What Are The Best Ways To Get Enough Calcium
The best way to get enough calcium every day is to eat a variety of healthy foods from all the different food groups. Getting enough vitamin D every day from foods like enriched milk or from natural sunlight is important to help the body absorb and use calcium from food.
Here are some easy guidelines for selecting foods high in calcium:
- Dairy products have the highest calcium content. Dairy products include milk, yogurt and cheese. A cup of milk contains 300 mg of calcium. The calcium content is the same for skim, low fat and whole milk.
- Dark green, leafy vegetables contain high amounts of calcium. Broccoli, kale and collards are all good sources of calcium, especially when eaten raw or lightly steamed.
- A serving of canned salmon or sardines has about 200 mg of calcium. It’s found in the soft bones of the fish.
- Cereal, pasta, breads and other food made with grains may add calcium to the diet. Look for cereals that are fortified with minerals, including calcium.
- Besides cereal, calcium is sometimes added to fruit juices, soy and rice beverages and tofu. Read product labels to find out if a food item has added calcium.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that everyone aged 9 years and older eat three servings of foods from the dairy group per day.
1 serving of dairy equals:
- 1 cup milk.
- 1 cup yogurt.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 11/29/2020.
References
Vitamin D Supplements For Bone Health And Osteoporosis
Supplement your vitamin D intake with the same form of vitamin D that your skin produces naturally when exposed to the sun: vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. Make sure to avoid products with vitamin D2 because your body cannot use it well.
Supplementing is the best way to ensure you get enough vitamin D each day and its easy! The pills are small and easy to swallow, or you can use drops or even gummies. Vitamin D supplements are very inexpensive but you still have to remember to take them every day.
Vitamin D Deficiency: Are You At Risk
Vitamin D deficiency occurs when you are not getting the recommended level of vitamin D over time. Certain people are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency, including:
- People who spend little time in the sun or those who regularly cover up when outdoors
- People living in nursing homes or other institutions or who are homebound
- People with certain medical conditions such as Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease
- People taking medicines that affect vitamin D levels such as certain anti-seizure medicines
- People with very dark skin
- Obese or very overweight people and
- Older adults with certain risk factors.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any of these risk factors. If you have osteoporosis and also have a vitamin D deficiency, your healthcare provider may temporarily prescribe a high dose of vitamin D to bring you up to a healthy level.
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How Much Vitamin D And Calcium For Osteoporosis
How much vitamin d and calcium for osteoporosis? Based upon the meta-analyses discussed below, we suggest 1200 mg of calcium and 800 international units of vitamin D daily for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
How much vitamin D should you take a day for osteoporosis? Due to the relative lack of vitamin D-containing foods, supplements of vitamin D are often necessary to achieve an adequate intake. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends an intake of 800 to 1000 international units of vitamin D3 per day for adults over age 50 .
How many mg of calcium should I take for osteoporosis? Adults 19-50 years: 1,000 mg. Adult men 51-70 years: 1,000 mg. Adult women 51-70 years: 1,200 mg. Adults 71 years and older: 1,200 mg.
How much vitamin D should a 70 year old with osteoporosis take? 600 IU a day for people ages 1 to 70, including women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. 800 IU a day for anyone over 70.
Vitamin D For Osteoporosis
Planning to eat right for healthier bones? Calcium is probably the nutrient you think of first. But vitamin D is just as important for keeping bones strong and preventing the bone disease osteoporosis.
Vitamin D helps your intestines absorb calcium from the food you eat. Getting enough of both nutrients is an important part of making sure your bones are dense and strong.
Unlike calcium, which you only get through food, your body makes vitamin D when sunlight hits your skin. Active people who live in sunny regions can get at least some of what they need from spending time outdoors every day. But in less temperate areas such as Minnesota, Michigan, and New York, the skin makes less vitamin D in the winter months, especially for older adults.
The amount your skin makes depends on where you live, how light or dark your skin is, and the time of day youâre outside. It could be about 15 minutes for a very fair-skinned person and an hour or two for someone with darker skin. But you have to be careful — too much time in the sun raises your chance of having skin cancer. Even though sunlight is a key part of your bodyâs vitamin D production, itâs best to protect your skin with clothing and sunscreen if youâll be outside for more than a few minutes.
How else can you get vitamin D? A few foods have it, such as:
- Fatty fish, like salmon, tuna, and mackerel
- Beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks
- Foods with added vitamin D, such as milk, orange juice, and cereal
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Mother Natures Elixir Is Bone Broth
Bone broth is a wonder food source for those with bone related conditions. Nothing is more nutritious for the bone structure in our body then the actual form of bones themselves. Breaking the minerals and vitamins down in a simmering pot over 6-8 hours can create a delicious, soul soothing broth that is loaded with zinc, glucosamine, collagen, calcium and boron. For a delicious bone broth recipe or more information on this topic try bone broth recipes.
