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Miss Bodyline's advice column

Calcium for you
Are you experiencing any of these problems; joint pains, cramps, weak nails, sleeplessness, irritability, eczema, high cholesterol levels, or a slow pulse rate? If you do, something is definitely amiss. A good bet would be a severe calcium deficiency. It’s possible that as a child you have not received your share of milk, milk products and other calcium rich foods.
Calcium is a major component of bone and tooth material, and about 20 percent of an adult’s bone calcium is replaced every year, so we need more of this mineral in our diet than any other. Calcium and iron are the two minerals that are typically most deficient in a woman’s daily diet.

Beneficial Effects of Calcium on Body Fat
In certain studies relating nutrient intake to body composition, associations have been traced between calcium intake and body weight at midlife, and between calcium and body fat accumulation during childhood. Each 300 mg increment in regular calcium intake is associated with 1 kg less body fat in children and 2.5-3.0 kg lower body weight in adults.

People Who Need More Calcium in Diet
Groups who typically are most at risk from calcium deficiency, include pregnant or nursing mothers, as well as elderly and post-menopausal women. Calcium levels are also depleted by excess dietary intake of chocolate, fat or salt.

Foods that contain Calcium include:

Calcium-fortified orange juice
Milk
Cheddar cheese
Sardines
Eggs
Leafy green vegetables
Nuts (eg. almonds, Brazil nuts, pistachios)
Seeds (eg. sesame, sunflower, flax seeds)
Tofu
Dried fruit (eg. dried figs)
Calcium-fortified soy milks

Milk is the most obvious source of calcium, but it is quite possible milk does not top your list of favourite foods, or that you are lactose intolerant, which means that you have trouble digesting milk sugar. In this case you can substitute milk for other calcium rich products.
As with most other minerals and vitamins, we must (a) obtain sufficient amounts of calcium, AND (b) be able to absorb it. For optimum uptake, our diet should include enough magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin D, as well as enough vitamin B6, vitamin K and vitamin C. All these nutrients play an important role in helping us to absorb and retain enough calcium to maintain strong bones and teeth.
Diet Foods and Calcium Uptake
A high protein diet may increase the need for calcium. Also, saturated fat, phytic acid, (eg. from bran), and oxalic acid (eg. from spinach, rhubarb, chard, and beet greens) may depress calcium intake of calcium.

Until next time,
Miss Bodyline.