Are we paying enough attention to calcium?
Do you ever think about how much calcium you need in a day? Probably not (that might be just me as a dietitian)!!
Calcium is essential for strong healthy bones and teeth, good heart health, optimal muscle and nerve function, and for blood clotting. It’s a busy little nutrient!
But tbh I do feel like the importance of calcium as an essential mineral has slipped off the radar lately, as the desire to focus predominantly on protein is still in full swing. Yet calcium’s a super important nutrient that we need during all stages of our life.
Monitoring our status…calcium status that is
Although you can get your blood tested for calcium, this test only tells you your circulating calcium levels which the body usually keeps in pretty good balance due to homeostasis. It’s not telling you about your calcium stores. A DEXA scan on the other hand, can be a really useful tool to determine bone density and health – especially around the time of menopause as estrogen affects bone metabolism. Your doctor may refer you for a DEXA scan if you meet certain criteria, or you can go private if you want to take a more proactive approach to your wellbeing. If you live in the Wairarapa you could try Greyscale in Greytown here.
How much do you need each day?
👩🦱 Adolescents (14 – 18 years) – 1300mg/day
👱♀️ Women aged 19 – 49 years – 1000mg/day
👨🦳 Men aged 19 – 69 years – 1000mg/day
👩🦳 Women aged >50 years – 1300mg/day
👴🏻 Men aged >70 years – 1300mg/day
🤰 Breastfeeding and pregnancy (>19 years) – 1000mg/day
So, if you’re a teenager, a women aged over 50 years or a man aged over 70 years you need a whopping 1300mg of calcium e-v-e-r-y day. It does require some planning in order to meet this high amount, if you leave it to chance you probably won’t get there!
Plus, the teenage years can be a time when certain food groups might be avoided, growing independence means more eating out (ultra processed foods and takeaways don’t tend to be very high in calcium) and/or the drive for more plant-based eating may mean less calcium in our diets.
Sources of calcium
So where do we find calcium? The more common food and drink options are:
🍶 Dairy products – milk, yoghurt and cheese
🌾 Calcium-enriched plant milks (eg oat milk, soy milk, almond milk)
🐟 Tinned fish – sardines and salmon if you eat the bones
🦪 Mussels
🫛 Tofu
⚪️ Sesame seeds, tahini
🥬 Kale
These all provide at least 100mg calcium per serve. Some yoghurts can provide over 325mg per serve, and yellow topped milk (calcium-fortified milk) provides a huge 475mg/serve. So just having a serve of high calcium yoghurt and using yellow-topped milk in your tea, coffee, cereal etc could happily get you to ~800mg each day. Then throw in some canned salmon and you are getting closer to your target. Examples below 👇
🧐 And what about the foods you might think have calcium but are actually poor sources…
Coconut – coconut is not naturally a good source of calcium. Canned coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut yoghurt are not usually fortified with calcium so are not usually great sources. Check packaging though in case your product is fortified.
High fat dairy – foods such as butter, cream and cream cheese (although dairy products) do not contain much calcium in the smaller serving sizes of these high fat products that we eat.
Vegan cheese – the vegan cheeses I looked at in the supermarket were not fortified with calcium so were not great sources either.
Supplements – yeah, nah?
Finally, what about supplements as a quick and easy option? I wouldn’t recommend a calcium-only supplement unless your doctor or specialist has prescribed it. If you take a high dose calcium supplement you may be more at risk for kidney stones, and some studies have suggested a higher risk of heart disease. Therefore aim to get your calcium from food and drink sources if possible (a multivitamin and mineral supplement is unlikely to be an issue as there is usually only a small dose of calcium in a mixed supplement).
So there you have it. Calcium 101 in a nutshell!
Feeling like you have to eat a mountain of food to get in all your required nutrients each day? A nutrition session with me can help – dietitian-developed meals plans to meet your needs, without overdoing calories. Sneaky hacks and foods that tick multiple nutrition boxes so it’s easier and less of a mental load for you. Reach out to book your session today 😊
