Ways to Increase Your Calcium Intake

Calcium is an essential mineral necessary to the body for tooth and bone growth and stabilization. It depends on your age and gender how much calcium you require for your daily intake. For example, a child from the ages of nine to eighteen needs twice as much as a child of one to three years old. It drops after that until you reach fifty where once again your body requires you increase the calcium. The only exception to that is when a woman is pregnant or nursing.

If you don't feel you are getting enough calcium and want to increase your intake, there are many foods you can eat that will help with this. Some of these may surprise you. If you increase your eating of sardines, broccoli, and green vegetables like bok choy or kale this will be a good beginning in your efforts to increase the foods you eat that have natural calcium in them. Don 't forget milk and other diary products, they are the easiest sources so increase you intake of these daily. You can also increase your intake of calcium from fortified cereals and juices. This is another easy source.

One thing you must know when trying to increase the calcium you are putting into your system is that without a source of Vitamin D, it does not matter how much you increase the as it will not be properly absorbed. .

If your only way to increase the calcium you need for your body is to take a supplement, then its best to take one that contains Vitamin D as well. Studies show that just many adults are low on vitamin D and should also work to increase it in their diets. Don't take a multi-vitamin that has iron in it, as the calcium and iron will compete for absorption.