A survey of Americans in the late 1990s found that many children and adults aren’t getting enough calcium! If you’re looking to get more of this essential mineral in your diet, here are some tips that might help.
- Try using low fat or fat free milk in place of water in recipes. Substitute milk when making pancakes, mashed potatoes, and hot breakfast cereals.
- Try making smoothies for breakfast or for a snack. Mix fresh or frozen fruit with low fat or fat free yogurt in a blender.
- Sprinkle grated cheese onto salads.
- Sprinkle grated cheese onto soups.
- Swap one soda per day for a glass of low fat or fat free milk.
- Make a yogurt-based dip for your raw veggies or fruits.
- Add tofu made with calcium sulfate to your stir fry.
- Make a fruit and yogurt parfait — layer fresh fruit and low fat or fat free yogurt in a bowl or glass.
- Look for calcium-fortified breads, juices, cereals, and more.
Your body’s calcium absorption is affected by many things, including age. Net absorption can be as high as sixty percent in young children and slowly starts to decrease as you age. After the age of fifty, bone loss exceeds bone growth.
Other factors that influence calcium absorption include:
- Vitamin D intake. This vitamin helps improve your body’s calcium absorption.
- Certain plant acids can bind to calcium and reduce absorption. Phytic acid (found in whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans) and oxalic acid (found in beans, sweet potatoes, and some greens) can prevent absorption of calcium that comes from the plant itself but does not interfere with absorption of calcium from other sources.
- The amount of calcium consumed at a meal can affect absorption — the more calcium you eat at one time, the less efficiently your body can process it.
- Calcium absorption increases during pregnancy — so you might not need extra calcium if you’re expecting. Talk to your doctor about an appropriate calcium intake level.
- Caffeine can temporarily increase calcium excretion (elimination from the body). However, it’s easy enough offset the loss by adding an extra tablespoon of milk to your coffee or tea!
- Protein and potassium can increase calcium excretion when they are paired with sodium. In general, the more salt and protein or salt and potassium you get, the more calcium your body will lose.
- Alcohol can reduce the absorption of calcium in your intestines. It can also inhibit liver enzymes that help convert vitamin D to its active form — in its active form, vitamin D is useful for calcium absorption.