Happy Wednesday!
Are you still keeping track of what you eat? I love to use “My Fitness Pal” to keep track of my intake. If you go to the settings under food diary, you can set the log to keep track of carbohydrates, protein, fat and FIBER!!! These are all things that we have focused on in past blogs. Remember you want to aim to consume at least 20 grams of fiber per day or more. If you need a refresher course on how much carbohydrate, protein or fat to aim for at breakfast, look back on the blog titled “Breakfast is for Champions”.
Now we are going look closer at another important factor to consider when putting together your breakfast, milk. Yes it is true, milk does a body good. Why might you ask? Because of the calcium, protein and other vitamins and minerals that are found in milk. We are going to focus closely on calcium. Calcium is very important in bone growth and strength. Calcium helps build strong bones in children because it slows down the growth of the bone so that it can develop properly. Calcium also plays an important role in muscle contractions, such as your heart beating, and normal nerve function.
So what happens if you do not get enough calcium? If children do not get enough calcium it could limit their bone growth and a severe deficiency may stop children from reaching their mature height. It is thought that a majority of bone growth is formed during early years of adolescents. By your twenties, bone-growth is usually completed, but bone continues to become denser until your early thirties. Whatever amount of calcium a woman has stored into her bones when she enters into her thirties, will be the amount of calcium that she will have entering into menopause. It is thought that the female hormone, estrogen, helps to protect the bones. So as estrogen levels decrease, so does bone density and calcium storage. The take away message from this is calcium intake is extremely important from age 10 to 3o years to ensure strong and dense bones. A lifetime of a deficiency in calcium can increase your risk of osteoporosis or brittle bone disease by decreasing the bone density and increasing bone loss. Your bones are a living tissue and are constantly taking in calcium and using it. To keep your bones strong you need to consume adequate calcium on a daily basis to continue to supply the needed amount of calcium. Other parts of your body use calcium besides your bones. Your muscles need calcium to contract and release. As a result, every time your heart beats you are using some of your stored calcium. Studies also show that proper calcium intake can also help with high blood pressure and certain cancers ricks, such as colon cancer.
So how much calcium do you need daily? It is recommended that teenagers consume at least 1,300 mg of calcium per day. As an adult, because there is very little bone growth, only 1,000 milligrams of calcium are needed daily. Above the age of 50, it is recommended to increase calcium intake to 1,200 mg per day to limit the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. It is important that when taking calcium you include vitamin D, which is usually found in most calcium supplements. Vitamin D helps to pull calcium into your bones and teeth. We will explore Vitamin D in the future. If you do not feel that you consume enough calcium you can take a calcium supplement daily. I would recommend a calcium citrate based supplement, such as Citracal. There is now an extended release Citracal to limit the unwanted side effects like constipation and stomach upset. When trying to increase you calcium intake, be careful consuming too much caffeine. Over consumption of caffeine intake can increase urinary calcium excretion. Alcohol consumption and smoking cigarettes can also decrease calcium absorption.
Can you get too much calcium? The answer is yes, if consumed in a large amount over a prolong period of time. This is usually the case if you consume dairy products plus calcium fortified products plus daily supplementation of more than 1500 mg. Too much calcium can limit the absorption of other vitamins and minerals, such as iron, zinc and magnesium. Kidney stones are also a byproduct of too much calcium over a large prolonged period of time, especially if you do not drink enough fluid to flush the kidneys out. Regular intake of dairy products will not provide too much calcium intake and cause the above side effects.
What are good sources of calcium in the diet? The best calcium sources are your low fat/ fat free dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream. You can also find calcium in dark- green leafy vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, spinach, bok choy, collard greens, okra, mustard greens, turnip greens and fish with edible bones, such as salmon and sardines. When trying to lose weight, lower cholesterol and improve overall health, it is important to aim to consume fat free dairy products to limit calories and saturated fat. Regardless of a dairy products fat content, you will still get all of the added nutrients, such as vitamin D , calcium, riboflavin and protein. It is all marketing to call whole milk “Vitamin D” milk. All milk contains Vitamin D. Some people are concerned about the sugar content of milk. The sugar in milk is naturally occurring lactose. Only flavored dairy products contain added sugar. People with diabetes should focus more on the carbohydrate content of milk and make sure that they limit themselves to 1- 8 oz serving of fat free milk per meal.
What are some examples of 1 serving of calcium (300 mg)?
8 oz of fat free milk/8 oz fat free yogurt/1 ½ ounces of low fat/fat free cheese/ ½ cup of low fat/ fat free shredded cheese/ 2 cups of low fat/fat free cottage cheese/1 cup of low fat/fat free pudding made with milk/1 cup of fat free frozen yogurt/1 ½ cups of fat free frozen ice cream. Everyone should aim to have at least 3 servings of calcium per day.
Note: If you deal with gas, intestinal cramping or bloating after consuming dairy products you might be lactose intolerant. Try drinking milk in small amounts or switch to other dairy products, such as yogurt. If problems continue, look into calcium supplementation from a calcium citrate supplement or try using products such as Lactaid to help your body digest the lactose. Soy, almond and rice milk do not have the same amount of calcium as cow’s milk. You would have to consume the calcium fortified version of all of the products.
Add a serving of milk to your breakfast everyday so that you can start your day off right with serving of calcium. Remember a serving of milk is:
1 serving of milk/dairy (preferably fat free) = 15 grams Carbohydrate:
8 oz cow’s milk/6 oz yogurt/ 8oz soy milk/8oz almond milk
Have a great week!
The Dietnista
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