Strengthen bones: top 5 foods rich in calcium
The best food sources of this important mineral.
According to the norms, adults need to consume 1000 mg of calcium per day, and the elderly (after 60 years) - 1200 mg per day. However, getting calcium and assimilating it are not the same thing. Calcium is metabolized with the help of other nutrients: protein and vitamin D. Without them, you may suffer from calcium deficiency, even formally covering the calcium allowance.
Calcium is essential for:
- maintaining bone health (adequate amounts help reduce the risk of fractures and osteoporosis);
- contraction and relaxation of blood vessels;
- muscle contraction;
- nerve impulse transmission;
- hormone secretion.
Here are some foods high in calcium:
1. Hard and other cheeses
The leader in the amount of calcium among all dairy products is parmesan cheese. In 100 g of the product contains 1300 mg of calcium, more than the daily norm. At the same time, it has a lot of protein (38 g per 100 g of the product) and 0.95 mcg of vitamin D.
Other cheeses also contain a lot of calcium and important substances for its digestion. For example, 100 g of Dutch, Poshekhonsky, Swiss cheese contains 1000 mg of calcium, 24-26 g of protein and 0.8-1 mcg of vitamin D.
Thus, eating 100 g of cheese a day, you will completely close your need for calcium and get a tenth of the daily allowance of vitamin D. However, it should be remembered that cheese is quite a caloric product, it has a lot of saturated fat. If you eat 100 g of cheese a day, it is better to give up other fatty foods.
2. Sesame
The absolute leader in the amount of calcium among plant sources. In 100 g of these small seeds contain 780 mg of calcium and 17.7 g of protein.
True, it is difficult to eat a lot of sesame. Most often it is added to baked goods or salads in small quantities. Of course, you can make halva or kozinaki from sesame, then you can eat more seeds at a time. But such products, as a rule, contain a lot of sugar and calories, and this is not very useful.
3. Atlantic sardines
Canned sardines are consumed together with the bones, so they contain a lot of calcium: 380 mg per 100 g of product. They also contain 24.6 g of protein and 6.8 mcg of vitamin D (68% of the daily value). And although calcium in sardines is much less than in the same sesame, due to vitamin D it will be digested better.
In addition, in 100 g canned in oil sardines only 208 kcal and 11.5 g of fats, half of which are polyunsaturated. Therefore, you can safely eat 100-150 g a day, without giving up other products and without risking the figure.
4. Legumes
Most of all calcium in soybeans - 240 mg per 100 g, in beans and chickpeas - 194 mg. In addition, legumes are an excellent source of vegetable protein, which nutritionists recommend to include in a balanced diet along with animal protein. Beans and legumes also contain iron, zinc, and potassium. Studies show that they help lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
5. Milk and fermented milk products
It is commonly believed that they are the main sources of calcium. In fact, 100 g of milk contains 120 mg of calcium and 3.3 g of protein. In 100 g of cottage cheese and kefir also contains 120 mg of calcium, in sour cream - 80 mg. But calcium from milk is well assimilated thanks to lactose, and protein has the highest assimilation coefficient of possible - 1. This is provided you are not lactose intolerant: people who lack the lactase enzyme will not benefit from calcium absorption, but will have digestive problems.
