By Ted Wosko
A good food for good health is calcium and
is great for bones and staying slim after 50. As you all probably know I
am closer to fifty now than forty, even though I still feel as I did in
my twenty's, (some friends may add I still act like it sometimes).
Recently
it has dawned on me that if I still want to feel this good for the next
twenty years that I really should take steps now, so that I can
maintain the good health that I am enjoying at the moment.
I have been looking in general at women's health of my age and how to keep up good health through the next twenty years.
Middle-aged
women, like myself I guess, have been told for years that they should
take calcium and vitamin D tablets to protect their bones against
osteoporosis that is why recently I have increased my intake of calcium.
I
always eat a good balanced diet and as you know my theory is 'good food
good health', so when I checked on the amount of dairy products Ted and
I consume to calculate our daily intake, I was a little surprised that
it was myself not Ted that was not always getting the required amount.
Our
two daughters easily reach their required amount from their normal
diet, as one of the cereals they eat is fortified with vitamins and they
also drink a couple of milk shakes a day.
Osteoporosis is a
disease due to loss of bone density with a break down of bone structure.
Diseased bones become brittle, porous and thin, resulting in bones
becoming easier to break especially those in the legs, hips and arms.
Women
are far more prone to osteoporosis, in fact 80 per cent of all
sufferers are women. So making sure we maintain a healthy balanced diet
rich in dairy products is essential, and to check that our levels of
calcium and vitamin D intake is correct.
Although 99 per cent of
calcium in the body is found in the teeth and bones, the other 1 per
cent plays a major role in our health and is found in muscles, blood,
soft tissue, organs and nerves.
Meeting your calcium need is quite
easy if you like milk and dairy products. Generally 8 ounces of milk
provides about 300mg of calcium and general daily requirements are:
Children 1 - 8 years 500 - 800mg
9 - 18 years 1300 mg
19 - 50 years 1000mg
Women 51+ with HRT and men 51+ 1200mg
Women 51+ without HRT 1500mg
Breastfeeding and pregnant women 1200mg
The
best sources of calcium and vitamin D are Milk, cheese and yoghurt, and
also foods made with milk, such as custard, rice pudding, ice cream
etc.
Fish and shellfish are an excellent source of Vitamin D -
salmon, tuna, herring, halibut, shrimps and oysters as well as eggs,
milk and cod liver oil.
Low fat foods also contain good amounts of
calcium including low fat yoghurt, skimmed and low fat fluid milk and
buttermilk. Cheese contains varying amounts of calcium and in general,
the more firm the cheese the more calcium in contains. Soft cheese has a
low amount present and cream cheese is not a good source at all.
Keeping
good bone health is essential for all of us at any age, and therefore
our intake of calcium is beneficial. Calcium moves in and out of the
bones throughout our lives.
The need for good supplies of calcium
throughout childhood and teen years is crucial, as bones grow in size
and density through this period.
Calcium combines with phosphorous to form teeth and bones, making them hard and resistant to decay and breaks, it also:
Is vital in blood to help it clot normally.
Helps muscles to contract normally. A deficiency can cause spasms and cramp.
Is essential in the nervous system for messages to be passed from the brain to other parts if the body and back again.
Helps to regulate blood pressure. A deficiency or low intake of calcium has been associated with high blood pressure.
Calcium
may help with the prevention of colon cancer. This is thought to work
in tow ways, one if that it binds with fat and bile acids in the large
intestine to keep them from causing harm, the other that it prevents the
excessive growth of cells in the intestines that could otherwise lead
to cancer.
Also new research has found that another incentive for taking calcium is that
It
can help you stay slim, and this interested me greatly. The study found
that women who were over 50 and took regular calcium and Vitamin D
supplements are less likely to gain weight than those who do not, and
what was surprising the women who had previously been deficient in
Vitamin D and calcium had the greatest benefits.
The slimming
effect is thought to be down to the fact that there is an improved
breakdown of fat cells and also an increase in the production of leptin,
a chemical that curbs your appetite.
Also experts said that
stimulation of the metabolism is likely to be increased with a better
balance of nutrients in our diet, and so I cannot stress to much the
importance of the 'good food good health' benefits, and equally if you
can get the required amount of calcium from a balanced diet can only be a
plus, helping your body fight many diseases and the ever ageing
process.
I have mentioned vitamin D several times and this is very
important as calcium is not readily absorbed and used without this
fat-soluble vitamin.
Vitamin D is often referred to as the
'sunshine vitamin', as the action of the suns ultra violet rays forms
vitamin D in the skin.
Specialists say that we need 15 minutes of
sunlight to produce enough vitamin D in fair skinned people which should
last for a couple of days, darker skinned people however need up to 3
hours.
The use of sunscreen 8 SPF of higher will form a barrier
and prevent the formulation of vitamin D, so just wait 15 minutes before
applying, but so not do this through the hottest hours. Clouds and
window glass also prevent penetration of ultra violet rays.
So for
good bone health - which means having the most dense and strong bones
possible at reaching adulthood, a regular good intake of calcium is
needed and continuously required after this age to help eliminate the
chance of osteoporosis in latter years.
If to little calcium has
been stored before the age of thirty in the bones or calcium is drawn
out to fast in later life, then osteoporosis is at a greater risk.
All
our bodies after the age of forty lose calcium quicker in the bones
than going back in, and because of this we all need to be made aware
just how important calcium in the diet is.
Many people have been
put off from consuming dairy products over the past twenty or so years,
and because of this health specialists are concerned about the future
female population and the risk of osteoporosis. Also the specialists are
watching the worrying trend of teenagers and fad diets that will cause
complications to well being in future generations.
So for all of
us the message is do not skimp on your dairy product intake, skimmed
milk is just as rich in calcium, check you are consuming the correct
amount in your diet. If you cannot get the required amounts in your
daily diet then think about supplements. Always check with your doctor
or medical practice before taking supplements as a sensible precaution,
as it is with any medication.
Remember good food is good health
Ted and Sandra
This article was composed by Sandra & Ted Wosko. We have
always been interested in health issues especially having children, and
as with most people, we all suffer with some type of ailment. We are
always researching on more and more topics in the endless task of
gaining more knowledge to increase our expertise, benefiting ourselves
and other people alike.
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