Most nutritionists agree that in order to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy you should eat the widest possible variety of foods.
This principle is often overlooked by dieters who restrict the types of food they eat in order to lose weight.
If your diet is restrictive, or is simply low in calcium and calcium rich foods, you would be well advised to remember that calcium helps the body to function in many important ways.
For example, calcium is believed to help:
- Strengthen our bones and teeth
- Help our muscles function properly
- Regulate our heart
- Keep our nervous system healthy
- Activate and regulate certain enzymes and hormones such as insulin
- Our body metabolize or burn body fat
- Us to lose weight more efficiently.
It has been estimated by an Australian Nutrition Survey that around 90 per cent of women and 70 per cent of children do not achieve the recommended daily intake (RDI) of calcium.
According to the Australian Food and Grocery Council's Food Science Bureau, the recommended dietary calcium intake per day varies depending on factors such as age and gender. The recommended daily dietary intake of calcium in the following table from the NHMRC is designed to cover the needs of most people.
| Recommended calcium intake per day | |
| Category | Recommended daily intake |
| Adult women 19-54 | 800 mg |
| Adult women, pregnant | 1100 mg |
| Adult women, breastfeeding | 1200 mg |
| Adult woman, after menopause | 1000 mg |
| Infants, 0-1 year | 300-550 mg |
| Children, 1-7 years | 700-800 mg |
| Girls, 8-11 | 900 mg |
| Girls, 12-15 | 1000 mg |
| Girls, 16-18 | 800 mg |
| Boys, 8-11 | 800 mg |
| Boys 12-15 | 1200 mg |
| Boys, 16-18 | 1000 mg |
| Men, 19-64+ | 800 mg |
Depending on the stage of life and the duration of the deficiency, inadequate calcium intake can lead to sometimes debilitating effects such as poor bone formation, weak bones, osteoporosis and poor dental health.
Conclusion.
If you are trying to lose weight and minimize your body fat, many research studies suggest that maintaining a diet high in calcium should be a high priority.
In this article we discussed the role of calcium in our diets, why calcium is important to people wanting to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, what foods have the best sources of calcium and provided tips to increase your daily calcium intake.
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