As you pop some dry-roasted soybeans or nuts into your mouth and experience its creamy consistency effortlessly blending with your saliva, do you realise that you are not only relishing a source of calcium but also taking a step towards improving and maintaining strong bones?
Calcium is essential for an array of purposes within the body. Apart from maintaining the health of your bones, this nutrient plays a vital role in ensuring the proper functioning of your cells, muscles, and nerves, regulating blood pressure and hormone levels, and facilitating effective communication between cells.
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Research suggests that calcium is crucial for strong bones, making up about 30-35 percent of their mass. In periods of rapid growth like adolescence, boys can gain up to 409 gm of bone mass per year, and girls can gain up to 325 gm. As we age, about 1 percent of bone mass is lost each year, leading to a loss of approximately 15 gm of calcium annually. Insufficient calcium intake can harm the development of strong bones in youngsters and the maintenance of bone mass in older adults.
Multiple studies suggest that eating foods rich in calcium is mandatory to maintain a healthy body. By including calcium into your diet you can make sure that your muscles and nerves function smoothly (together). It acts as a messenger between your cells, helping them communicate effectively. It also controls your blood pressure and keeps your hormones balanced. Calcium is abundantly available in various foods including dairy products, fruits, leafy greens, legumes, nuts, and fish to name a few.
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Here are 7 calcium-rich foods that you can include in your diet:
Dairy products: Consuming milk, cheese, and yogurt is healthy for your body because these dairy products are considered great sources of calcium. While milk is known to be rich in calcium, it also contains other vital nutrients like vitamin D, which aids in calcium absorption. Cheese, paneer, and yoghurt are also popular dairy products that are excellent sources of calcium.
Leafy greens: It’s time you paid attention to all that ‘gyaan’ about eating green vegetables because even if you make a grumpy face looking at the vegetables, these vibrant greens lend a number of health benefits including meeting your calcium requirements. Adding leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collard greens to soups, salads, or smoothies can help you strengthen your bones and teeth. Besides, they also offer nutrients like vitamin K and folate, making your diet healthier.
Fish: Sardine, the tiny fish, is rich in calcium. It is also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Incorporating sardines into your diet, whether grilled, canned, or added to soups, salads, and pasta dishes, can be an effective way to increase your calcium intake while cashing in on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for the heart and brain.
Nuts and seeds: Let your taste buds explore the nourishing benefits of nuts and seeds. Munching on a handful of walnuts, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, or flaxseeds certainly provides a calcium boost. Enjoy the treat as you roast them to perfection or gorge upon their natural goodness by sprinkling them over vibrant salads or delicious desserts.
Beans and lentils: Of course, you are aware that beans and lentils are good for health but it’s time you start including these in your everyday diet because the goodness of chickpeas, black beans, and lentils extends beyond fiber and protein. In fact, they also serve as a valuable source of calcium, enriching your meals with a vital mineral for bone health.
Vegan milk: Call it a necessity, trend, or a phase, drinking fortified plant-based milk is a rage these days. Savouring the smooth and versatile soy milk, the subtly nutty almond milk, or the creamy oat milk, will help inject calcium into your daily routine, thus helping you build strong and healthy bones.
Oranges: Surprise! Along with their immune-boosting properties and vitamin C content, oranges have more to offer. The calcium in citrus fruits, though in smaller quantities, supports bone health and the proper functioning of the body's vital systems.
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