Keep your calcium

I happened upon an interesting article on calcium depletion while thumbing through this month's edition of Healthy Awards magazine. In it, the author discusses the problem we have absorbing calcium and, making this process even more difficult, how certain foods can actually rob us of calcium we consume.

According to the article, if you ...

... drink more than two cups of coffee, tea, or soda per day, aim to take in an extra 200 to 300 mg of calcium, as caffeinated beverages increases calcium excretion.

... eat more than six ounces of meat daily, try to consume an extra 300 to 500 mg of calcium each day. This will help prevent the calcium absorption interference, which can occur when your diet consists of phosphorus-rich foods -- such as meat.
... get the majority of your calcium from vegetables, supplement with at least 300 mg of calcium per day. Because veggies naturally contain xylates and phytates -- substances that decrease calcium absorption -- supplementation will help replace what is lost.

... rely on lactose-free dairy foods, shoot for an extra 200 to 300 mg of calcium from supplements or fortified foods. Lactose helps with calcium absorption, so not having it in your diet creates a need for reinforcements.

... you consume more than 2,400 mg of sodium daily, get an extra 100 mg of calcium per 1,000 mg of sodium above 2,400 mg. This is to battle back against the increased calcium excretion that occurs when high amounts of sodium are consumed.

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