Fruits with calcium and vitamin D include many popular fruits such as mangoes, papaya, guava, goji berry, kiwifruit and strawberries. There are also some vitamins needed for healthy bones. Vitamin D can be obtained from several food sources. It is not necessary to take supplements in this case as vitamin D can be found naturally in foods we eat every day. Calcium is also needed for keeping bones strong and free from being brittle. A diet rich in fruits that contain both calcium and vitamin D can promote healthy bones
Top 9 Foods Rich In Calcium And Vitamin D For Stronger Bones
For stronger and healthier bones, include these foods rich in calcium and Vitamin D in your daily diet. These top foods help to prevent osteoporosis, support your bones and teeth structure, improve calcium absorption and growth of bones.
Calcium and Vitamin D are the main components for healthy bones
A common risk factor of ageing is weaker bones and joint strength. Calcium and Vitamin D are the two main components of healthy bones. While calcium supports your bones and teeth structure, Vitamin D works towards improving calcium absorption and growth of bones. These nutrients are not just important in your early life, but are also extremely crucial as you age. People with osteoporosis or arthritis can benefit greatly by increasing their calcium and Vitamin D intake. The recommended intake of calcium in adults above the age of 50 is 1200 mgs 400 to 600 international units (IU) of Vitamin D in a day.
food sources of calcium and Vitamin D which you must include in your diet for stronger bones:
1. Sardine
Sardine is a variety of fish is which has surprisingly high levels of calcium as well as Vitamin D. You can include them in your daily diet and also add them in your pastas and salads.Consuming sardine can help one lessen the risk of osteoporosis.
Sardines are good source of Vitamin D and calcium
2. Salmon
Salmon is mostly popular for their omega-3 fatty acid content. But you will be surprised to know they are a great source of Vitamin D. Salmon can be included in your diet for a healthy heart, strong bones and prevention of osteoporosis.
Salmon is rich in Vitamin D
3. Tuna
Tuna is a fatty fish which is a great source of Vitamin D. It can make up for 39% of your daily recommended intake of the sunshine vitamin.
Tuna fish is rich in Vitamin D
4. Yogurt
While most people get their recommended intake of Vitamin D, there are certain foods too which can make up for your daily Vitamin D requirement. These foods include yogurt, which can make up for your daily intake of calcium and Vitamin D and help in preventing osteoporosis.
Dairy products like cheese, milk and yogurt are good sources of calcium
5. Cheese
Cheese is another dairy product which is an excellent source of calcium. Cheese also contains small amounts of Vitamin D. However, make sure you don’t go overboard with cheese consumption as it can contribute to unnecessary weight gain.
Cheese is a good source of calcium and vitamin D
6. Eggs
Eggs are super healthy! They provide the body with various essential nutrients. They can also be included in your diet for Vitamin D intake. They contain 6% of your daily Vitamin D requirement. The amount is surely less, but eggs are easily available and are also delicious. Also, don’t forget to eat the yolk as that’s where Vitamin D is.
Consuming eggs can help prevent osteoporosis
7. Spinach
Those not fond of dairy can resort to spinach for their intake of calcium. One cup of cooked spinach contains as much as 25% of your daily recommended intake of calcium. Also, spinach is a leafy green veggie which is rich in iron, Vitamin A and fibre. But during monsoon, it might not be great to consume leafy green veggie. Read here to know why.
Spinach is rich in calcium, zinc and iron
8. Milk
Milk is an excellent source of calcium. This is the main reason why milk consumption is essential right from childhood till your old age. The risk of osteoporosis can be reduced, if one drinks milk regularly.
Milk has high calcium content
9. Orange juice
Freshly squeezed orange juice can provide you with Vitamin D and calcium. Moreover, ascorbic acid in orange juice can also facilitate calcium absorption. Consumption of orange juice regularly can prevent osteoporosis.
Calcium and Vitamin D
Calcium and vitamin D are essential to building strong, dense bones when you’re young and to keeping them strong and healthy as you age. The information included here will help you learn all about calcium and vitamin D – the two most important nutrients for bone health.
What is Calcium and What Does it Do?
A calcium-rich diet (including dairy, nuts, leafy greens and fish) helps to build and protect your bones.
