Nutrition 101: Calcium

A side effect of my reading lately has been learning more about nutrition and how the food industry's practices affect our access to quality nutrition. Then I read an awesome article in the August 2011 issue of Wegmans Nature's Marketplace, a free magazine about whole and healthy foods. It is found in the natural foods section at my store and I highly recommend it. Anyway, this particular article was about ensuring you are getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals in your diet.

Since I will be using this article to inspire my Nutrition 101 series, here is the full reference:

"Strive for balance: How vitamins can help" by Rich Wallace. Wegmans Nature's Marketplace, August 2011, p. 14-15.

Without further ado, here is our first topic...

CALCIUM

What is it/What does it do? Calcium is a mineral that plays a vital role in building strong bones and teeth; it also contributes to healthy gums.
Want it to work better? Make sure you also get Vitamin D and magnesium. (Profiles of those to be linked later when I write them up)
How much do you need? It varies; here is a good table from the NIH. Women my age need 1,000 mg/day and no more than 2,500 mg/day.
What happens if you don't get enough? Calcium deficiency can increase the risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer.
What happens if you overdose? Excessive intake of calcium can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.

Note about dairy: Please note that dairy products are often high in saturated fat as well as retinol (vitamin A), which at high levels can actually weaken bones. This is just one of many reasons vegan diets don't include dairy, for more information on the potential negative effects of dairy products, click here.

Concerned about osteoporosis? It is essential that you get adequate exercise to decrease your risk, in addition to a healthy diet including calcium (as well as magnesium and Vitamin D).

How do you get it?

This section is special, as it is for my own reference as well, I'll be separating the categories into "S.A.D." (Standard American Diet) and Vegan. The first thing my mom asked about when I mentioned wanting to lean toward a vegan diet was how my kids and I would get enough calcium. Here is some information useful in answering that question, as well as S.A.D. people. (I swear I did not make up that abbreviation!) Calcium content varies by brand and item, so consult the nutrition label (paying attention to serving size) for details.

Standard sources of Calcium	Vegan sources of Calcium
Milk Yogurt Cheese Sardines Salmon Cottage cheese Calcium-fortified juices, all Calcium-fortified cereal, all Instant breakfast beverages Frozen yogurt Ice cream Sour cream Cream cheese	Calcium-fortified juices Tofu (especially those calcium-fortified) Calcium-fortified cereal, dairy free Turnip greens Kale Soy milk (especially those calcium-fortified) Chinese cabbage/Bok choy Tortillas, corn and flour Bread Broccoli Blackstrap molasses (very high) Collard greens Soy yogurt Tempeh Soybeans Okra Mustard greens Tahini Almonds/Almond butter

Note that while they contain lots of calcium, spinach, rhubarb, chard, and beet greens contain something called "oxalic acid", which binds with calcium and reduces absorption. See the other greens on this list for better sources of calcium.

Other sources used in this article:
Harvard School of Public Health
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements

Here is a good article from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) about building strong bone (without dairy): Parents' Guide to Building Better Bones