Get enough calcium and vitamin D is easier than you think - if you eat the right foods.
If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, then you know that you need a lot of vital nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D. Breakfast may be the best time to improve the health of your bones. Many foods and beverages fortified with calcium, may be the beginning of your day: Orange juice. Milk. Flakes.
Of course, the U.S. Department of Agriculture puts baked herring at the top of the list of products fortified with calcium. But you know how to cook? And the chocolate pudding and instant preparation is pretty high on the list - but if this is the best way to maintain your weight?
So, to aid in the selection of foods to get enough calcium, we combined the 12 foods high in calcium, which are easily accessible and do not affect your weight. Try a little of, and little else. And when you're looking for new recipes on the Internet, look for ones that contain these wonderful foods, in which so much calcium.
Hidden benefits of foods fortified with calcium
Wait a minute! Before you begin to gnaw their way to stronger bones, ask: How much calcium do I need?
And although experts have not yet come to a consensus regarding the ideal dose for people who have osteoporosis, your doctor may advise you to take 1,500 milligrams of calcium daily. "Osteoporosis is usually recommended to take three doses of 500 milligrams of calcium a day easy" - says Dr. Paul Mistkovsky, endocrinologist at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, as well as the teacher of a clinical department at the University of Washington in Seattle.
And why three separate doses? Because 500 milligrams - is that your body can absorb at one time. To strengthen the bones, take calcium throughout the day, during meals, and if necessary, take calcium supplements to compensate for the lack.
And remember: Foods rich in calcium, not only strengthens bones. Calcium can increase the effectiveness of osteoporosis drugs you are taking to reduce bone loss, such as estrogen and bisphosphonates. Also, calcium can increase the benefits of exercise performed on the weight load, which also forms a strong skeleton.
Breakfast for strong bones
Fortunately, on the shelves of the grocery is a lot of foods rich in calcium, which are ideal for breakfast. The amount of calcium can be varied, depending on the brand, so read food labels carefully and compare different brands.
Some cereals, for example, can provide you with half the daily dose of calcium. A cup of calcium-fortified cereal with milk and a glass of calcium-enriched orange juice - and you've got your morning dose of calcium required.
Breakfast The average calcium content (mg)
Flakes are fortified with calcium, 1 cup 100 - 1000
Calcium-fortified soy milk, 200 ml 80 - 500
Milk (nonfat, 2%, whole, or with reduced lactose), 1 cup 300
Yogurt, 1 cup 300 - 400
Calcium-fortified orange juice 200 - 340
Even if you are lactose intolerant, and you can not digest milk, today you can find a lot of dairy products in which the content is reduced or no lactose. Just read the information on the labels of milk, cheese and yogurt, and go to the Department of healthy eating in any large supermarket, if nothing is selected.
Lunch and dinner for strong bones
If the cereal for breakfast - it's not about you - or you want to distribute calcium intake for the day, for better absorption - try to add a few foods rich in calcium, during lunch or dinner. Cook scrambled eggs with Cheddar cheese, pate with green vegetables and salmon. Or scrambled eggs with Swiss cheese, broccoli, sardines, and dinner is ready to strengthen bones. If you like soups and stews, try to add the salmon, kale or turnip greens to the recipe of your favorite dishes.
As well as your bones, fish bones accumulate calcium. These small bones in canned fish such as sardines and salmon, contain high levels of calcium, so eat them too.
Lunch, dinner and snacks The average calcium content (mg)
Canned sardines, 85 g 320
Swiss cheese, 30 g 270
Cheddar cheese, 30 g 200
Canned salmon, 85 g 200
Turnip greens, 1 cup 200
Cooked collard greens, 1 cup 90
Fresh broccoli, 1 cup 90
How to find foods fortified with calcium
The following tips will help you decipher the information on labels of foods and "information about the nutrients" that are placed on the packages.
The amount of calcium is specified as a percentage, based on a standard dose of 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day. So, calculate how much calcium you consume at each meal is very easy. Just add a zero to the percentage of calcium listed on the package and get the number of milligrams (mg). For example, if the packaging flakes stated: "Calcium: 50%," this means that each portion of cereal contains 500 milligrams of calcium.
Bone Health and Vitamin D
All the experts agree: Do not forget about vitamin D. He will need to absorb calcium, which you get from food.
Normally, your skin makes vitamin D from sunlight. "But people get old," - says Mistkovsky - "their skin does not convert vitamin D". Standard recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults is 400 IU of vitamin D, and he recommends taking even more loss of bone mass.
"I would say that most people with osteoporosis should take 800 IU a day," - says Mistkovsky. He recommends that even higher doses - up to 1,200 IU of vitamin D per day - if you have thinning bones, and you live in a climate zone in which the sun appears infrequently. People with dark skin or who live in cities with heavy air pollution, receive less vitamin D because exposure to sunlight, and they can also be a lack of vitamin D.
Foods fortified with calcium and often contain large amounts of vitamin D. Sardines, herring and salmon contain much vitamin D, and many such products are vitamin D added. And this vitamin can be taken in supplements. "Vitamin D is a little easier to digest, so you can take once a day dietary supplements containing the vitamin," - says Mistkovsky.
In the end, my mother was right: Drink milk. Especially if it is enriched with calcium and vitamin D.
