As I have gotten older I don't digest milk products as easily as I used to--primarily real ice cream and/or milk. I can eat other dairy products--some cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt without problems though. Women need 1,200 mg of calcium each day to maintain good bone density and to ward off osteoporosis especially as they enter into menopause which literally drains the calcium from your bones. I am in that 2-3 year process at this stage of life. I take a 600 mg calcium / 800 mg Vitamin D tablet each day (when I remember, that is) and try to get the other 600 mg of calcium in the foods I eat.
Note: As my friend pointed out below in the comments, be sure that you take Vitamin D in addition to the calcium which is essential to good bone health. Vitamin D aids in your body's absorption of calcium. Vitamin D is also manufactured in the skin right after direct exposure to sunlight. Sunlight exposure to the hands, face and arms for as little as 10-30 minutes, 2-3 times per week is helpful to produce vitamin D during the summer months. I could not find a site that stated how much Vitamin D is produced by sunlight but I did find the info below at THIS LINK.
Note: As my friend pointed out below in the comments, be sure that you take Vitamin D in addition to the calcium which is essential to good bone health. Vitamin D aids in your body's absorption of calcium. Vitamin D is also manufactured in the skin right after direct exposure to sunlight. Sunlight exposure to the hands, face and arms for as little as 10-30 minutes, 2-3 times per week is helpful to produce vitamin D during the summer months. I could not find a site that stated how much Vitamin D is produced by sunlight but I did find the info below at THIS LINK.
If you get exposed to the following amounts of midday sun (10 am to 2 pm), without sunscreen, on a day when sunburn is possible (i.e., not winter or cloudy), then you do not need any dietary vitamin D that day:
light-skinned: 10 to 15 minutes
dark-skinned: 20 minutes
elderly: 30 minutes (23-25)
Sometimes I prepare myself a mixture of flavored yogurt and cottage cheese as a boost of calcium and protein. For those of us who have to limit our breads, this is a tasty breakfast or snack. Yogurt has the most calcium, with 415 mg in a 1-cup serving. Cottage cheese has 155 mg in a 1-cup serving.
Below is 4 oz. cherry Activia
yogurt (great for digestion) mixed with 1 cup of cottage cheese which makes about 360 mg of calcium. Many yogurts come in 6 oz. or 8 oz. servings which, of course, gives you more calcium. What you may not know is that Greek yogurt which has 2-3x more protein than regular yogurt, actually has less calcium. I eat both and try to adjust the other foods to compensate for the difference.
yogurt (great for digestion) mixed with 1 cup of cottage cheese which makes about 360 mg of calcium. Many yogurts come in 6 oz. or 8 oz. servings which, of course, gives you more calcium. What you may not know is that Greek yogurt which has 2-3x more protein than regular yogurt, actually has less calcium. I eat both and try to adjust the other foods to compensate for the difference.
All I need now is a piece of cheese and 1/2 cup of milk to get my recommended amounts of calcium.
Some people say they eat broccoli for the extra calcium, but keep in mind that 1/2 cup contains only 21 mg. You're better off eating spinach, fresh or cooked, which has lots more calcium at 120 mg per 1/2 cup. For a list of calcium products and the amount of mg they contain as well as info on Vitamin D, go to THIS LINK.
P.S. I love Sally Field, but do your research and avoid Fosamax.
P.S. I love Sally Field, but do your research and avoid Fosamax.
2 comments:
I would make sure your vitamin D is above 30. You can eat and take all the calcium you want and it won't do any good if your Vitamin D level is low. I was just tested and found that mine was low and need to take extra supplements to raise my level above 30.
Thanks, Charisse. I added that above. My calcium tablet is a combination of calcium and Vitamin D.
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