Bones are living and growing calcified connective tissues that form the major part of your skeleton.
Good sources of calcium include dairy foods like milk, yoghurt and cheese, and calcium-fortified products, such as soy milk or rice drink and breakfast cereals.
Calcium plays a role in:
- Strengthening bones and teeth
- Regulating muscle functioning, such as contraction and relaxation
- Regulating heart functioning
- Blood clotting
- Transmission of nervous system messages
- Enzyme function.
- Pregnant women – Pregnancy the most important phase of life where you need lot of calcium. However there is need for women to take additional dietary calcium during pregnancy .
- Breastfeeding women – there is increased requirement for calcium during breastfeeding.
Recommended Dietary Intake of Calcium for Women:
The recommended dietary intake of calcium varies with age and special conditions. The following data shows the recommended dietary intake of calcium for women of different age groups:
- 0-6 months: 200 mg
- 7-12 months: 260 mg
- 1- 3 years: 700 mg
- 4-8 years: 1000 mg
- 9- 13 years: 1300 mg
- 14- 18 years: 1300 mg
- 19-50 years: 1000 mg
- 51 -70 years: 1200 mg
- 71+ years: 1200 mg
- Pregnant and lactating mothers: 1000 mg.
Muscle contraction
Calcium help’s to regulates muscle contraction, including the beating of the heart muscle.
Blood clotting
The process of clotting is complex with a number of steps; a host of chemicals are involved.
Calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the earth crust.
Plant-Based, Calcium-Rich Foods #1 — Seeds
- ½ cup sesame seeds = 350 mg calcium
- 1 ounce chia seeds = 180 mg calcium
Plant-Based, Calcium-Rich Foods #2 — Beans
- ½ cup navy beans or baked beans = 60 mg calcium
- ½ cup kidney beans = 75 mg calcium
- ½ cup black beans = 160 mg calcium
