Calcium Food List

Calcium is an essential nutrient.

How essential?, you ask.

Well, let’s have a looksy…

⁣As you more than likely already know, calcium keeps your bones and teeth strong. But in addition to that, the mineral is also involved in stabilizing blood pressure, increasing insulin sensitivity, maintaining brain function, promoting blood clotting, facilitating communication between cells, and supporting muscle and nerve function.

So yeah, calcium is pretty fucking essential!

Below are some of the best food sources to help you get the right amount of calcium in your diet.

SOURCES:

NOTE: Dairy products and fortified foods are the best sources of calcium that’s easily absorbable by the body. Other foods like grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, as well as some vegetables, contain phytates and oxalates, both of which bind with calcium and form an insoluble compound that makes it harder for the body to absorb the mineral. To reduce those anti-nutrients to make calcium more available for the body to absorb, many of the plant-based foods with them should be allowed to soak before cooking, like grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes. In the case of vegetables, especially spinach, kale, and rhubarb, they should be boiled or steamed in avoidance of methods like roasting and grilling that can increase the content of oxalates. Absorption of calcium can also be improved by preparing and consuming foods with low bioavailability with fatty fish, egg yolks, and other sources of vitamin D that counteract the binding ability of oxalates. Similarly, the binding ability of phytates can be counteracted by using onions, garlic, bell peppers, and other sources of vitamin C to prepare and consume the plant foods the anti-nutrients are present in.

The foods above are some of the best sources to help you get the right amount of calcium in your diet. But what’s the ‘right” amount?

According to general guidelines, the “right” amount of calcium is at least 1000 mg per day for most adults. Pregnant and lactating women, older individuals, and certain other groups may require more calcium, however.¹⁹One example of a group who may need to increase their calcium intake are people who follow a high-fiber diet, as fiber binds to calcium and decreases its absorption. Postmenopausal women are another example among several others. To meet that higher intake, a multivitamin or calcium supplement could be of benefit but only after consultation with a doctor to make sure the pill or tablet doesn’t interact with any medication(s) you may be taking.²⁰You should also consult with a healthcare provider before taking a multivitamin or calcium supplement to make sure that doing so won’t increase your calcium to dangerous levels, as the extra calcium can build up in the arteries or kidneys and cause heart disease or kidney stones, respectively. Most other people should be able to meet their calcium needs by diet alone via a bevy of foods that provide as much calcium as moo juice, which the dairy industry would have you believe is the only source of the nutrient because, you know, capitalism!

NOTE: Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and is essential in a number of essential processes, one of which is the building and maintenance of strong bones. However, before you think about consuming calcium for the express purpose of bone health, you should be made aware that there’s controversy within the scientific community as to whether or not high calcium intake has an effect on bone density and fracture prevention as you age.²¹For instance, a meta-analysis of several randomized controlled trials of dietary sources of calcium and calcium supplements found that increased calcium didn’t result in a significant reduction in the risk of fracture in people over 50.

In a separate review of randomized controlled trials and observational studies of calcium intake, researchers also failed to find evidence that a higher intake of calcium from dietary sources lessens the risk of fracture. It was also concluded that the evidence was weak and inconsistent for the prevention of fractures by calcium supplements.²²Guess who’s firm on the side that consuming a lot of calcium is important for healthy bones? Yup, the dairy industry! The claim of calcium’s importance for strong and healthy bones has been mostly championed by the dairy industry to the tune of billions of dollars in government subsidies and even more billions of dollars in milk sales thanks to lobbyists and marketers that have almost everyone convinced that more calcium is all you need to protect the bones and that dairy is the only source of it. But while there’s question about the importance of calcium in the prevention against bone loss and fracture, there’s absolute certainty that regular exercise helps to keep bones healthy and strong.²³Specifically, weight-bearing activities like walking, running, dancing, and resistance training are good for strengthening the bones. Low-impact shit like swimming and bicycling aren’t really going to cut it. So yeah, if you needed another reason to exercise, THERE IT FUCKING IS!!!⁣ Anyway, if necessary, increase your calcium for what the mineral does to help the body work properly. But when it comes to building, strengthening, and protecting your bones, that’s where you should depend on exercise.

Glossary: diet, exercise, food, muscle, supplement, vitamin

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Monster Longe

Monster Longe is a personal trainer and online coach in San Diego. He's helped hundreds of people lose weight, build muscle, and become more attractive to their loved one so they don't have as strong of a desire to cheat on them anymore. When not working with clients or making content that's easy to read, understand, and apply to everyday life, he enjoys making fun of Drake and people who like the guy.

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