How to Get More Calcium into a Diet

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in our body. Most of it are found in our bones and teeth and the rest are settled on nerve cells, blood, body fluids and tissues of the body. Aside from maintaining the health and strength our bones and teeth, calcium also plays an important role in promoting proper functioning of muscles, nervous system and reproductive processes of the body. Consuming calcium is also the most important way to prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis or brittle bone disease that mostly affects women over the age of 50. If you are on a regimen of losing weight, and still wants to add more calcium on your diet, here are some helpful methods.

Things You'll Need

• Low-fat or fat-free milk
• Low-fat or fat-free cheese
• Low-fat or fat-free yogurt
• Sardines
• Green leafy vegetables
• Molasses

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Instructions

• 1

  Drink milk as much as you can. Try to make it a habit to drink milk with your meals or when having snacks. And since you're on a diet, do not forget to have the low-fat or fat-free milk. Either of these have the same amount of calcium as whole milk, but are much better because they're low in calories.

• 2

  Start your day with a hearty breakfast. Have a bowl of whole grain cereal paired with 8 ounces of skimmed milk. If you go for an oatmeal breakfast, add milk on it to make more creamier. These are all healthful meals that are not only rich in calcium but also high in fiber.

• 3

  Add calcium on your hot drinks. Use milk instead of water when making your instant hot cocoa (swiss miss) drink. For a change, try using low-fat or fat-free evaporated milk on your coffee, rather than cream. You can add milk to it for more flavor.

• 4

  Make your homemade goodies rich in calcium. Instead of using water, use non-fat dry milk when making pancakes, and when baking cakes, cookies, or bread. Add fat-free or low-fat cheese when making soups, stews, casseroles and sandwiches. Shred some on your salads or veggies, too.

• 5

  Enjoy a tasty dessert loaded with calcium. There are numbers of yummy desserts that are less in fat and high in calcium including frozen yogurt, milk-based pudding tapioca and ice cream. A tasty smoothie is great, made up of blended frozen fruits and skimmed milk or a low-fat granola bar layered with light yogurt and sliced fruits.

• 6

  Get your calcium from sardines. Canned sardines are good source of calcium for individuals who are lactose intolerant. It can either be served on top of a wheat bread or it can be eaten by itself. Not only are these salmons rich in calcium, but they are also rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids which help protect the body against illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and joint pain.

• 7

  Go green. Another good source of calcium for lactose-intolerant individuals are green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, turnip greens, kale and collard. Green leafy vegetables are also rich in folic acid that protects the body against cancers, heart problems, anemia and even Alzheimer's disease.

• 8

  Try cooking with blackstrap molasses. Molasses is a light or dark syrup thats a byproduct of manufactured sugar. Just a tablespoon of it contains 172 milligrams of calcium. So go ahead and add some calcium-rich molasses when baking cookies and gingerbread. You can also add some on baked beans to add more flavor to it.

• 9

  Buy foods that are fortified with calcium. When shopping for food supplies, try to purchase some calcium fortified food and drinks such as waffles, hot cereals, bread, fat-free puddings, soy-beverages and calcium-fortified orange juices.