How Much Sun Exposure Do You Need
To get enough vitamin D, generally, you should try to get 1020 minutes of sun exposure to your bare skin outside peak sunlight hours daily without sunscreen and taking care not to burn.
Unfortunately, sunlight is not always a reliable source of vitamin D. The season and geographic latitude, use of sunscreen, city smog, skin pigmentation, and a persons age are just some of the factors that will affect how much vitamin D is produced in the skin through sunlight.
Because many of us spend most of our times indoors, low levels of vitamin D have become a worldwide problem and there is concern that this is having a negative impact on bone health.
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A Huge Number Of Americans Are Deficient In Vitamin D What Does That Meanyour Browser Indicates If You’ve Visited This Link
With a research team, he looked at 489 patients at UChicago Medicine whose blood levels of vitaminD had been measured within a year of being tested for COVID-19. “We found that people who were vitaminD deficient were more than two times as likely to test positive for COVID,
GQ on MSN.com
Nof Recommends The Following Three Steps For Bone Health:
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Risk Factors For Developing Osteoporosis
There are numerous risks involved with developing osteoporosis which many are unchangeable including:
Gender: Statistics show women are 5x more likely to develop this bone density condition then male counterparts.Age: The older you get the more risk you have to developing bone related conditions.Ethnicity: If youre white or asian you have a higher chance of developing osteoporosisGenetic: If there is cases of bone density conditions in your family ancestry then youre at a heightened risk.Body Frame: Those who have smaller bone structures are considered higher risk and should make sure to always have adequate nutrition levels.
Should You Supplement With Vitamin D For Osteoporosis
As discussed previously all Vitamin D is not the same, and supplemental forms are no different. The two forms of this vitamin that people will be most familiar with are vitamin D2, known as ergocalciferol which is plant derived. The other being Vitamin D3 or known as cholecalciferol, which is derived from animal sources like egg yolks and fish.
The human body is much better at synthesising the D3 form compared to D2 and blood serum levels indicate a major difference when supplementing the two. Stick to animal sourced D3 if youre suffering early stages of osteoporosis as bones are much better at absorbing it from this form.
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The Scoop On Vitamin D Deficiency
There is a large group of people who are likely to be deficient in vitamin D. It includes people with eating disorders people who have had gastric bypass surgeries those with malabsorption syndromes like celiac sprue pregnant and lactating women people who have dark skin and those who wear total skin covering . In addition, people with or at risk for low bone density , should discuss whether they need supplements and to have blood levels of vitamin D monitored.
Many New England-dwelling residents are at risk for a dip in vitamin D levels during the long, dark winter months. In my own practice I do consider that a risk factor, and I advise a vitamin D supplement of 1,000 IUs daily. For people who would rather avoid a supplement but may need a boost of vitamin D, it is also found in some common foods, including sardines, salmon, tuna, cheese, egg yolks, and vitamin-fortified milk. I will add that, for those who fall into the healthy community-dwelling adult category, a supplement of anywhere from 400 to 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily is not likely to cause harm. Yes, vitamin D toxicity is a thing, usually seen at levels above 80 ng/ml, which causes excessive calcium to be released into the bloodstream. This is rare, but I have seen it in patients who took high-dose vitamin D supplementation of 50,000 IUs weekly over a long period of time.
Reading Food Labels How Much Calcium Am I Getting
To determine how much calcium is in a particular food, check the nutrition facts panel for the daily value . Food labels list calcium as a percentage of the DV. This amount is based on 1,000 mg of calcium per day. For example:
- 30% DV of calcium equals 300 mg of calcium.
- 20% DV of calcium equals 200 mg of calcium.
- 15% DV of calcium equals 150 mg of calcium.
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Getting Enough Vitamin D For Bone Health
Your body cant create Vitamin D on its own. Instead, its designed to make it through sun exposure. In theory, you can make an ample supply of vitamin D with as little as a couple of hours per week in the sun provided the UVB rays are strong enough. You can also ingest D through food, especially fatty fish like wildharvested salmon. Plus, lots of foods are fortified nowadays, so vitamin D deficiency should be an easy problem to solve, right? But the truth is, most Americans just dont get enough Vitamin D especially during the winter months, when there is less sunlight. Certain other types of people may also be at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency.
