This Is How Much Calcium You Need Every Day—and the Best Ways to Get Enough – Yahoo Life

We asked an RD for her favorite ways to eat the daily recommended amount of calcium.

Calcium is a key nutritional component for a strong, healthy body. Despite its importance, however , close to 30 percent of men and 60 percent of women over the age of 19 don’t consume enough of it, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans . All of us asked the dietitian why getting enough calcium matters, plus the particular best ways to eat it.

What does calcium do?

“Calcium will be an important mineral involved in many key body functions, ” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN and NOW wellness expert . “It builds and protects bones plus teeth, plus it plays a role in blood clotting, muscle function, nerve transmission, and blood pressure. ” Calcium is also considered a good electrolyte , a category of essential minerals required for myriad bodily functions, including water hydration and distribution.

In the long term, not getting sufficient calcium can lead to reduced bone strength plus osteoporosis. If your system doesn’t receive enough calcium from food and beverages (or calcium supplements), your body can actually rely on using on the calcium from your bones to maintain proper balance in your blood plus tissues.

There are no telltale signs of mild calcium mineral deficiencies, but “[a]t more extreme levels, symptoms may include muscle spasms, abnormal heart rhythm, and tingling in hands plus feet, ” Blatner says.

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How much calcium supplement should you get every day?

The recommended daily calcium intake varies by age. For people aged nine to 18, the National Institutes associated with Health recommends 1, 300 milligrams (mg) daily. That amount decreases to 1, 000 mg the day with regard to 19- in order to 50 year olds. From the ages of 50 to 70, the daily recommendations for females increases to 1, 200 mg a day. Men older than 70 are also suggested 1, 200 mg a day.  

Can you have too much calcium?

Technically, yes, you can overdo it. But a lot of calcium is usually rare, Blatner says, because it’s the nutrient of concern for so many Americans. The particular recommended calcium supplements limit is definitely 3, 500 mg each day for 9 to-18 12 months olds, 2, 500 magnesium a day for nineteen to-50 yr olds, two, 000 mg for 51 years and older.

Healthy Sources of Calcium mineral

Your body can’t make its own calcium, but luckily calcium can be found in a variety of different foods that are easily accessible. Some of the best methods to consume your calcium mineral include: “Dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese, kefir; fortified foods such as plant milks/juices/cereals; leafy greens like broccoli and kale; fish with bones such as canned salmon plus sardines; and tahini (sesame seed paste), ” Blatner says. Find more calcium-dense foods (and easy recipes) here .

Fun fact: You may also want to make sure you’re consuming adequate vitamin D , of which “90 % of people aren’t getting sufficient, ” Blatner says, “and which helps with the particular absorption associated with calcium. ”

Here’s what eating one, 000 magnesium of calcium supplement might look like in a day:

If you’re struggling in order to plan out how plus where to get your own calcium, here’s what Blatner recommends including in a daily meal rotation.

• 1 cup milk in smoothie or latte (300 milligrams)

• 6 ounce yogurt as snack (200 milligrams)

• 2 tablespoons tahini in lunch salad dressing (150 milligrams)

• 4 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese on dinner pasta (200 milligrams)

• a single cup cooked kale because dinner side (150 milligrams)

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