Calcium is a mineral that is necessary for life. In addition to building bones and keeping them healthy, calcium enables our blood to clot, our muscles to contract, and our heart to beat. About 99% of the calcium in our bodies is in our bones and teeth.
Every day, we lose calcium through our skin, nails, hair, sweat, urine and feces. Our bodies cannot produce its own calcium. That’s why it’s important to get enough calcium from the food we eat. When we don’t get the calcium our body needs, it is taken from our bones. This is fine once in a while, but if it happens too often, bones get weak and easier to break.
Too many Americans fall short of getting the amount of calcium they need every day and that can lead to bone loss, low bone density and even broken bones.
How Much Calcium Do You Eat?
Food is the best source of calcium. Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese are high in calcium. Certain green vegetables and other foods contain calcium in smaller amounts. Some juices, breakfast foods, soymilk, cereals, snacks, breads and bottled water have added calcium. If you drink soymilk or another liquid that is fortified with calcium, be sure to shake the container well as calcium can settle to the bottom.
A simple way to add calcium to many foods is to add a single tablespoon of nonfat powdered milk, which contains about 50 mg of calcium. It is easy to add a few tablespoons to almost any recipe.
Reading Food Labels – How Much Calcium Am I Getting?
To determine how much calcium is in a particular food, check the nutrition facts panel for the daily value (DV). Food labels list calcium as a percentage of the DV. This amount is based on 1,000 mg of calcium per day. For example:
- 30% DV of calcium equals 300 mg of calcium.
- 20% DV of calcium equals 200 mg of calcium.
- 15% DV of calcium equals 150 mg of calcium.
Calcium Supplements
The amount of calcium you need from a supplement depends on how much you get from food. Try to get the daily amount recommended from food and only supplement as needed to make up any shortfall. In general, you shouldn’t take supplements that you don’t need. If you get enough calcium from foods, don’t take a supplement. There is no added benefit to taking more calcium than you need. Doing so may even carry some risks.
Calcium supplements are available without a prescription in a wide range of preparations (including chewable and liquid) and in different amounts. The best supplement is the one that meets your needs for convenience, cost, and availability. When choosing a supplement, keep the following in mind:
- Choose brand-name supplements with proven reliability. Look for labels that state “purified” or have the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) symbol. The “USP Verified Mark” on the supplement label means that the USP has tested and found the calcium supplement to meet its standards for purity and quality.
- Read the product label carefully to determine the amount of elemental calcium, which is the actual amount of calcium in the supplement, as well as how many doses or pills you have to take. When reading the label, pay close attention to the “amount per serving” and “serving size.”
- Calcium is absorbed best when taken in amounts of 500 – 600 mg or less. This is the case for both foods and supplements. Try to get your calcium-rich foods and/or supplements in small amounts throughout the day, preferably with a meal. While it’s not recommended, taking your calcium all at once is better than not taking it at all.
- Take (most) calcium supplements with food. Eating food produces stomach acid that helps your body absorb most calcium supplements. The one exception to the rule is calcium citrate, which can absorb well when taken with or without food.
- When starting a new calcium supplement, start with a smaller amount to better tolerate it. When switching supplements, try starting with 200-300 mg every day for a week, and drink an extra 6-8 ounces of water with it. Then gradually add more calcium each week.
- Side effects from calcium supplements, such as gas or constipation may occur. If increasing fluids in your diet does not solve the problem, try another type or brand of calcium. It may require trial and error to find the right supplement for you, but fortunately there are many choices.
- Talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist about possible interactions between prescription or over-the-counter medications and calcium supplements.
What is Vitamin D and What Does it Do?
Vitamin D plays an important role in protecting your bones, both by helping your body absorb calcium and by supporting muscles needed to avoid falls. Children need vitamin D to build strong bones, and adults need it to keep their bones strong and healthy. If you don’t get enough vitamin D, you’re more likely to break bones as you age.
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?
| WOMEN AND MEN | |
|---|---|
| Under age 50 | 400-800 international units (IU) daily** |
| Age 50 and older | 800-1,000 IU daily** |
**Some people need more vitamin D. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the safe upper limit of vitamin D is 4,000 IU per day for most adults.
