, once an advocate of drinking cow's milk, has joined several doctors questioning its nutritional value and warning of a possible link to juvenile onset diabetes and allergies. "Breast-feeding is the best milk feeding for babies," says Dr Spock. Dr Spock is backed up by Dr Frank Oski, director of pediatrics at John Hopkins University and Dr Neal Barnard, president of the 2000-member Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine. Dr Oski states that cow's milk is overrated as a source of calcium, is often contaminated with traces of antibiotics, can cause allergies and digestive problems and has been linked to juvenile diabetes. [3]

Conclusions
Vegans need to get at least 500 mg of calcium from calcium rich foods, such as tofu, fortified milks and greens, or supplements. Together with calcium from other less concentrated sources, this would give an overall calcium intake between 700 mg per day and 1000 mg per day. There is very little evidence that higher intakes than this would be beneficial.

However, bone health is about much more than calcium. The fact that osteporosis risk is high in countries consuming relatively high amounts of calcium/dairy products illustrates this. Studies comparing individuals within developed countries also indicate that the benefit of calcium alone for reducing fracture risk is modest. Vitamins D and K may be more important while potassium (fruits, vegetables, roots and beans) reduces calcium losses and bone turnover and sodium (salt) increases these. Moderate, rather than low or high, protein intake is probably best. Physical activity plays a vital role. The best approach to prevention takes all these factors into account.

amandagreen1980

Thanks for the info renee!!

At least i have increased my physical exercise a lot!

I think to be on the safe side I will go to the Chemist to see if they have the kind of tablets you have mentioned!! And the calories are ok in them! I worry sometimes that some of these vitamin tablets have way too many calories in them!

Thanks
:flowerforyou:

lizard9800

I'm not one to drink plain milk either, mainly from being lactose intolerant. But I now have one small glass of Silk Light Vanilla Soymilk each day and it is yummy. Only 80 cals one glass. I also take a multivitamin for extra calcium. You could also add milk to your tea.

Anna_Banana

Here's a little fun Calcium info. In the orient there is a lower incedence of osteoporosis, and the majority of the population doesn't consume dairy products at all. ( In fact there are a lot of nations in the world that don't eat dairy, because it is a genetic fluke to be able to process it after you are weaned.) People in the orient get their calcuim from other calcuim rich food like the ones mentions before.

My advice is to take a calcuim suppliment, along with adding at least a couple of foods rich in calcuim to you diet daily. Wether they are dairy or from a different sorce.

amandagreen1980

Thanks! :flowerforyou:

I don't drink tea or coffee so can't add milk there!

I had cereal this morning though and the curry i made tonight i put natural yoghurt in!
I will def get some supplements tto though!!

Amanda