Calcium-rich foods do great things for your body — improve bone health, reduce cancer risk, help lower blood pressure. Now there’s evidence that they may help you in your diabetes control quest, too.
This Healthy Eating article gives you the “skinny” about:
The great news about calcium is that eating calcium-rich foods every day may help you win in the weight loss game.
Here’s the scoop. Researchers compared two groups of overweight people: One group stayed on a reduced-calorie, high-calcium diet that provided 1,200 milligrams to 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day; and a second group consumed a reduced-calorie, low-calcium diet that provided 400 milligrams to 500 milligrams of calcium a day. Here are the results:
However, there are other studies that have not shown this benefit of weight loss when consuming a diet high in calcium. Regardless, the health benefits of consuming enough calcium go beyond weight loss.
The answer appears to be in how the body’s cells use calcium. Calcium in body cells helps regulate how the body stores and breaks down fat. It seems that the more calcium there is in a fat cell, the more fat it will burn!
Getting calcium from low-fat dairy foods, along with reducing calorie intake, may be an effective way to lose weight and fat as part of your diabetes control plan. But other calcium sources can be useful, too.
Many foods besides dairy products contain calcium, either naturally or as an added ingredient. Here’s a list of some foods that are good calcium sources.
| Food |
| Glucerna SR™ Shake |
| Milk |
| Yogurt |
| Cheese, American |
| Cheese, cheddar |
| Cheese, Parmesan |
| Cheese, Swiss |
| Cottage cheese |
| Tofu (firm) |
| Shrimp |
| Walleye pike fillet (baked) |
| Salmon (canned with bones) |
| Almonds (whole, dried) |
| Broccoli (cooked) |
| Navy beans (cooked) |
You can also add calcium to your diet by using calcium supplements if you don’t get enough in your diet. Read the label to find out how much “elemental” calcium the supplement provides. Elemental calcium is the amount of calcium in the supplement that is in a form your body can use. A number of calcium sources can be used, but calcium carbonate is probably the best. Supplements containing calcium carbonate provide 200 milligrams to 500 milligrams of elemental calcium. If you use supplements, take them with meals for the best absorption, but if you take several calcium supplements, spread them out over several meals for best calcium absorption.
One current estimate is based on scientific studies and expert judgment and comes from the U.S. government. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends the following calcium intake:
| Age (Years) | Recommended Daily Calcium Intake |
|---|---|
| 50 and older | 1,200 milligrams |
| 19 to 49 | 1,000 milligrams |
| 9 to 18 | 1,300 milligrams |
Use this worksheet to make sure you’re getting enough calcium. (Use the table of calcium sources above and food labels to get the values.)
Step 1. Keep a log of the foods you consume each day. Check to see how your calcium intake compares to the recommended daily intake.
| Calcium Source | Milligrams of Calcium at Each Serving | Running Total |
|---|---|---|
|
Example: 237 ml Glucerna SR Shake 236 ml light orange juice, calcium fortified 95 g/236 ml cooked broccoli 2 calcium tablets |
250 200 95 500 |
250 450 545 1,045 |
Step 2. If you are below the recommended daily intake, list at least three foods that you could include in your plan to increase your daily calcium intake.
If you got less than the amount recommended, figure out how much more you need to reach the recommended intake. Just subtract the amount of calcium you got, from the daily calcium intake recommended for your age group.
| Example: 1,145 milligrams amount of calcium consumed | Subtract 1,200 recommended daily calcium intake for age group | Equals -55 calcium balance |
(In this example, the person should try to get another 55 milligrams calcium each day.)
| subtract |
equals |
Step 3. At the end of the week, look back at your log. Did you meet your goal to increase calcium intake?
Example: I need to increase my calcium intake today by at least 55 milligrams. I’ll sprinkle 28 g of almonds on top of my dinner salad tonight.
Write your evaluation and plan here:
