Calcium is one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong and healthy. It is an essential building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women, among many other important functions. The amount of calcium you need depends on a number of different factors, including your age.
Your body gets the calcium it needs in one of two ways. The first and best way is through the foods you eat or the supplements you take. However, if you’re not consuming enough calcium, your body will get it in a different way, pulling it from your bones where it’s stored.

Food sources of calcium

- Dairy : Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Vegetables and greens: Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms.
- Beans: Try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.
- Herbs and spices: Flavor your food with basil, thyme, dill weed, cinnamon, peppermint leaves, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and parsley.
- Other foods: More good sources of calcium include salmon, tofu, oranges, almonds, sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, and sea vegetables.

Calcium and milk

Many nutritionists believe that consuming milk and dairy products will help prevent osteoporosis. On the other hand, some believe that eating a lot of dairy will do little to prevent bone loss and fractures and may actually contribute to other health problems.
If you choose to consume dairy, then it’s best to opt for 1% or nonfat milk and other low-fat dairy products, which are lower in saturated fat and natural hormones. Choosing organic products when possible will also decrease your exposure to synthetic hormones and other additives. And if you decide that dairy is not the best choice for you, or you can’t tolerate milk products, there are other ways to include calcium in your diet.

Danger Foods

- Acid Forming Foods.
- Excess Protein food.
- The Coffee Effect : Drinking more than 3 cups of coffee a day increases your risk of developing osteoporosis by 82%.
- Carbonated Drinks : Fizzy drinks are high in phosphorous, an essential mineral which when taken in excess can cause bone loss.
- Eat less salt to prevent osteoporosis.

Eating more plant-based foods, which are rich in substances called phytochemicals, seems to prevent oxidative stress in the body, a process associated with obesity and the onset of heart disease, according to the study. To get enough of these protective chemicals, researchers suggest eating plant-based foods such as leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes at the start of a meal. Oxidative stress occurs when the body produces too many damaging free radicals and lacks enough anti-oxidants or phytochemicals to counteract them.
Because of excess fat tissue and certain enzymes that are more active in overweight people, being obese can actually trigger the production of more free radicals, too.

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