*Calcium is an element without which the basic life processes cannot proceed normally. Almost all plants and animals need calcium in order to live: it is found in all organs and tissues of living organisms. Very few creatures can live without calcium; plants, like animals, need it in strict proportions. Calcium compounds are widely used in medicine, for the treatment and prevention of many diseases.

There are living organisms consisting of 38% calcium – this is a lot. In humans, the body contains up to 2% calcium, but this is more than the proportion of any other element, and we really need it.

Foods containing calcium, sources of calcium

This element is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, other vegetables and fruits, but most of all in sesame seeds. Since sesame seeds are not constantly present in the diet of most of the inhabitants of our country, we are unlikely to be able to quickly solve the problem of replenishing calcium. However, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, nuts – if you eat them constantly, will not allow calcium deficiency to develop in our body.

Any nuts and seeds, dried fruits and herbs, sea kale also contain calcium; it is also found in cheese, soybeans, sardines and pink salmon.

From fruits and berries, currants, apricots, grapes, blackberries, strawberries, gooseberries, cherries, strawberries, pineapples, peaches and oranges are especially rich in calcium; from vegetables – carrots, beets, cucumbers, onions, parsley, young turnips with tops, green beans, dill and celery. A lot of calcium in bran, honey and dairy products.

However, this is not all – you should know from which foods it is preferable to get calcium so that it can be better absorbed in the body. Otherwise, calcium is excreted without much benefit, or accumulates in the body in the form of unwanted deposits, causing chronic diseases.

Products that contain not only calcium, but also other trace elements – for example, phosphorus, as well as vitamins – C, D, B9, etc., can be considered the main sources of this element for humans. When these products enter the body, the substances contained in them are included in the metabolism and begin to interact, being absorbed much better than one by one.

Calcium and phosphorus compounds, together with vitamin D, are found mainly in beef liver and liver fish. Then come fish – mackerel, herring, and seafood – crabs, shrimps, lobsters, sea kale. There are also these compounds in raw egg yolk and butter.

Calcium and phosphorus are found in large quantities in green peas, apples, fresh cucumbers, beans, wheat grains, any cabbage, radish and its tops, lettuce, celery, cottage cheese and white cheese.

A large amount of phosphorus is found in all nuts, pears, soybeans and lentils, barley, rye, wheat germ, mushrooms, fish, eggs and meat.

By combining foods with a high content of these two elements, you can also achieve their better assimilation.

When preparing meals, it is enough to choose those foods that contain elements that help the absorption of calcium, which, in turn, helps them to absorb. If desired, any housewife can do this, and then our food will become much healthier, and our health will be in order.

Functions, importance and role of calcium in the body

A lot can be said about the effect of calcium on the body, and first of all, that we need it. It is indispensable in cellular structures, nervous processes, muscle contraction and the production of necessary hormones. Nerve impulses can be transmitted normally thanks to calcium – it is necessary for the balance of the processes of excitation and inhibition in the brain.

The main element of bone tissue is also calcium – therefore, with its shortage in the elderly and senile age, osteoporosis can develop. When calcium is sufficient, the bone frame is properly formed and developed – this prevents bone fragility. Pregnant and lactating women, as well as children in the period of active growth of calcium require more.

The stable activity of the heart, the functioning of the nervous system and normal blood clotting depend on calcium. The enamel of the teeth will be in order if, immediately after their eruption, there is enough calcium in the child’s body.

Calcium has antiallergic properties. In its presence, the manifestation of allergic reactions decreases, diseases such as hay fever, urticaria, bronchial asthma, Quincke’s edema, etc. are alleviated.

Normal permeability of blood vessels and cell membranes, and hence metabolism, become possible only with sufficient intake of calcium into the body. Calcium stimulates the activity of hormones and enzymes, ensures normal sleep, reduces blood pressure, helps the body get rid of radionuclides and salts of heavy metals.

daily requirement for calcium

Daily intakes of calcium differ for children, adolescents, and adults. Most calcium is necessary for pregnant and lactating women – up to 2000 mg per day. It is especially important to get enough calcium in the first and last weeks of pregnancy.

Up to 3 years, a child needs 600 mg of calcium per day, up to 10 years – 800 mg. Adolescents need from 1000 to 1200 mg – at this time, many organs and systems of our body are actively formed and growing, and their proper development is possible only with an optimal balance of all necessary substances.

Then the need for calcium decreases somewhat: after 16 years, it needs about 1000 mg, and for adults – 800-1200 mg, depending on the characteristics of the organism. Unfortunately, today in our country the daily intake of calcium averages only about 400 mg per day per person – this is very little.

Lack of calcium in the body

A lack of calcium in the body can manifest itself after 30 years – the body simply loses it. If you do not notice this problem, then the matter will not be limited to the loss of beauty and bad mood: very serious diseases can develop, and life expectancy can be significantly reduced.

It must be remembered that vitamin D, necessary for the absorption of calcium, is actively produced in our body under the influence of the sun. Therefore, people who constantly work indoors receive practically no this vitamin and cannot absorb calcium normally, which means a serious health risk.

Calcium deficiency leads to rickets, growth retardation in children and adolescents, scoliosis, bone curvature, allergies, blood clotting disorders, capillary fragility, and the formation of kidney stones. People suffering from a chronic lack of calcium do not tolerate mental and physical stress, become susceptible to infections; their muscles contract involuntarily, they experience convulsions, their gums bleed, and their teeth decay.

The most serious diseases caused by calcium deficiency in the body are osteoporosis and osteomalacia – softening of the bones, which doctors call “adult rickets”. This disease can become incurable if calcium and vitamin deficiency are not corrected in a timely manner. D.

A lack of calcium can also lead to multiple sclerosis, an incurable neurological disease. If you do not take care of a sufficient intake of calcium in the body before the age of 15, this will lead to a weakening of the nervous tissue – the risk of developing multiple sclerosis in this case increases significantly. This disease usually occurs after the age of 40, but with an acute lack of calcium, it can develop up to 30. Helping patients with multiple sclerosis is very difficult, and often impossible at all.

Excess calcium

Excess calcium возникает только в случае его приёма в форме препаратов – токсичной может быть доза более 2000 мг.

If necessary, it is best to take calcium chelate tablets. Absorbable even without vitamin D, dolomite is a natural form of calcium and magnesium that helps relieve back pain and, for women, relieves occasional pain during menstruation.

Calcium is much better absorbed from plant foods than from dairy, although there is a lot of it in milk. Milk, on the contrary, can remove calcium from the body, as it is also rich in sodium. Therefore, parents who believe that their child receives calcium from milk are mistaken.

It is necessary to introduce peas, beans, lentils into the child’s diet – of which calcium is absorbed by more than 50%. Animal fats, sugar, sweets and smoked meats, green tea, coffee and carbonated drinks actively remove calcium from the body. Potatoes, oatmeal, cocoa and chocolate also interfere with its absorption.

However, if the diet is generally healthy and balanced, a small amount of these foods is unlikely to cause calcium deficiency in the body.