How To Get Enough Calcium For Older People

Calcium is an important mineral that people can take from several types of food. Our body needs calcium to keep the bone system strong and to help in maintaining a lot of crucial functions. Almost all calcium is stored in bones and teeth, where it supports their structure and hardness.

Our body also needs calcium for our nerves to carry every message between the brain and all parts of the body and for our muscles to move. Moreover, calcium also helps the blood vessels in moving blood throughout our body and in releasing enzymes and hormones that affect almost all body’s functions.

American elderly are not getting sufficient calcium intakes in their daily meals, according to a recent research published in the issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in May 2011. This research is very special among older people who focus on calcium consumption in the US population as both supplemental and dietary sources were compared to accompanying patterns in levels of energy and evaluated across adult age groups.

The best tip on how to get enough calcium for older people is from the daily diet.

Certain foods that are high in calcium include:

1. Green Veggies

Green veggies such as broccoli, collards, spinach, bok choy, and kale are high in calcium, but the bioavailability or mineral’s absorption rate could be a little bit tricky, depending on the oxalates levels in each type of plants. For example, one cup of spinach contains 245 mg of calcium (besides, it is very high in antioxidants), but the high oxalate content of spinach means that just 5% of calcium in spinach can be absorbed. Researchers indicated that the calcium content of bok choy and kale are absorbed well and that in broccoli and collards are absorbed moderately well. Besides, it is noticeable that leafy veggies are the excellent sources of vitamin K – an important vitamin for human bone as well.

2. Dairy Products

Cheese, yogurt, milk, and other dairy products are excellent sources of calcium. These foods contain high levels of calcium that an 8-ounce serving of milk contains about 300 mg of calcium, an 8-ounce serving of plain yogurt contains around 400 mg, and these foods are very easy to absorb.

You may have read or heard that dairy foods actually lead to osteoporosis, based on the idea that as they are rich in phosphate and protein so that they are acid-producing food items, and that is the reason why they can increase the renal acid load. The thinking goes, for neutralizing this acid, calcium is urinated out with the acid.

3. Almonds

Almond contains 264mg of Calcium (26% DV)

In fact, this type and other types of nuts contain high levels of calcium so that these foods usually rank high in the list of foods rich in calcium. A good thing about this type of nuts is that they are usually regarded as being beneficial, but rarely get referenced for the calcium levels of their own.

Almond contains a lot of healthy fats as well as high fiber content, and that is the reason why they are very useful for people to make their stomach feel full for long. It can also be used as a quick and healthy snack when people feel hungry before meals.

Other nut types that can be added to our list today but that get filed under almond contain hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and more. It is probably that most types of nuts you choose if not enough to make the cut-off for our list, will provide at least certain levels of calcium.

Tip to increase almond intake: You can prepare a healthy snack with just 1 handful of almonds. It will provide you with fiber and protein – an important reason why almonds do such a good job of preventing the cravings until the next meal.

4. Tofu

Tofu contains 350mg of calcium (35% DV)

A 100-gram serving of tofu will provide people with over 1/3 of the required calcium intake for the day of an adult, especially an older people. Thus, it stands here and takes a high rank in any list of foods rich in calcium that elderly should add to daily meals and diet plan. In the US in the past, tofu is not very popular. However, in nowadays, many Americans love this Asian food and can use it to cook several dishes, such as soups, salads, simmered dishes…

Tofu is actually an excellent source of calcium, and this food material has the same texture as meat so that it is a good candidate to replace meat in several popular dishes. This food material is actually a favorite food of vegans in the US nowadays, especially of the elderly. It also has high iron content, so you will be able to get a lot of benefits from consuming it.

It is interesting to note that tofu has higher levels of calcium than soybeans, ounce for ounce, although it is actually made from soybeans. The tofu making process need calcium sulfate to help to keep the form of tofu. Tempeh produces the same benefit, but it just contains 11% of your value to tofu’s 35% every day.

Tip to increase tofu intake: Sometimes you can use tofu as a food material to replace meat when cooking dishes (1 – 2 times per week is fine) as tofu can be used to process several healthy and delicious food dishes. It has long been used by vegetarians and vegans for increasing the protein intakes, but tofu also contains other minerals and vitamins, especially calcium.

5. Sardines

Adding this food to your family’s meals is the last tip on how to get enough calcium for older people that I would like to reveal in this article and readers should remember and try as soon as possible.

Sardines also belong to the list of foods rich in calcium today that elderly people in the world in general, American elderly in particular should add into their daily meals for good. While sardines are not at the first position of our shopping list, they can be mixed into soups or added as an edible garnish for added minerals, such as calcium. There are many ways you can try to add this wonderful and healthy food material to your daily diet because sardines can be used to cook several delicious dishes.

The list above covers the best tips on how to get enough calcium for older people that readers should try and make use of being able to increase their daily calcium intake naturally at home. If you have any question about the content of the article, leave your comments and feedback in the comment section below.

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