We all know that it is best to get the vitamins and minerals you need directly from your diet, but for many of us, that simply doesn’t happen. I for one have to take a number of supplements due to my Fibromyalgia and lung condition. I also take a couple extra supplements that were recommended to me due to my very active lifestyle. Nothing crazy, but a number of your basic supplements.
One mineral everyone should pay particular attention to is calcium. Especially women who are more prone to osteoporosis. I’m often surprised at how many women dotn’ know how much calcium they need in a day, or if they are getting enough.
So your challenge for Monday (Jan 21st) is to determine if you need a calcium supplement.
The first step in determining if you need a supplement is to find out how much your body actually needs.
According to Osteoporosis.ca here is the breakdown of how much calcium the average adult requires:
Ages 19-50: 1000mg/day
Ages 50+: 1200mg/day
Pregnant or Lactating Women 18+: 1000mg/day
Those totals include all calcium sources from your diet and supplements.
Now that you know how much you should be having each day, it’s time to calculate how much you are actually getting. Luckily for us, there is a online calculator for that! Just follow this link to go to the Osteoporosis.ca “Calculate my Calcium” Calcium Calculator and follow the instructions to calculate how much calcium you are getting on a typical day.
So how did you do? I’ve done these calculators before (but on a much less exciting paper format) so already knew what my results would be, but for many people this can be an eye opening experience. Hopefully some of you do keep an eye on your calcium intake and already knew you were getting enough, if so – good for you! For the rest of you, now that you know where you stand it’s time to decide what to do. Do you want to add a high quality calcium supplement to your diet, or do you want to increase your calcium intake from foods? Either way, at least you are no more well informed about what your body needs and what you need to do in order to build and maintain nice strong bones for the future!
I think it is important to remember that calcium is necessary but also needs other minerals to work efficiently. Proper balance of calcium and magnesium is vital for overall bone health.
Very true, many women don’t know how much calcium they need in a day or if they should even be taking a calcium supplement. For women, it’s very important to consume enough calcium for bone health, mainly so you can prevent injury and bone related illness as you age. I take a multivitamin, fish oil and pine pollen supplement and eat a healthy diet to reach my daily vitamin requirements.