The Importance of Calcium

Calcium is an important nutrient that the human body needs. One of the main reasons for this is because it helps keep our bones strong and healthy. However, there are plenty of other reasons out there why we need calcium. 

Getting into small daily habits can help you keep your body fit and healthy. This is why it is that you make your calcium intake one of those small daily habits. 

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What do we need calcium for?

Like mentioned in the opening paragraph. Calcium is essential for bone health. Not only this, but it is an important nutrient for our teeth as well. It is vital for children as it helps the growth of their bones, as well as keep them healthy. 

Calcium plays a role in control muscle contraction as well. Once a muscle is stimulated by a muscle, it releases calcium which, helps protein with the muscle contraction. Something else to add is that calcium helps with blood clots as well. 

It has also been linked to many other things as well but, there is no definite proof to date for them. Not enough calcium can lead to rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. All ages need to make sure that they get their daily requirement of calcium as it can lead to many health issues. 

Foods that contain calcium 

There are plenty of foods out there that are full of calcium. Firstly, you have got your green leafy vegetables. Broccoli, collards, kale, bok choy are some of the greens you can consume to help get your calcium for the day. Fish, where you can eat the bones, are also a good source of your calcium. These can be Sardines, Pilchards and even Salmon that contains the bones.

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 There are plenty of other foods as well such as; Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Sunflower seeds, tahini, and dried beans. Your dairy foods like milk and cheese also contain plenty of calcium. It is recommended that adults between the ages of 19 to 64 need roughly around 700mg per day. If you implement those foods into your diet that are mentioned above. Then you should not struggle in getting your recommended calcium intake per day.

The way you cook your foods can also affect the amount of calcium you absorb from your foods. For example, it is recommended that you cook your greens in small amounts of water for a short time. Steaming your vegetables is the best way to cook them if you wish to keep as much Calcium in the food as possible.

You also have to be wary of the foods that you have with your calcium-rich foods. Your foods that are rich in fibre can mix with calcium which, could prevent the calcium from being absorbed. For those that have a vegan diet, it is recommended that you include both soy and fortified products to get your recommended calcium intake. 

Problems of too little calcium

There are many symptoms when it comes to being deficient in calcium. Pains in your muscles are common as well as numbness in your hands, arms, feet and legs. A lack of calcium can also lead to you not being able to sleep at night and extreme fatigue. Dry skin, dry/broken nails, coarse hair, alopecia, eczema and psoriasis are other symptoms of calcium deficiency. 

Calcium plays a massive role in keeping both your teeth and bones healthy. If you become deficient in calcium then problems for both your teeth and bones could arise.

Problems of too much calcium

If you have too much calcium every once in a while, you probably won’t have any issues. However, it can lead to diarrhoea. For some people, it can lead to kidney stones if you regularly have too much calcium in your diet. If you do suffer from any of these issues then you must see your doctor straight away. 

These problems can be caused by multiple things so it is best not to assume that it is down having too much calcium. 

Summary

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients that we should have in our diet. 99.9 % of our total calcium amount is found in both our teeth and bones. This is why it is so essential that we must get our recommended daily intake. If we do not have that recommended daily intake that it can lead to many problems with our teeth and bones. 

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Vitamin D is a nutrient we need to help absorb calcium. So even though you are getting your daily calcium intake, you might not be getting your vitamin D3. Taking vitamin D tablets will help you with this issue. Getting roughly 15 minutes of sunlight per day will also help as our body produces vitamin D when it comes into contact with the sun.