How Important is Your Calcium Intake?

You probably heard that calcium is important for healthy bones. What else do you know about calcium? Some people know that it is important to regulate your heart rhythm and others have also heard that it helps with weight loss. 

You may have also heard that a diet poor in calcium can lead to frail weak brittle bones. We know that osteoporosis is a preventable dis-ease that we don't ever have to experience if we get enough calcium. It is important to realize that calcium plays critical roles for everyone but is extra important for women because of losses of calcium during the menstrual cycle. 

We are taught that in order to get enough calcium we need to drink milk and other dairy products on a daily basis. This is partially true, but not absolutely true. Did you know that 255g of Spinach will give you 345mg of Calcium. That is more calcium than the equivalent of 300mg of Calcium provided by 240g of Milk. There is a big question about how much sense this makes. Most people would argue that you need to get the absorbable Calcium from Milk. Have you ever seen a grown Gorilla drink milk? Have you ever seen any other species other than a human drink milk during their adult life? This may be shocking to think about but if all the science is true then why is it that all the other species whom do not drink milk at adulthood demonstrate the ability to maintain strong bones without having dairy in their diets? Real life situations seem to show a lack of evidence as shown in human studies. 

http://thevegetariancenter.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-are-calcium-rich-foods.html

Some dangers in consuming milk and other dairy products include the consumption of high levels of saturated fats and bad cholesterol. Also, you risk the chance of suffering uncomfortable symptoms like flatulence and loose bowel movements attributed to lactose intolerance. You probably also hear that cows are pumped with hormones and are given loads of antibiotics in their feed in order to prevent disease and encourage rapid milk production and growth. These same cows are fed corn which isn't a normal staple in their diet. The reason for feeding them corn is to get the cows to gain weight fast thus increasing the companies profits.

Calcium is important for several reasons. It plays a critical role in proper nerve impulses. Calcium is important in the creation of blood clots to prevent excessive bleeding. In order to have healthy bones and teeth it is important that you get adequate amounts of calcium since they compromise 99% of all calcium in the body. Heart health requires calcium as does the regulation of blood pressure. Their are times when physicians will prescribe calcium channel blockers in order to maintain normal blood pressure rhythm. Proper muscle contraction and regulation of enzyme activity also require calcium. A diet high in acid foods, use of pharmaceutical medications and other physical stressors may lead excessive loss of calcium in the bones since calcium plays an important role in maintaining a proper pH balance. 

To learn more about how much Calcium you should consume on a daily basis for your age and other useful information go to: Calcium needs. I hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to add your comments and thoughts :D. 

Living to Age 100 plus and Healthy

I have come across a lot of interesting comments in my past 15 years of involvement in the health and fitness industry. The most interesting one that I have heard in the past 3 years is a lack of interest in living longer. This lack of desire for longevity may be the first sign of a depressed person. 

This topic of longevity comes most often in conversation when I discuss food and my desire to live to be 120 years old and still self-sufficient with my (ADL's) activities of daily living.

The most interesting part of this is that people today seem to find food to be a main source of pleasure rather than seeking other forms of pleasure. Although this is a temporary form of pleasure when practiced incorrectly it can lead to many bad forms of eating which in turn has many negative and detrimental effects to ones health. 

Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., specifically wrote a book which he titled 'Eat to Live' which is the way nature originally intended it. The book was written to teach people how to eat not just for weight loss but for good health. Good health should be the priority, weight loss will happen naturally if a proper nutrition intake is eaten. Food was intended to be a source of replenishing nutrients, maintaining health and a way of consuming ingredients which would help the body repair itself as well as acquiring fuel to sustain life and physical activity. These days the trend has become a way to happiness, relieve depression and many other mood altering effects. 

A recent report by the Wall Street Journal published the finding of an almost 6 year study which involved 73,308 members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and reported in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Internal Medicine. This is little in comparison to a 30 years of research that was reported in a book titled 'The China Study' by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D which involved 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan demonstrating the conclusive connection between nutrition (an animal based diet versus and plant based diet) heart disease, diabetes and cancer. 

Although both of these studies have similar and conflicting findings, here is what the study reported: 

(Only read this if you want to live to be over 100 years old and healthy)

• Vegetarians experienced 12% less deaths over the period of almost 6 years
• Vegetarians were 19% less likely to die of Heart Disease
• Fewer deaths form Kidney failure and diabetes in the Vegetarian Group
• Caloric intake did not make a difference and both consumed about the same amount of calories
• Men benefited the most from a Vegetarian Diet
• Cancer rate was roughly equal amongst both groups
• Nutrient profile of Vegetarians provided more Fiber and less saturated fat
• Vegetarians had leaner body structure

Even though this study claims that there were no significant reductions in preventing cancer, both studies demonstrated that those who follow a vegetarian or mostly plant-based diet are less likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes and will also reduce the mortality rate from these two diseases as well as Kidney failure. These reasons alone in addition to the 12% reduction in death are good enough to follow a primarily if not complete plant-based diet. The Choice is Yours! I want to live to be 120 years and still be as self-sufficient as possible. This gives me another 80 years of helping transform lives toward good health :D