How Much Calcium Do You Need Whether Man or Woman?

Do you know the other surprising sources for getting your calcium other than milk products? Green leafy vegetables and some dried beans also provide significant amounts. Moderate amounts of salmon, canned with the edible bones actually offer as much calcium as one glass of milk. Oh yeah, and don’t forget bone building exercise like lifting weights and walking/running to help preserve bone loss.

The USDA states that the amount you need is: Adults under 50 years of age need at least 1000 mg. daily of calcium and 1,200 mg. daily for adults over age 50. Here are some of the calcium sources to look for and their amounts:

Collard Greens, 1 cup cooked: 266mg., Calcium Fortified Orange Juice: 300-500 mg. per cup; Chinese Cabbage (bok choy), 1 cup – 158 mg.; White, navy or Great Northern Beans, 1 cup cooked-120 mg.; 3 oz. canned sardines or 4 oz. canned salmon with bones-200-325 mg.

Spinach, chard and beet greens are not a good source of calcium because they contain oxalic acid which binds the calcium and reduces its absorption.

The other important thing to remember is that magnesium and Vitamin D support calcium and bone loss, so combine a good magnesium and vitami
D supplement (if you are not getting enough in your diet, which is difficult to do), with your calcium foods and supplement as well. Different people have a different result from calcium supplements based on their body composition and whether you have an acid/alkaline imbalance, so take that into consideration too. You can check your healthy pH level by buying pH testing strips from your local health food store and testing your urine 4x daily. If you are too acid (7.0 is perfect) then you would best absorb a calcium supplement from sea sources like the one from Nature;s Sunshine – Sea Calcium product. See product label below:

Nature’s Sea Calcium [Structural] is derived from Lithothamnium, a hard, brittle red algae that grows off the southweste
coast of Ireland. In these pure, mineral-rich waters, Lithothamnium congregates to form large beds of stone-like algae. The seaweed’s mineralized matrices contain high concentrations of naturally occurring, plant-sourced calcium along with up to 70 other minerals, including magnesium, boron, copper and zinc. Lithothamnium provides a renewable source as the plant is left undisturbed.

Nature’s Sea Calcium naturally promotes bone health and density. And its high buffering capacity makes it ideal for supporting and maintaining normal range pH levels.

Nature’s Sea Calcium has a large surface area and a porous structure, which may increase its bioavailability. This formula contains a proprietary blend of short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides, which, when converted to short-chain fatty acids by beneficial flora in the body, have been shown to improve calcium absorption.