Are you taking your calcium?

[Flybye]

I just got my blood work back from the "fair" :rolleyes: -not MY idea of a fair - didn't see any cotton candy or merry-go-rounds, but I digress............

My Calcium was low - YIKES - I don't fashion myself with a hunch in my 70's, so I will be faithful with my Calcium from now on. My Pharmacist husband will see to it if I don't!!!

I also feel a certain desire to act as a Cal-Nag :D :rolleyes: (Get it, Cal-Mag, Cal-Nag) Anywhoo, thought I'd send a gentle reminder your way!

Take Your Calcium, Young Lady!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I just bought a giant new bottle today, right before you posted!! I'm good! :p

[KnottedYet]

I take mine. 2 a day.

(when I remember...)

[Zen]

I have to take a myriad of medications. I keep them in one of those plastic shoeboxes. Once a week I dole out my meds in the little daily dispenser thing.
Of course my calcium is in there.

[DarcyInOregon]

I take my calcium. My bone scan shows I have real strong dense bones. Osteoporosis is prevalent in my family so I've paid careful attention to my calcium intake for most of my life.

I saw a lady this afternoon whom I hadn't seen in about 7 years. She is my age. She kept saying, wow Darcy, you look so great, you look so young. I didn't know what to say in return because I was shocked at how she looked; her face was quite wrinkled, with flesh drooping and sagging and a lot of skin blemishes. Anyway, she said she got diagnosed with osteoporosis several years ago; it is her only medical condition and she is healthy otherwise. I mention all of this because maybe low calcium ages the face too, or maybe the people who are careful with the calcium are careful with all of their nutrients and so their skin doesn't age as fast. Just a thought.

Darcy

[enzed]

Taking sufficient calcium is a bit of prob for me.

Growing up in dairy country NZ, I had my fair share of milk, icecream, cheese and other yummy dairy products.

But since I hit my 20's, my tummy doesn't always take to well to lactose. Some days I'm alright, some days are shockers.

I had a grandma who had osteoporosis, and I don't want that go down that road.
So, I'm considering getting calcium tablets, so I don't go without.

And I'm alright with some yogourts & cheeses, so I try to focus on those foods. But I do like my milk & icecream, so somedays I risk an upset tummy to indulge in some hokey pokey icecream - YUMMY!

Happy riding

[crazycanuck]

Mmmmm..hokey pokey ice cream..mmmmmm.. I've not had any in a long time. Perhaps this summer i'll allow myself some :)

C..now having cravings for Hell Pizza..mmmm..

Calcium tablets, ah yes..nope I don't take them.

C

[roadie gal]

*sigh* I have the best intentions...

I have a nice big bottle of calcium in the cabinet. But I drink coffee in the morning, so I can't take the calcium in the morning. The coffee (I'm not sure what component, caffeine, etc.) binds it. By the end of the day I've completely forgotten about it. So I end up taking it maybe once a week.

*sigh* Pathetic, I know.

[lph]

The coffee (I'm not sure what component, caffeine, etc.) binds it.

Really? Darn :mad: I thought I had such a good routine down there, orange juice plus calcium plus seal oil (omega 3) first thing in the morning, followed by sandwich and cup of freshly ground coffee.

But once I get to work I have a cup of green tea and some biscuits, maybe I could have a bottle of calcium and add it to my routine there instead. I'm a routine kind of gal :D

My excuse is that my dh is allergic to milk and my son doesn't like milk, so we don't use any milk in cooking and I've "weaned" myself off it. After 15 years of hardly any milk I have trouble digesting it, actually, I can eat cheese and yoghurt but a single cup of cocoa will give me indigestion now.

[mimitabby]

hey guys, you have to take Vitamin D too or the calcium doesn't get absorbed!
imagine, a kid outside on a sunny day will get 10,000 units of Vit. D. and the pill you are taking has how much? Yep, my dr said to up the calcium AND the vitamin D.
Buy chewable calciums and tablets too. Put them in your car, in your purse at your office and on your kitchen table. Take them.

My mother... has been on calcium (but until too late not enough)
fell from her Miata (low car) to the ground and broke 3 bones in her pelvis last year.
Broke her ankle 10 years ago (this is when the problem was discovered) and it still isn't right..

take your calcium. This is no joke. our life style does NOT work without taking calcium. And being a bicyclist makes it worse.

