You won't get strong bones just from your bowl of cereal
each morning. Try these additional sources of calcium to
do a body good
PUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 21, 2005
You know you need it. But if you get most of your dietary calcium from nondairy foods, you may not be getting the 1,000 milligrams a day that you need. Try these calcium sources so you can get strong bones.
The Source: Coral Calcium Supplements
The Amount: 492 mg per tablet (49 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: Despite the claims, your body doesn't absorb coral calcium (calcium carbonate) better than other types. And what you do absorb may cause more harm than good; a ConsumerLab.com study found lead in many brands.
Try This Instead: Almost any other calcium supplements, such as Citracal, Tums, or Viactiv.
The Source: Fortified Cereal
The Amount: 1,000 mg per bowl (100 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: Creighton University researcher Robert Heaney, M.D., found that people who consumed 1,000 mg of calcium in a single meal only absorbed about 15 percent of the mineral; your body prefers a little bit at a time.
Try This Instead: Choose your cereal for the nutrient it's best at delivering — fiber — not the nutrients added to it. Get your calcium elsewhere — from milk or a midmorning cup of yogurt.
The Source: Soy Milk
The Amount: 300 mg per 8-ounce serving (30 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: More than 82 percent of soy milk's calcium sticks to the bottom of the carton — even when shaken — Dr. Heaney says. "While the carton sits on the grocery shelf, the calcium separates out," he says. "Even vigorous shaking isn't going to deliver what the label tells you."
Try This Instead: Cow's milk. Or, if you're lactose intolerant, opt for Lactaid; it's made of milk, so it doesn't have to be fortified.
The Source: Spinach
The Amount: 122 mg per 1/2 cup, cooked (12 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: Spinach contains oxalate, an acid that binds to calcium and prevents it from being digested. Only about 10 percent of spinach's calcium is absorbed by your body. In fact, "There is such a high oxalate content in spinach that half the oxalates bind to calcium from other foods you eat during the same meal," says Linda Massey, R.D., a professor of nutrition at Washington State University. So that glass of milk didn't do you much good either.
Try This Instead: Low-oxalate kale, collard greens, or Romaine lettuce.
The Source: Coral Calcium Supplements
The Amount: 492 mg per tablet (49 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: Despite the claims, your body doesn't absorb coral calcium (calcium carbonate) better than other types. And what you do absorb may cause more harm than good; a ConsumerLab.com study found lead in many brands.
Try This Instead: Almost any other calcium supplements, such as Citracal, Tums, or Viactiv.
The Source: Fortified Cereal
The Amount: 1,000 mg per bowl (100 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: Creighton University researcher Robert Heaney, M.D., found that people who consumed 1,000 mg of calcium in a single meal only absorbed about 15 percent of the mineral; your body prefers a little bit at a time.
Try This Instead: Choose your cereal for the nutrient it's best at delivering — fiber — not the nutrients added to it. Get your calcium elsewhere — from milk or a midmorning cup of yogurt.
The Source: Soy Milk
The Amount: 300 mg per 8-ounce serving (30 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: More than 82 percent of soy milk's calcium sticks to the bottom of the carton — even when shaken — Dr. Heaney says. "While the carton sits on the grocery shelf, the calcium separates out," he says. "Even vigorous shaking isn't going to deliver what the label tells you."
Try This Instead: Cow's milk. Or, if you're lactose intolerant, opt for Lactaid; it's made of milk, so it doesn't have to be fortified.
The Source: Spinach
The Amount: 122 mg per 1/2 cup, cooked (12 percent of RDA)
The Trouble: Spinach contains oxalate, an acid that binds to calcium and prevents it from being digested. Only about 10 percent of spinach's calcium is absorbed by your body. In fact, "There is such a high oxalate content in spinach that half the oxalates bind to calcium from other foods you eat during the same meal," says Linda Massey, R.D., a professor of nutrition at Washington State University. So that glass of milk didn't do you much good either.
Try This Instead: Low-oxalate kale, collard greens, or Romaine lettuce.
Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com
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