Calcium rich food is a key part of our diet that many of us overlook.
If I were a metal I would be calcium. Seemed shocking? Why not iron? Because Most wouldn’t know me and also anyone’s body wouldn’t be constructed without me.
So you now know that calcium is so important part of our physique. Also, this very metal is very much important for one’s health. So if we take a glance at our body and think of metal in our carcass so we find that calcium is found in more amount than any other metal or mineral. It makes up our teeth, bones, and play a role in heart constitution, muscle functioning, and nerve signaling pathway.
So calcium is an alkaline earth metal if the count is in our atmosphere. But in our body, it is a mineral resource.
Now let’s talk about the RDI and this stands for a Recommended Dietary/ Daily Index. This index suggests or recommends the amount of particular mineral or vitamin is required by a person on a daily basis. This may differ from the age group to the gender as the body type of particular person differs according to age and gender as well.
It is seen that a large percentage of the population cannot meet the requirements of the calcium intake in their body.
The recommended daily index (RDI) of calcium in Children 9–11 years is 1000mg, Adolescents 12–18 years (including pregnant and breastfeeding young women) require 1300mg per day. And in men, it requires 1000mg whereas 1300mg is required by women aged 50yrs and above.
If this much amount of calcium is not taken than the body will start taking calcium from the bones instead of blood this will weaken our bones and make it brittle.
If we talk about food rich in calcium then milk and milk-based products would be our first preference. But we also have calcium-fortified products such as soy milk, rice milk, and cereals, and many more.
Let us describe the top 10 food rich in calcium.
MILK ????– Primary source of calcium
Milk is the cheapest and has the purest form of calcium. Therefore it is often said to give milk to the infants so that their bones get strong and develop gradually. Cows milk and milk obtained by mothers have a great amount of calcium in them. Cows milk and goats milk is rich in calcium in comparison to Buffaloe’s milk. A cup of cows milk (235ml) has 276— 350 mg of calcium whereas goats milk provides 375 mg of calcium.
So one cup of milk provides 27–35% of RDI of this mineral.
YOGURT – A calcium rich food
Yogurt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. It is an excellent source of calcium.
A cup of plain yogurt (245g) contains so many minerals in it such as it contains 30% of RDI for calcium as well as phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin B2 and vitamin B12.
Low-fat yogurt has more amount of RDI for about 45% in one cup.
WHEY PROTEIN – Power-packed calcium source
Whey Protein is found in milk and it is a protein but it is exceptionally rich in calcium.
28 grams of a scoop of whey protein powder isolate contains 200 mg or 20% of the RDI.
This protein helps people to reduce weight as a bonus.
SEEDS – Calcium rich food to look out for
Seeds are a small and nutritional powerhouse same as the mitochondria in our body.
Some seeds are high in calcium such as poppy, sesame, celery, and chia seeds.
Sesame seeds are also used in for making oil which is equally beneficial as the seeds.
1spoon of a sesame seed that is 9grams gives you 9% of RDI for calcium as well as other minerals such as iron, copper, and manganese.
A spoon of poppy seeds (9g) gives 127mg of calcium and 13% of RDI
CHEESE ???? – A yummy calcium source
So cheese is basically a milk-based product made by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It has a wide range of flavors.
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium. There are varieties of it and parmesan cheese has the greatest amount of calcium in it with 331mg or 31% of RDI.
Soft cheese has a lesser amount of calcium in it. This is a dairy product thus it has a higher amount of calcium than the plant products.
SARDINES & CANNED SALMON???? – For those who like fish
Sardines and canned salmon are basically kind of greasy fish that are rich in calcium because of their bones. These fish are also rich in omega 3 fatty acids and protein.
If we talk about the calcium properties than a can or 92 grams of sardines pack 35% of the RDI and 85 grams of canned salmon contribute 21% of RDI.
ALMONDS – A travel-friendly calcium rich food
When we think of nuts than it gives us an idea of fat in our body but this nut is an exception as it has good fat and protein in ut but it is rich in calcium as well. In fact, in all of the nuts, it has the highest amount of calcium in it.
One ounce or 22nuts provides 8% of RDI.
In addition, they are an excellent source of magnesium, manganese, and vitamin E.
Green leafy veggies ????– A source which is most ignored
From our childhood, we were told to eat green leafy vegetables but now I know that these are rich in calcium and thus it develops our bones.
Also, they are rich in minerals.
Leafy Greens such as collard green, kale, and spinach.
A cup of cooked collard green has 266mg – one-fourth of the amount you need in a day.
Spinach has less availability of calcium than kale and collard green but it has a good amount of calcium in it.
FORTIFIED FOODS – An artificial option for calcium rich food
So these foods are basically food enriched with minerals which they don’t have naturally.
So cereals or cornmeal are fortified food enriched with calcium in it.
Some cereals have 1000mg of calcium this means 100%of RDI per serving and that is before adding milk.
This is a lot amount of calcium and this, if we take in our body, it could not be digested. So you just have to spread your meal throughout the day.
SOY MILK & TOFU– Less known sources of calcium
Soy milk or soybean milk has been extracted by soaking and grinding soybeans. This is highly rich in protein and calcium too.
And Tofu, also known as bean curd is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing it to form a white solid block.
Tofu is very rich in calcium it has 86% of RDI in just half a cup for about 126grams.
And soy milk has 25 mg of calcium in 100 grams of it.
ROLE OF CALCIUM IN OUR BODY.
- The major role of calcium is to strengthen our bones and our teeth.
- It also helps in enzymes functioning.
- Calcium reduces blood clotting.
- It regulates heart functions as it is present in our blood.
- After bones, muscles form our body so calcium helps in regulating muscle functions that are contraction and relaxation.
CONCLUSION
There are so many more products rich in calcium and we need to include these stuff in our diet because calcium plays a major role in our body. And this mineral is not found plenty of in our body.
So that is the list of calcium rich food that u need to combine and consume for proper calcium intake.
Disclaimer
This blog about calcium rich food is a narrative of my thoughts. These are my views that I have expressed. Others are most welcome to agree or disagree with the same. The blog is not personally or commercially influenced. I have not lifted, copied or plagiarised it from any source either. However, I have done my due diligence via publicly available information on the internet and as shared by the client/PR agency. All rights reserved.
