Calcium is an essential nutrient in the diet, especially necessary for pregnant moms and growing children. Normally our idea is that we must obtain it from milk and its derivatives, but there are others many calcium-rich foods that can meet the calcium requirements of the diet.
Calcium needs will vary throughout life but it is always important to cover them because they will serve to form bones and teeth first, but also for the proper functioning of other bodily functions: circulation, muscle contraction, the system Nervous and heart rate.
Calcium needs depending on age and vital moment
Babies need some calcium from breast milk, increasing their need to 400 milligrams at six months and 600 to one year.
Then, during childhood, the needs increase to 800 milligrams daily and reach 1200 to 1300 from 11 to 25 years, with between 1000 and 1300 milligrams being the recommended amount during pregnancy.
The richest source of calcium and easy to obtain are dairy products, but they are not the only food where we will be able to find it, so, for pregnant women and children who take few dairy products it is important to include other sources of calcium in their daily diet .
But, how to get the calcium that children and pregnant women need of foods other than milk and derived products?
It is important to take into account, in all cases, that calcium will need vitamin D to be absorbed correctly and therefore, it is essential that we all get enough sun to synthesize it or receive supplements if there is a deficiency of this vitamin, something that starts To be studied.
Calcium-rich foods
Calcium is not only present in milk and its derivatives and we can get the necessary amount with nutrition that includes those other foods in the necessary amounts, although in addition to the amount of calcium we must count what percentage will be absorbed. Dairy products are an excellent source, but not the only one available to humans, now or in the millions of years we have been on Earth.
One of the best sources of calcium it is the fish, especially the canned sardines whenever the rasp, the anchovies, the salmon with its well cooked or canned bones, and the very fried small anchovies, those that have the edible scrapes are consumed.
Dried figs (they have so much calcium that 10 figs already provide 250 milligrams), almonds, hazelnuts, chickpeas, beans. Tofu and soy beans are excellent sources of calcium, but soya drinks are not, in which the percentage of calcium is much lower.
There are also vegetables with a considerable amount of calcium: broccoli, spinach, watercress, parsley, turnips, radishes and basil. For example, the yolk of an egg already has 17 milligrams of calcium, which is not much, but if we want to count the daily intake we can take it into account.
Also cereals (porridge, bread, breakfast cereals and cookies), and even oregano and pepper provide calcium to the body. Actually, in a balanced diet in which all nutrients are included there should be no lack, however, it is important to keep in mind that some minerals: calcium, iron and phosphorus are essential and we should have them when we prepare a balanced menu.
The use of milk and dairy products, especially cheese, assures us the adequate intake of calcium very easily. Perhaps this is the great advantage of the introduction of dairy into food, because, although they are very rich in protein and other nutrients, it is their calcium intake that is the most interesting.
But, if we consider that there may be problems in reaching the recommended amount, it is convenient to enrich the diet with other foods that provide it and, if necessary, make our own accounts, especially in the case of pregnant women and children who drink few dairy products.
In Babies and more | Calcium during pregnancy to prevent problems in mother and baby, Do not suppress dairy products for children with lactose intolerance, Nutrition during pregnancy: calcium-rich foods
