Calcium in food

Importance of Calcium in a Woman's Diet If you're a woman, getting your daily intake of calcium is more important than you think. Find out how!

Exercise is very important in fighting against the bone brittling disease osteoporosis.

There are actually 3 primary factors that may put someone at risk for osteoporosis - women in particular:   

Lack of calcium Hormonal deficiency (oestrogen in particular) Lack of physical activity

So in addition to exercise and hormonal factors, a woman's diet is extremely important in guarding off this very debilitating condition.

One of the reasons why we do not recommend most traditional diet plans and programs is because the over restrictive eating guidelines often eliminate or seriously limit the consumption of some very necessary vitamins and minerals that keep the body healthy and strong.

You never want to get to a point where you are sacrificing health merely to lose weight. In fact, any weight loss program will make sure that the recommendations made for your daily diet intake are well balanced and full of all the nutrients that you need.

The most important time to get an appropriate amount of calcium is between the ages of 14 and 24, when peak bone mass is obtained. Then after that bones continue to develop until about age 35 to 40, at which time the bone mass that a woman has will strongly determine how much at risk she may be for bone fractures in her later years.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends that women should take 1,000 mg (1g) of calcium daily, and then increase their daily dosage to 1,500 mg (1.5g) post menopause.

Sadly, only an estimated 25% of women in any age group consume the recommended daily amount of calcium to guard against osteoporosis. And when they go on diets and weight loss programs, they tend to consume even less.

Low fat dairy products such as milk (skimmed milk is a better option), yogurt, and cottage cheese are all excellent sources of dietary calcium. For those who are lactose intolerant or who wish to generally stay away from dairy products, non-dairy alternatives fortified with calcium will do as long as they contain the Recommended daily allowance (RDA). The non-dairy product Lactaid added to low fat and non-fat milk may also work to help you meet your desired goal.

In your efforts to lose weight, make sure that the weight loss program that you use includes calcium-rich food choices. And if it does not, you will need to add them yourself. No matter what weight loss program you are on or what other means you use to lose weight, here are some good ideas recommended by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) that you may add to your daily diet in order to get the amount of calcium you need while you lose the weight. 

Prepare canned soup with skimmed milk instead of water

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Add non-fat dry milk to soups, stews, and casseroles Add grated low fat cheese to salads, tacos, and pasta dishes Eat yogurt as a snack, or use it to make low calorie dressings Choose calcium rich desserts, such as low fat cheese and fruit, frozen non fat or low fat yogurt, and puddings made with skim milk Drink hot chocolate in the winter made with skim milk

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