[sandra]

My mother has severe osteoporosis. I TRY to remember to take my calcium twice a day, along with my Rx fish oil. I guess next is going to be cholesterol medication. My cholesterol is high. :(

[Grog]

Three glasses of milk a day, plus some cheese and some yogurt. I'm hitting 1200 without calcium tablets, thankfully. And there's vit. D in the milk, and in the sun!

[mimitabby]

My mother has severe osteoporosis. I TRY to remember to take my calcium twice a day, along with my Rx fish oil. I guess next is going to be cholesterol medication. My cholesterol is high. :(

get on the bike, Sandra, that's great Cholesterol medication!

[onimity]

I just drink a lot of milk. I figure that the fact that my fingernails are so strong that I can barely cut them bodes well for my bones...

To those that can't tolerate dairy, have you tried a lactase supplement when eating/drinking milk products? My dad has been lactose intolerant from birth (couldn't tolerate breast milk) but he can tolerate diary with a supplement at the time he eats it. This is good because he *loves* ice cream. :) Of course that wouldn't help if the problem is a milk allergy...

Anne

[sandra]

get on the bike, Sandra, that's great Cholesterol medication!

I'm doing that too!

[sandra]

Great article on this. (http://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/cct/2005/feb25/27no42.htm)

[Flybye]

Great article on this. (http://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/cct/2005/feb25/27no42.htm)


That is an encouraging article on cholesterol. My HDL # was 56 and low (along with my calcium), similar to the woman featured in the article, although mine was not as off as hers ("they" recommend a minimum of 59 so I am off by 3).

That just might be the extra kick in the butt that I need to get myself into the spin class that just started around here and that begins at 5:45AM - OUCH!!!!

[Deborajen]

Has anyone found a calcium supplement that doesn't cause (ugh) constipation? Taking fiber along with it just makes me queasy.

Deb

[michelem]

Deb,

"Calcium may be poorly absorbed from foods rich in oxalic acid (spinach, sweet potatoes, rhubarb and beans) or phytic acid (unleavened bread, raw beans, seeds, nuts and grains and soy isolates). Concomitant intake of a calcium supplement with foods rich in oxalic acid or phytic acid may decrease the absorption of calcium. The phytate associated with dietary fiber appears to be the major factor involved in depressing absorption of calcium."

So, taking fiber along with your calcium probably isn't such a good idea anyway . . .

Magnesium should help though. So, I suggest taking a cal/mag/D combo.

Also, "Absorption of calcium is greatest in doses of 500 milligrams or less and when taken with food." My doc recommended no more than 500 mg every 5 hrs. This makes it kinda difficult to get all 2000mg I'm supposed to have each day!

I am allergic to dairy (not lactose intolerant, but allergic) and have osteopenia (since my mid-20's - it runs in my family). I got a written rx w/diagnosis from my doc so that my FSA will reimburse me for my supplements.

Here's a good link: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium.asp

[roadie gal]

Along with the calcium, vit D and magnesium women need weight bearing exercise. Unfortunately, biking really doesn't count there. You also need to walk, run, lift weights, etc.

[roadie gal]

Here's an article that gives all of the info you might want on calcium:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium.asp

It's from the Nutrition.gov web site.

[michelem]

roadie gal,

That's the link I provided as well . . . great minds think alike! Tee hee! :D

[michelem]

Another good link:

http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/13527.0.html

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Along with the calcium, vit D and magnesium women need weight bearing exercise. Unfortunately, biking really doesn't count there. You also need to walk, run, lift weights, etc.

Absolutely right- weight bearing exercise goes hand and hand with calcium intake.
I do fitness walking for mine, cause I know biking just doesn't "count" as weight bearing exercise.

[roadie gal]

Oops, I missed your link.:o But you're right about the great minds. :p

That's the link I provided as well . . . great minds think alike! Tee hee! :D[/QUOTE]

[Flybye]

Mr. Flybye, PharmD says calcium is best absorbed with vitamin D and some fat, that is why taking it with food is so important. The vitamin D isn't that essential in the summer if we are outside - which I believe we are, ahem, because that's where the bikes are - :D To his knowledge, their isn't anything in coffee that affects the absorption rate of calcium. Soda will affect the amount of calcium in the bones because it leeches calcium from the bones.

