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The Importance of Calcium in a Woman's Diet
Lawrence Cole
Recently I published an article about the importance of exercise
in fighting against the bone-brittling disease osteoporosis.
There are actually 3 primary factors that may put someone at risk
for osteoporosis---women in particular:
lack of calcium
hormonal deficiency (estrogen in particular)
lack of physical activity
So in addition to exercise and hormonal factors, a woman's diet
is extremely important in guarding off this very debilitating
condition.
One of the reason's why we do not recommend most traditional diet
plans and programs is because the over-restrictive eating
guidelines often eliminate or seriously limit the consumption of
some very necessary vitamins and minerals that keep the body
healthy and strong.
You never want to get to a point where you are sacrificing health
merely to lose weight. In fact, any weight loss program
worth half its salt will make sure that the recommendations made
for your daily diet intake are well balanced and full of all the
nutrients that you need.
The most important time to get an appropriate amount of calcium
is between the ages of 14 and 24, when peak bone mass is
obtained. Then after that bone continues to develop until about
age 35 to 40, at which time the bone mass that a woman has will
strongly determine how much at risk she may be
for bone fractures in her later years.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that women
intake 1,000 mg (1g) of calcium daily, and then increase their
daily dosage to 1,500 mg (1.5g) post menopause.
Sadly, only an estimated 25% of women in any age group consume
the recommended daily amount of calcium to guard against
osteoporosis. And when they go on diets and weight loss
programs, they tend to consume even less.
Lowfat dairy prodcuts such as milk (skim milk is a better
option), yogurt, and cottage cheese are all excellent sources of
dietary calcium. For those who are lactose intolerant or who wish
to generally stay away from dairy products, non-dairy
alternatives fortified with calcium will do as long as they
contined the recommended daily allowance (RDA). The nondairy
product Lactaid added to lowfat and nonfat milk may also work to
help you meet your desired goal.
In your efforts to lose weight, make sure that the weight loss
program that you use includes calcium-rich food choices. And if
it does, you will need to add them yourself. No matter what
weight loss program you are on or what other means you use to
lose weight, here are some good ideas recommended by the American
Council on Exercise (ACE) that you may add to your daily diet in
order to get the amount of calcium you
need while you lose the weight.
Prepare canned soup with skim milk instead of water
Add nonfat dry milk to soups, stews, and casseroles
Add grated lowfat cheese to salads, tacos, and pasta dishes
Eat yogurt as a snack, or use it to make low-calorie dressings
Choose calcium-rich desserts, suhc as lowfat cheese and fruit,
frozen nonfat or lowfat yogurt, and puddings made with skim milk
Drink hot chocolate in the winter made with skim milk
Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach,
Lawrence Cole
www.YourbestbodyNOW.com
Lawrence Cole is a Lifestyle and Fitness Consultant based out of
Pasadena, CA. He has over 10 years of health and fitness
experience and designing simple, effective nutritional strategies
to help individuals achieve their personal best internal health
and physical conditioning.
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