Treating your taste buds with processed food can seem to be a plan, but it won’t fulfill your desire to stay fit and healthy. Are you still thinking about what to munch on when hungry without spoiling your health regime? Start pondering on nutrients based calcium-enriched foods to support your healthy weight and fitness. You must be thinking, there are so many vitamins and minerals, then why calcium? Well, it is the one involved in the smoother functioning of the heart, muscles, and nerves while strengthening your bones. Overall, calcium helps in supporting the entire body to keep healthy.
Importance of Calcium
- Your bones are the hub of calcium, as 99% of it is already present in your bones. For those who don’t get an adequate amount of calcium on regular basis, the body starts using calcium from bones. This will further trigger bone loss.
- Calcium helps in regulating the contraction of muscles. Moreover, it alleviates the symptoms of PMS.
- A sufficient amount of calcium in the body keeps the heart rate normal.
Although you are consuming enough calcium, many of you might think about how to know if you are suffering from a deficit. Here are some of the symptoms of deficiency of calcium that can occur.
Also known as Hypocalcaemia, below are the symptoms of calcium deficiency:
- Having brittle nails developing white spots
- Tooth pain
- Memory loss
- Fatigue
- Mild dizziness
- Muscle spasms and cramps
- Numbness of hands and feet
- Losing appetite
Calcium Rich Foods
The human body cannot create calcium on its own. Therefore, we have to rely on calcium-enriched foods. Get started with the reboot process from today by switching to the below healthier options.
Milk
Do you still remember how your mother would run behind you to finish the glass of milk? All that efforts won’t go in vain! Milk has a high absorption ability and is a great source of calcium. All thanks to its benefit, you can consume milk without any guilt. Approximately one cup of milk contains 305 mg of calcium.
Tofu
When made from soy milk, tofu offers a good amount of calcium without any cholesterol. Treat your fitness desire and vegan side at the same time with one of the best sources of calcium. Approximately one cup of tofu contains 868 mg of calcium.
Parmesan Cheese
Parmesan cheese is prepared from cow’s milk, and apart from offering a rich amount of protein, it is further enriched with loads of calcium. It contains a minor amount of lactose along with being rich in protein. Therefore it makes this food easy to digest. Approximately one cup of Parmesan Cheese contains 1109 mg of calcium.
Yogurt
High in calcium, yogurt is excellent for healthy bones. It can be had alone or garnished with some almonds or berries to enhance the taste. In case you are a vivid Greek yogurt eater assuming it has calcium, let me tell you it contains less amount of calcium than other yogurts. Approximately one cup of Parmesan Cheese contains 110 mg of calcium.
Sardines
If you are allergic to dairy products but want to boost calcium then ponder on some Sardines fish. The bones of this fish are power-packed with calcium and are soft and edible for consumption. Therefore, you can switch to this mini mineral-rich seafood for calcium. Approximately one cup of Parmesan Cheese contains 351 mg of calcium.
Almonds
The tiny little almonds are power-packed with an excellent quantity of calcium. In fact, almonds have a higher amount of calcium than milk. The only drawback with almonds is that it has an eight times higher quantity of calories. Therefore, don’t go overboard with nuts if you have other concerns. Approximately one cup of Almonds contains 378 mg of calcium.
Spinach
Green veggies like Kale, Spinach, and Collard greens include anywhere around 170 mg to 270 mg of calcium in a single cup serving. However, spinach also contains oxalates that impede the process of absorption that delays calcium absorption in the body. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to consume these leafy greens as a part of a wholesome diet and not alone. Approximately one cup of Spinach contains 250 mg of calcium.
Ways to enhance Calcium in children
- Feed them dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and milk. In case your child doesn’t like to have milk alone, try giving them smoothie or a chocolate milk.
- Add low-fat cheese to the slice of bread or sandwich before serving it to your kid.
- You can add Parmesan Cheese to the paratha stuffing or pie crust that you are baking for your child.
- Similarly, a handful of almonds can be given to kids regularly.
- You can garnish your child’s favorite cereal with almonds and other nuts.
- Try adding spinach or broccoli to your child’s food in a way that goes unnoticed. Maybe you can prepare soup, pasta, or dim sum by adding these veggies.
- You can give a boiled egg to your kid as it contains a decent quantity of calcium in it.
**Any supplements, capsules or soft gels are meant to be taken under expert supervision only. Those who are pregnant or lactating mothers should avoid taking these tablets.
