John Myers
Calcium is considered a bone mineral, but in addition to maintaining the skeleton and teeth, it fulfills many other tasks in the body. We explain why the mineral is so important and which foods you use to cover your daily needs.
Calcium-rich foods
Calcium is one of the so-called bulk elements, which means that the mineral is present with more than 50 mg per kg of body weight. The human calcium store is about one kilogram and 99 percent is in the bones and teeth. If too little calcium is ingested with food over a long period of time, the organism falls back on these reserves. This results in so-called bone loss, osteoporosis, which primarily affects older people. A calcium deficiency can also have other health-impairing consequences, as the mineral contributes to the normal functioning of blood clotting, energy metabolism, signal transmission between nerve cells and digestive enzymes, is important for normal muscle function, and plays a role in cell division and specialization. Reasons enough to consume calcium-rich foods.
How Much Calcium Do You Need?
The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) recommends that healthy adults take in around 1000 mg of calcium to cover their daily needs. Expectant mothers under the age of 19 should consume 1200 mg during pregnancy. For babies, children, and young people, the following guideline values apply, depending on their age:
- up to 4 months: 220 mg
- up to 12 months: 330 mg
- up to 4 years: 600 mg
- up to 7 years: 750 mg
- up to 10 years: 900 mg
- up to 13 years: 1100 mg
- up to 19 years: 1200 mg
Competitive athletes and the chronically ill may need more calcium and should seek advice from a doctor.
The best sources of calcium
Foods rich in calcium include milk and milk products, green vegetables such as broccoli, chocolate, and almost all hard and soft cheeses. The fat content of Gouda, Edam, Appenzeller, Emmental, butter cheese, mountain cheese, Gorgonzola, Brie, Limburger, Camembert, Feta, Parmesan & Co. is irrelevant. Our food pyramid gives you an orientation as to the amounts of these foods you should enjoy as part of a balanced diet. If you suffer from lactose intolerance and therefore have to avoid milk or eat vegan, poppy seeds, rosehip, salt, dried herbs, spices, almond butter, sesame, dried beans, and calcium-rich mineral water can also help to cover your needs.
This is how you benefit optimally from the consumption of calcium-rich foods
Calcium is absorbed particularly well by the body if you follow a few tips. Incorporation into the bones only takes place if the body also has enough vitamin D available. High-fiber foods, caffeine, phosphate, and excessive protein intake impede calcium absorption. This also applies to foods containing oxalic acids such as rhubarb, beetroot, spinach, and chard. It is, therefore, better to enjoy the cheese sandwich in the evening with a glass of mineral water than in the morning with a cup of coffee and prepare vegetable casserole recipes with low-oxalic acid vegetables and lots of gratin cheese.
