Meeting Your Calcium Needs: A Guide to Strong and Healthy Bones

If you focus on meeting your calcium needs, you will give your body the best chance of having strong and healthy bones. Calcium is a mineral that is best known for keeping our bones strong and healthy. If you don’t get enough calcium, your bones will eventually become weak and brittle. Of course there are lots of ways that we can look to improve our bone strength, but if we utilise calcium then we will give ourselves a fantastic chance to do it better.

Calcium also works to help with:

• muscle function
• blood clotting
• cell signalling
• enzyme activation
• nerve function
• hormone secretion
• blood pressure regulation and
• dental health.

Read on to find out how to keep them bones strong and healthy as the body ages.

What does calcium do?

About 99% of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones and teeth. Here it provides structural support and helps to maintain bone density. Getting enough calcium in early life helps individuals to reach peak bone mass by 18.

By doing so, the risk of getting osteoporosis and fractures in later life is decreased. Getting adequate amounts of calcium is also just as important as the body ages. This is because bone density decreases with age, which further increases the likelihood of osteoporosis and fractures.

The recommended daily intake (RDI) of calcium is age and sex dependent, but tends to range between 1000 and 1300 mg/day for the average adult.

How can I reach the RDA and reap the benefits?

If you are looking to have strong and healthy bones then there should always bee a focus on daily calcium intake. Adding a calcium focus to your day does not have to be as challenging as it may seem. See below for some options that you can look to incorporate or may already be having.

~439mg/pot

~308mg/40g

~75mg/ 3XL eggs

~150mg/100g

~280mg/tin

~260mg/tin

~452mg/ 250ml

~800mg/tin

~833mg/bottle

~170mg/20g

~121mg/30g

~285mg/250ml*

~93mg/100g

~265mg/100g

~40mg/orange

*This can be added to certain foods for extra protein + calcium

Further Calcium Considerations

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is essential for calcium to be absorbed in the intestines. This allows the body to use the calcium consumed in the diet. As many older adults tend to be vitamin D deficient, getting adequate skin exposure to the sun (while being sun protected) to stimulate vitamin D synthesis in the skin may be advised. If this is not possible, vitamin D supplements may be advised.

Physical Activity: Physical activity such as walking, jogging or strength training is essential for bone health. By fitting physical activity in regularly, you can help stimulate the formation of new bone tissue and help to maintain bone density. The risk of falls and fractures is reduced, and balance and co-ordination can be improved.

Excessive intake: Over consumption of the RDA is not advised as it may result in health implications such as kidney stones.

In Summary

No nutritional advice blog would be complete without the mention of a balanced diet. If the protocol of half colour, ¼ protein, ¼ starchy carbs and a thumb of healthy fats is followed for each meal, calcium and other vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin K which are required for adequate bone health should be consumed in adequate amounts. Eat the rainbow and have balance, you will be surprised at what you are already fuelling your body with.