Sources of Vitamin D
There are three ways to get vitamin D:
- Sunlight
- Food
- Supplements
Sunlight
Your skin makes vitamin D in reaction to sunlight and stores it in fat for later use. How much vitamin D your skin can produce depends on time of day, season, latitude, skin pigmentation, age, and other factors.
There are many reasons people do not have enough vitamin D. As we age, our skin loses its ability to generate vitamin D. People who live in cities or in institutional settings like nursing homes spend too little time outdoors. Even people who spend time outdoors often use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. Sunscreen with an SPF as low as 8 reduces vitamin D production by 95 percent.
Vitamin D in Food
Vitamin D is found in very few foods. Sources include fatty fish like wild-caught mackerel, salmon, and tuna. Vitamin D is added to milk and other dairy products, orange juice, soymilk, and fortified cereals.
Check the food label to see if vitamin D has been added to a particular product. One eight-ounce serving of milk usually has 25% of the daily value (DV) of vitamin D. The DV is based on a total daily intake of 400 IU of vitamin D. So, a serving of milk with 25% of the DV of vitamin D contains 100 IU.
It is very difficult to get all the vitamin D you need from food alone. Most people must take vitamin D supplements to get enough to support bone health.
Vitamin D Supplements
If you aren’t getting enough vitamin D from sunlight and food, consider taking a supplement. Before adding a vitamin D supplement, check to see if any of the other supplements, multivitamins, or medications you take contain vitamin D. Many calcium supplements also contain vitamin D.
There are two types of vitamin D supplements. They are vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Both types are good for bone health.
Vitamin D supplements can be taken with or without food and the full amount can be taken at one time. While your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium, you do not need to take vitamin D at the same time as a calcium supplement. If you need help choosing a vitamin D supplement, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist to recommend one.
How Much Vitamin D Should You Supplement?
To figure out how much vitamin D you need from a supplement, subtract the total amount of vitamin D you get each day from the recommended total daily amount for your age. For example, a 55-year-old woman who gets 400 IU of vitamin D from her calcium supplement should take between 400 and 600 additional IU of vitamin D to meet the 800 – 1,000 IU recommended for her age.
Vitamin D Deficiency: Are You at Risk?
Vitamin D deficiency occurs when you are not getting the recommended level of vitamin D over time. Certain people are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency, including:
- People who spend little time in the sun or those who regularly cover up when outdoors;
- People living in nursing homes or other institutions or who are homebound;
- People with certain medical conditions such as Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease;
- People taking medicines that affect vitamin D levels such as certain anti-seizure medicines;
- People with very dark skin;
- Obese or very overweight people; and
- Older adults with certain risk factors.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any of these risk factors. If you have osteoporosis and also have a vitamin D deficiency, your healthcare provider may temporarily prescribe a high dose of vitamin D to bring you up to a healthy level.
Calcium, vitamin D, and your bones
Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by progressive loss of bone density, thinning of bone tissue and increased vulnerability to fractures. Osteoporosis may result from disease, dietary or hormonal deficiency or advanced age. Regular exercise and vitamin and mineral supplements can reduce and even reverse loss of bone density.
Like most vitamins, vitamin D may be obtained in the recommended amount with a well-balanced diet, including some enriched or fortified foods. In addition, the body manufactures vitamin D when exposed to sunshine, and it is recommended people get 10 to 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times a week.
Calcium requires adequate vitamin D in order to be absorbed by the body. In the United States, many food sources of calcium such as milk are fortified with vitamin D.
Getting enough calcium to keep bones from thinning throughout a person’s life may be made more difficult if that person has lactose intolerance or another reason, such as a tendency toward kidney stones, for avoiding calcium-rich food sources. Calcium deficiency also effects the heart and circulatory system, as well as the secretion of essential hormones. There are many ways to supplement calcium, including a growing number of fortified foods.
Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by progressive loss of bone density, thinning of bone tissue and increased vulnerability to fractures. Osteoporosis may result from disease, dietary or hormonal deficiency or advanced age. Regular exercise and vitamin and mineral supplements can reduce and even reverse loss of bone density.
Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by progressive loss of bone density, thinning of bone tissue and increased vulnerability to fractures. Osteoporosis may result from disease, dietary or hormonal deficiency or advanced age. Regular exercise and vitamin and mineral supplements can reduce and even reverse loss of bone density.
Like most vitamins, vitamin D may be obtained in the recommended amount with a well-balanced diet, including some enriched or fortified foods. In addition, the body manufactures vitamin D when exposed to sunshine, and it is recommended people get 10 to 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times a week.
Calcium requires adequate vitamin D in order to be absorbed by the body. In the United States, many food sources of calcium such as milk are fortified with vitamin D.
Getting enough calcium to keep bones from thinning throughout a person’s life may be made more difficult if that person has lactose intolerance or another reason, such as a tendency toward kidney stones, for avoiding calcium-rich food sources. Calcium deficiency also effects the heart and circulatory system, as well as the secretion of essential hormones. There are many ways to supplement calcium, including a growing number of fortified foods.
Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by progressive loss of bone density, thinning of bone tissue and increased vulnerability to fractures. Osteoporosis may result from disease, dietary or hormonal deficiency or advanced age. Regular exercise and vitamin and mineral supplements can reduce and even reverse loss of bone density.
Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by progressive loss of bone density, thinning of bone tissue and increased vulnerability to fractures. Osteoporosis may result from disease, dietary or hormonal deficiency or advanced age. Regular exercise and vitamin and mineral supplements can reduce and even reverse loss of bone density.
Bone Strength and Calcium
Your body needs calcium to keep your bones dense and strong. Low bone density can cause your bones to become brittle and fragile. These weak bones can break more easily, even without an obvious injury.
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. Eat foods that provide the right amounts of calcium, vitamin D, and protein. This kind of diet will give your body the building blocks it needs to make and maintain strong bones.
In addition to getting enough calcium and vitamin D, you can reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis by exercising regularly and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol use.
How Much Calcium and Vitamin D do I Need?
Amounts of calcium are given in milligrams (mg), and vitamin D is given in international units (IU).
All children ages 9 to 18 should have:
- 1300 mg of calcium daily
- 600 IU of vitamin D daily
All adults under age 50 should have:
- 1000 mg of calcium daily
- 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D daily
Adults age 51 and older should have:
- Women: 1200 mg of calcium daily
- Men: 1000 mg of calcium daily
Men and women: 800 to 1000 IU of vitamin D daily. People who are vitamin D deficient or have insufficient amounts of vitamin D will need higher amounts of vitamin D supplementation.
Too much calcium or vitamin D can lead to problems such as an increased risk for kidney stones.
- Total calcium should not exceed 2000 mg per day
- Total vitamin D should not exceed 4000 IU per day
Calcium and Dairy Products
Milk and dairy products are the best sources of calcium. They contain a form of calcium that your body can absorb easily. Choose yogurts, cheeses, and buttermilk.
Adults should choose fat-free (skim) milk or low-fat (2% or 1%) milk, and other lower fat dairy products. Removing some of the fat does not lower the amount of calcium in a dairy product.
- Yogurt, most cheeses, and buttermilk come in fat-free or low-fat versions.
- Vitamin D helps your body use calcium, which is why vitamin D is often added to milk.
If you eat very few or no dairy products, you can find calcium in other foods. It is often added to orange juice, soy milk, tofu, ready-to-eat cereals, and breads. Check the labels on these foods for added calcium.
Other Sources of Calcium
Green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and bok choy (Chinese cabbage), are good sources of calcium.
Other good food sources of calcium are:
- Salmon and sardines that are canned with their bones (you can eat these soft bones)
- Almonds, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, tahini (sesame paste), and dried beans
- Blackstrap molasses
Other tips to make sure your body can use the calcium in your diet:
- Cook high-calcium vegetables in a small amount of water for the shortest possible time. They will retain more calcium this way.
- Be careful about what you eat with calcium-rich foods. Certain fibers, such as wheat bran and foods with oxalic acid (spinach and rhubarb), can prevent your body from absorbing calcium.
Your doctor may recommend a calcium or vitamin D supplement for the calcium and vitamin D you need. However, the balance between benefits and harms of these supplements is unclear.