The USDA recommends Vitamin D intake of between 400800 IU/day, or 1020 micrograms. The low end of 400 IU is simply too low for most of us to get any real benefit. Some studies have shown that adults need 30005000 IU per day, and others indicate healthy adults can readily metabolize up to 10,000 IU vitamin D per day without harmful side effects. The European Unions Scientific Committee on Food lists 2000 IU per day as the safety cut-off, as does the US Food and Nutrition Board. Can you get too much Vitamin D? Yes, but as we are learning, the amount needed to trigger toxicity is much more than what researchers are recommending for ideal supplementation range.
How much Vitamin D is best for you?
What Is Vitamin D And Its Role In The Body
Vitamin D is actually a precursor hormone the building block of a powerful steroid hormone in your body called calcitriol. Direct sunlight triggers Vitamin D production in the skin and some foods provide beneficial amounts of Vitamin D, including wild caught salmon and some mushrooms.
Vitamin D benefits bone health by working in concert with calcium other nutrients and hormones in your body to support healthy bone renewal and reduce risk for osteoporosis. Researchers are discovering that Vitamin D also promotes normal cell growth and differentiation throughout the body. When you get the right amount of Vitamin D on a daily basis, it can lead to some astounding results for your bone health and overall health, including:
In emerging research, Vitamin D has also been identified as helping to improve immune function and lessen the severity of Covid-19 symptoms.
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Sunburn And Skin Damage
If your skin is exposed to the sun for more than 10 minutes, always use sunblock or sunscreen. And avoid exposing your skin to direct sunlight in the middle of the day when the sun it at its strongest.
Don’t be tempted to not wear sunscreen for long periods to increase your vitamin D levels. You may do more damage to your skin than good for your bones.
Babies and children have very sensitive skin, so need careful protection.
Getting Enough Calcium For Bone Health
The body cannot produce its own calcium, so every day when we lose calcium through our skin, nails, hair, sweat, urine and feces, we need to replace it. It’s to your advantage to get your supplemental calcium through a high quality bone health supplement that comes complete with other nutrients needed for calcium absorption.
The current recommended calcium intake for adult women up to age 51 is 1000 mg a day total between diet and supplements women ages 51-70 are recommended to take in 1200 mg a day. The good news is that most women are getting a good portion of their daily calcium through their diet, therefore a beneficial therapeutic range for calcium supplementation is now generally 300 mg. Keep track of the foods you eat to get a sense of your typical dietary calcium intake and supplement to meet the optimal range. You may need more calcium if you dont absorb it as well as most people. Nocturnal leg cramps, for instance, may indicate a higher need for calcium and greater attention to eating calcium-rich foods. See our graphic for even more symptoms of calcium deficiency.
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Other Important And Effective Ways To Protect Your Bones
There are other methods that may be more effective at maintaining bone health and reducing fracture risk. One that we can likely all agree on is regular physical activity. Weight-bearing exercise like walking, jogging, tennis, and aerobics definitely strengthens bones. Core exercises like yoga and Pilates can improve balance. All of this can help reduce falls and fracture risk.
And so, in the end, I am recommending what I always end up recommending: a Mediterranean-style diet rich in colorful plants, plenty of legumes, fish, plus low-sugar, low-fat dairy and plenty of varied physical activity throughout your entire life and maybe calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation for certain people, following a discussion with their doctors.
How To Use Vitamin E For Acne Scars
It is best to apply a thin layer of vitamin E oil to your face prior to bed. If you have oily skin, we suggest using a thinner Vitamin E serum or toner versus the thick oil. If you have dry skin, many individuals prefer mixing a little bit of vitamin E oil in with their nightly moisturizer and applying together.
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Vitamin D & Osteoporosis
Vitamin D3 helps to build strong bones and is essential for everyone throughout life. Vitamin D3 is very important to help protect our bones, your body to absorb calcium and supporting your muscles to help decrease falls, as well as helping your immune system. The lack of sunshine and the fact that only a few foods naturally contain vitamin D3 is an issue in Ireland. We usually have some sunny days in May, June, July, and August, so 15 minutes a day in the sun, then put sunblock on. If you burn easily, please do not try to get your Vitamin D from the sun. In Ireland, 74% of adults and 88% of primary school children, have less than half of the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. In the winter it is extremely important to make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 can only be found in a few foods: Oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, halibut, and herring, are all excellent sources of vitamin D3. Eating oily fish twice a week can help get your vitamin D3, depending on the portion size. Eggs contain Vitamin D3 and a lot of milk products and margarine are fortified with vitamin D3. Breakfast cereals, soya milk, and rice milk may also be fortified with vitamin D3. Low Vitamin D levels are very common in Ireland.
