How to Get Your Calcium Supplies

It's easy for you to get your calcium in pills. But what you miss are the extras you get by eating foods that are good calcium sources and rich in other nutrients that do your body good. So here's a quick shopping list, and don't miss the bonus at the end: It will help your body get the most out of every calcium-rich bite you feed it.

Go fishing One tin of sardines (about 3½ ounces) supplies 370 mg of calcium. That's much more than a glass of 1% milk (290) and about a third of the daily 1,000 mg you need. (After 50, make that 1,200.) Plus these little fish are bursting with healthy omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium.

Drink the other bottled calcium Mineral waters contain as much as 108 mg of calcium per cup -- not as much as milk, but hey, there's a big bonus: no calories! Just check the label to be sure your fave has the right stuff.

Build a smarter lunch salad Salad bars are full of calcium if you know what to pick, and we're not talking cheese cubes. Start off with 1 cup each of spinach (30 mg of calcium), romaine (15 mg), and broccoli (43 mg). Then add ½ cup of navy beans (62 mg) and 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds (176 mg), plus whatever else floats your lunch boat. Total: around 325 mg of calcium, plus beaucoup fiber, vitamins C, A, E, some protein, and a healthy, filling, good-for-all-of-you meal.

Get juiced A medium orange has -- surprise -- about 55 mg of calcium, and calcium-fortified OJ has a hefty 300 mg a cup or more. Not to mention all those sunny citrus vitamins.

Bonus: Take a walk Even if you're getting plenty of calcium, your body may be slow on the uptake. It needs vitamin D to deposit calcium where it's most needed, but very few foods contain D. However, your skin makes lots of D when it's exposed to sunlight, and fast. About 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure a few times a week is all that's needed. That's the main reason why something as simple as getting a safe amount of sun can make your RealAge as much as 1.7 years younger.

Original Source: http://food.yahoo.com

Notes: What's interesting to me is that one of the comments followed by this article. I think the comment is factly true, because we can see that osteoporosis cases are still high in the world, even in the country that its people has a good standard of living. Here is the comment:

Posted by Mr. BIG on Wed, Jun 20, 2007, 8:03 pm PDT

This is a good article, but it stops short of discussing the real issue of calcium. Most of the calcium you find in foods that add this mineral to the food to claim that the food is good for you because it contains calcium, is calcium carbonate. This is the cheapest form of calcium because it's not from a living source, but from rocks. Blackboard chalk is calcium carbonate. It causes kidney stones, can be toxic to the body, the bones only contain about 10% of this type of calcium, and the liver has to sort it out before the water can be used by the body. Also, before calcium can be absorbed, the stomach must be acidic. Calcium also competes with magnesium for absorption in the jejunum and the amount of calcium absorbed will depend on the body's need for it compared to magnesium. Antacids that are being recommended by doctors, pharmacists, and drug companies are causing calcium deficiencies because they just don't know the truth or have other motives such as profit, for recommending or selling the antacid garbage. The Boniva drug interrupts the blood calcium to bone calcium cycle and wreaks havoc with the coronary calcium levels in the blood, leading to problems with cholesterol. If you consume calcium without understanding these things and managing the digestive system properly, the calcium found in drugs, processed foods, combined with synthetic vitamins, ends up in the sewer system and the person with problems like osteoporosis, thinking that they are doing the right thing. Amazing. No wonder 75% of all Americans are dying of heart disease and degenerative diseases are on the increase, and our longevity is now ranking 24th in the world.