Calcium Rich Fruits and Vegetables

Increasing the intake of calcium is recommended if one has calcium deficiency symptoms. Calcium deficiency symptoms include frequent bone fractures, bone deformities or growth retardation in children, muscle pain or spasms or tingling and numbness in feet or hands. There are many good natural sources of calcium. Milk and dairy products are calcium rich foods. But, apart from them there are certain fruits and vegetables which contain good amount of calcium. Including these calcium food sources will help you prevent the calcium deficiency symptoms.

Calcium Rich Fruits
Many fruits contain a good amount of calcium. Berries are on top of this list. But, there are also many other fruits which contain good amount of calcium. You can add a fruit serving from the mentioned below fruits to every meal, to increase the intake of calcium. You can also add berries and almonds to your cereal. You can have a mixed fruit salad of orange, berries, apples and bananas. You can also flavor your dishes with tamarind. Or make a fruit smoothie with milk and berries and have it regularly to increase calcium intake.

• Mulberries
• Rhubarb
• Roselle
• Apples
• Almonds
• Banana
• Avocado
• Acai berries
• Goji berries
• Oranges
• Pomegranates
• Prickly pears
• Kumquats
• Tamarinds
• Blackberries
• Blackcurrants
• Dates
• Grapefruits

Calcium Rich Vegetables
Here is a list of the calcium rich vegetables. You can stir fry, grill, bake, steam or boil the below vegetables or add them to salads and enjoy them raw and fresh. You can also make some nice mix vegetable soups with the below veggies. To make an even more rich salad add chopped calcium rich veggies and fruits in a bowl, and use yogurt as a dressing.

• Okra
• Parsnip
• Amaranth leaves
• Bok choy
• Brussels sprouts
• Butternut squash
• Celery
• French beans
• Mustard spinach
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Ginger
• Kale
• Turnip greens
• Garlic
• Green soybeans
• Sprirulina
• Swiss chard
• Chinese broccoli

Other Calcium Rich Foods
Yogurt is very rich in calcium. To get the calcium benefits consider adding yogurt to your diet. You can flavor it with some fresh fruits or herbs and eat it as a snack. Sardines are also an excellent source of calcium, so eat them once a week. Sesame seeds are another excellent source of calcium. Goat's milk and cow's milk both are rich in calcium. Two other good sources of calcium are mozzarella cheese and blackstrap molasses. Other good sources of calcium are oats, wheat durum, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cheddar cheese, cheese cream, eggs, caviar, pollock, low fat cream, pollock and perch.

So, eat the above calcium rich veggies and fruits and other calcium rich sources to provide the body with adequate amount of calcium. Because, if you don't provide the body with calcium, then it will start taking calcium from the bones, which will over a period make your bones weak and susceptible to breaking. Make sure you follow the recommended daily intake values for calcium, to avoid any calcium toxicity. According to Dietary Reference Intakes, National Academy of Science, 1997 the daily recommended intake for calcium is as mentioned below.

• Babies between 1-3 years age should consume 500 mg of calcium.
• Children between 4-8 years age should consume 800 mg of calcium.
• Children between 9-18 years age should consume 1300 mg of calcium.
• Adults between 19-50 years age should consume 1000 mg of calcium.
• People who are 51 or older should consume 1200 mg of calcium.

It is important to follow the recommended daily intake of calcium. Excessive intake can result in elevated blood calcium level, called hypercalcemia. If the amount of phosphorus blood levels are low and calcium levels are high, it can cause soft tissue calcification, which can cause unwanted accumulation of calcium in cells other than bone.