Calcium, Health Benefits

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Adequate calcium in the daily diet may decrease health risks for the following:

- Certain cancers including colorectal cancer and prostate cancer.

- Recent studies indicate the opposite of prior assumptions, determining that high dietary calcium intakes actually decrease risk for kidney stones.

- Calcium has been linked to lower body weight. Two theories as to why:

1)High calcium consumption may reduce calcium concentrations in the fat cells (decreasing the production of the hormones parathyroid as well as an active form of Vitamin D) which may increase fat breakdown and discourage fat accumulation;and

2) Calcium derived from food or calcium supplements may bind to particles of dietary fat within the digestive tract, sweeping them from the gut while preventing fat absorption as they are swept out of the body.

But beware of high calcium intakes because that can create a potential for calcium to interfere with the absorption of other minerals, iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus. It's always something, isn't it?

List of Calcium Rich Foods

When we talk about foods that are rich in calcium content, we can't forget about milk - a beverage rather than a food per-say. A one cup serving of low fat 1% milk contains 305 mg's of calcium. And of course milk resides in the healthy Dairy Food Group. On that note, let's examine all of the official food groups and the foods that live therein which are great sources of calcium content.

Dairy Food Group: One cup of low fat chocolate milk contains 290 mg's of calcium. One eight ounce serving of low fat yogurt contains 345 mg's. One cup of ricotta that is part skim contains an impressive 669 mg's of calcium content. One cup serving of low fat buttermilk contains 284 mg's. One ounce of regular Swiss cheese contains 224 mg's. One ounce of Provolone - about 214 mg's. One ounce of low fat mozzarella cheese, about 207 mg's.

Vegetable Food Group: One cup of cooked spinach contains 291 mg's of calcium. One cup of cooked rhubarb: 348 mg's. One cup of cooked collard greens contains 357 mg's. Cowpeas contains 211 mg's per one cup serving. One cup of turnip greens contains about 197 mg's. One large cucumber contains 48 mg's and one cup of raw celery, also 48 mg's.

Protein Food Group: Like beef enchiladas? One with low fat cheese provides 324 mg's of calcium. Three ounces of sardines contains 325 mg's. One six-inch sub sandwich provides about 189 mg's. One ounce of English Walnuts contains about 28 mg's.

When fast food dining don't count out the smaller burgers that you might typically order for a kid. Most are simply mini-versions of the big boys on the menu and contain a substantially fewer number of calories - generally about one-half. Most of these little burgers hover around the 300 calorie mark; add cheese and they climb to about 400 calories. With the cheese comes some health benefits in the area of calcium. Most contain about 300 mg's per burger.

Grain Food Group: 1 cup of General Mills TOTAL Raisin Bran contains an impressive 1,038 mg's of calcium! TOTAL Whole Grain contains 1,000 mg's per 3/4 cup serving as does TOTAL Corn Flakes - with the serving size increasing to 1 and 1/3 cup. One cup of enriched yellow cornmeal contains 483 mg's. And one cup of all-purpose enriched white flour contains 423 mg's. A four-inch biscuit contains about 237 mg's of calcium. And one cup of Cream of Wheat contains 232 mg's.

Fruit Food Group: Calcium benefits can be found in many fresh fruits but the amount decreases in comparison to other food groups.

One cup of tangerine juice contains 45 mg's of calcium. One cup of cooked pumpkin contains 37 mg's. One cup of pineapple juice contains 33 mg's. One cup of strawberries contains 27 mg's. One-half a pink grapefruit contains 27 mg's. One medium kiwi contains 26 mg's. And one whole raw mango contains only 23 mg's of calcium.

The History of Ethnic Diets

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