Calcium is essential for body health, especially for women over 50.
It helps keep bones and teeth strong and helps other parts of the body work, like nerve function and muscle contraction. Thus, calcium intake is crucial for bone health as women age because they lose bone more easily.
Due to hormonal changes, a decreased ability to absorb calcium, and a higher risk of osteoporosis, calcium deficiency is more likely in women over 50.
Osteoporosis is more common in women over 50 and weakens bones, increasing the risk of fractures and falls. Along with regular exercise and vitamin D, calcium can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and other bone conditions. Thus, it’s important to understand why calcium is important for women over 50 and how they can get enough calcium through diet or supplements.
Why Calcium Is Important For Women Over 50?
Did you know that our bodies, as women over 50, need calcium rich foods to function properly?
Calcium often correlates with supporting bone health but little did we know, our body needs calcium more than just keeping our skeletal system in good shape.
According to research, low dietary intake of calcium increases the risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis and diabetes.
READ ALSO: Eat These Foods To Lower Inflammation
How much calcium do I need?
Women over 50 require 12,00mg of calcium per day to maintain their health. Calcium also plays an important role in the cellular processes which is essential in age-related diseases particularly memory disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Although, this mineral is best absorbed by the body when we are younger, it is still not too late to boost up our calcium intake.
There are many ways to get enough calcium in your diet. However, consuming more calcium rich foods is the easiest and healthiest way to incorporate this mineral into your daily diet.
READ ALSO: The Best Foods To Boost Your Metabolism Over 50
Top 10 Calcium Rich Foods For Women Over 50
1. Spinach
This is one of the healthiest calcium rich foods on the market. It is the most popular vegetables that you can easily get anywhere.
It is advisable to consume a cup of raw spinach or a half cup of cooked spinach in a day to reach the daily calcium requirement.
2. Soybean Sprouts
Soy bean sprouts are often confused with mung bean sprouts but it is not hard to tell the difference, the sprouts from a soybean are bigger and are yellow in color and when it comes to nutrition, these sprouts contains high calcium mineral. In fact, a regular intake of this calcium rich food is proven to increase bone density and metabolism.
3. Almonds
With a massive 457 mg of calcium, no wonder this nut is on top of the list of high calcium rich foods.
Aside from being a great snack, you can also add almonds to almost every dish like salad, muffin, pasta. Plus, you can even make milk out of it too!
4. Dried Fig
Eat them as a snack, baked or on a salad. Figs are proven to contain high amounts of calcium whether it is consumed raw or dried.
5. Chia Seeds
These tiny seeds contain more calcium than milk! This can’t be said for most calcium rich foods. Combine some with nut milk or coconut yoghurt, let set in the fridge overnight, and you have a calcium-packed snack ready to eat!
6. Sardines
Not everyone’s favorite but believe it or not these tiny salty fish are also one of the most calcium rich foods. Adding it to your pasta dishes will give an instant umami flavor.
7. Coconut Yoghurt
One of the most versatile calcium rich foods. Amazingly, a single serving contains contains 25% to 30% of the daily allowance of calcium and magnesium.
Coconut yoghurt is also packed full of probiotics for a healthy gut. Calcium is essential to bone health while magnesium is essential for muscle health.
8. Oranges and Tangerines
A great choice if you are lactose intolerant and looking for a non-dairy supply of calcium. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA. a single cup of fresh navel Orange offers 71 mg of calcium which is 7% of the daily requirement.
9. Sesame Seeds
hold the highest calcium content of all the seeds, and 1 tablespoon contains the same amount of calcium as half a cup of milk.
You can easily eat these nutritious little seeds into your diet as a topping for salads, vegetable dishes, cereal, yogurt or stir-fries.
10. Broccoli
Dark green vegetables like broccoli are oftentimes calcium rich foods. Studies also shown that it contains cancer-fighting properties, that aid tumor growth.
READ MORE: Look Younger By Eating This Food Every Day! How To Make Broccoli Sprouts
Shop the calcium rich foods products:
- Organic Dried Figs
- Anthony’s Organic Hulled Sesame Seeds
- WHITE Certified Organic Chia Seeds
- Sunfood Almonds
Want to see more from fabulous 50s?
Check out my favourite fashion, beauty and lifestyle products for women over 50!
Join over 3,000 women over 50 on the fabulous 50s Private Facebook Community Group!
2 Responses
Hi Schella,
I really enjoy the YouTube workouts and have been able to stick with it longer than any other exercise show/video because they are more gentle and not so intense for those of us who are not fitness instructors. Also, the shorter videos of 15-20 minutes is easier to complete and makes me feel good about myself because I accomplished something that is for my benefit.
I do struggle with meal ideas as I enjoy all kinds of foods but live in a household with picky eaters and I wondered if you thought about doing a cookbook or even menu ideas. I goodle meal ideas but unfortunately they do not keep “healthy eating” for women over 50 in mind.
Thank you again for all the videos. I hope you continue your videos and helpful advice. Transitioning though menopause has been made easier with your help.
Love the new house and beautiful property. You have your own paradise right in your back yard. Wouldn’t it be nice if the entire earth and everyone had a beautiful paradise to live in?
(Psalms 37:10,11,29)
Thanks again!! Keep up the great work!
You are amazing Julie!???? You should be so proud of yourself for all of the hard work you’re putting in.???????? I am currently working on content about meal planning. Please stay tuned or subscribe to the email list for updates. In the meantime, I hope the Healthy Recipes section of the blog interests you… https://fabulous50s.com/healthy-recipes/.