Calcium in products: it is important not only the quantity, but also the ratio with other elements

It is known that for the normal functioning of the body, not only organic nutritional components (fats, carbohydrates and proteins) are needed, but also vitamins, and also mineral elements (sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc). The latter also includes calcium. Food usually contains the required minerals. True, it is known that to enter the body of their norms, as a rule, it is required to eat a fairly large amount of food containing them. However, the list of products containing calcium is wide. And they are all usual for our diet. More often difficulties with a lack of this mineral are associated not with a small intake, but with poor bioavailability.

Why do we need calcium?

Few people do not know why calcium is used in the body. It is the main element of the structure of bones and teeth, takes part in blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve impulse, production of hormonal substances, activation of phagocytosis, regulation of salt exchange, water, and acid-base reserve of blood plasma. The need for calcium for an adult is 1 gram per day. In adolescents, the elderly, pregnant women, this figure is up to one and a half times higher. Lack of calcium causes various pathological conditions, such as osteoporosis, disorders of neuromuscular excitability (there may be convulsions), a decrease in the rhythm of the heart, problems with hair, nails, teeth.

Where is it contained?

It is established that calcium in foods of fermented milk is contained in fairly significant quantities. But in cereals and vegetables it is not so much, but due to the fact that in our daily diet there are many such products, they provide a quite adequate intake of calcium.

Beans, green peas, dogrose, dill, parsley, celery, nuts (almonds), pineapples, grapes, gooseberries, apricots, oranges also contain calcium. In the meat products of the element a little, since the bulk of it is dissolved in the blood of animals. And in the tissues (muscles) does not remain.

The liver of fish is a source of calcium, Containing in addition vitamin D and phosphorus. To products rich in calcium, include: beef liver, shrimp, crab, butter, raw egg yolk. So, there is calcium in the products! And, in the most different and accessible.

How is calcium absorbed?

When calcium enters the food, it enters the digestive tract, its absorption occurs in the upper parts of the small intestine in an acidic environment. It is known that the assimilation of calcium requires the presence of vitamin D, which is produced in the skin under the action of sun rays. We also need magnesium and ascorbic acid. But sodium, a large number of animal proteins, caffeine, alcohol and smoking interfere with the process of assimilation by the body of this element. For the construction of bones, the content of phosphorus in food is important, more precisely, the calcium-phosphorus ratio.

Calcium in foodstuffs will serve as a source of sufficient for the needs of the organism of the quantity of an element if a person eats in a varied and qualitative way. When this does not happen, you need to use calcium supplements, but only after consulting a doctor (and if it really is necessary). Usually a lack of calcium is easily adjusted by diet.