Also, I learned that using chewable antacids is not a good way to supplement calcium. That was what I was relying on to give me the calcium that I needed. I guess when you are dieting, even tums and children's chewables taste good b/c it is like having a candy :o :o :o I also have two dairy servings a day and that obviously wasn't working either. I don't like dairy - icky!! Two a day is PLENTY for me!

BTW - Mr. Flybye had told me all of this before, but I am a smidge on the stubborn side and didn't follow any of his advice. He's smilin' now, baby! Why, oh, why am I such a stubborn one sometimes? :rolleyes: :o

I have recently been lifting weights, too, not for the bone density so much as the d@mn 10 pounds that insist on keeping their residency in my rear end. I guess that is a good double whammy!

Thanks for all of your advice - keep it coming and

Take your calcium tomorrow!!

[sgtiger]

Alright! Alright, already! I'll try to remember.:o Ice cream is dairy, so it has calcium, yeah? ;) :p <rubs hands> Give me a double scoop of triple chocolate mocha fudge, please!:D

[KnottedYet]

took my calcimumumum with my dinner of chicken breast, red wine, potato, and pickled herring with onions.

All those acids gotta help me absorb the Ca++ ions, right?

[Zen]

And I'm alright with some yogourts & cheeses, so I try to focus on those foods. But I do like my milk & icecream, so somedays I risk an upset tummy to indulge in some hokey pokey icecream - YUMMY!



Calcium isn't only in dairy foods. Broccoli, salmon and sardines are just a few of the alternate sources (http://www.spine-health.com/topics/conserv/calcium/calcium02.html)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Calcium isn't only in dairy foods. Broccoli, salmon and sardines are just a few of the alternate sources (http://www.spine-health.com/topics/conserv/calcium/calcium02.html)

Sardines are only a good source of calcium if you eat the ones with the bones left in- NOT the "skinless, boneless" sardines that are also available. Along the same lines- years ago, it was common to eat CANNED salmon and canned mackerel- all of which had the small bones left in and which were processed and cooked so that the bones just sort of melted in your mouth, like sardine bones. It's only the canned salmon (and canned mackerel) that has the calcium, along with the typical bone-in canned sardines.
Read here:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/nutrition/348-071/348-071.html

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:tsoTivsB0_MJ:pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uk024c.pdf+calcium+in+salmon&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=18&gl=us

[Zen]

Have you had that canned salmon lately? it's good but there's a whole vertebral column in there, rather unappetizing. I must confess I pick that part out:(

[KnottedYet]

my step-dad makes the best dammed smoked salmon I've EVER eaten!

(not eatin' the bones, so I take my calcium pill)

[sundial]

I am the worst when it comes to taking pills. I just don't want to. You can't make me. Wah!

Knot, I'm really hungry for smoked salmon. Oh why do I get on this forum when I haven't eaten?? :rolleyes: :p

[Tuckervill]

Re: taking pills...my middle son is 23 and he's only recently learned to swallow pills. It's been a hassle--the pediatrician gave him a hard time about needing liquid antibiotics when he was 12. He would rather suffer than swallow them, so we usually just let him suffer. But his older brother kidded him about it a lot.

Not about to be ridiculed like him, my younger son (14) learned to swallow them at a young age--without water. He went to a college football game yesterday, and got a headache. So he went to the first aid and asked for an ibuprofen. He popped it in his mouth and swallowed it. The EMS guy at the first aid station said, "Dude! Did you swallow that without water?!.... You're the man!!"

(I prefer he didn't swallow them without water, but if that's the most macho thing he insists on doing, I'm guess I'm okay with it.)

Karen

[OakLeaf]

Zen, those fish vertebrae are where all the calcium on the label comes from!

[KnottedYet]

Canned Salmon Salad
(you won't notice the vertebrae!)

1 can salmon
mayonnaise
handful or two of walnut halves and pieces
baby salad greens

Open the can without looking at the bones. Dump it in a bowl. Mash it a little and mix in walnuts and mayo. Put a scoop on a bed of salad greens.

Yummers!

(this was our standby "last minute dinner" for years, until I got really tired of it)

[sundial]

I used to eat a lot of canned salmon. I like to make salmon cakes. :p

Tuckervill, I don't have a problem swallowing pills, just reminding my self to take the darn things. Ack!

[michelem]

For those who don't like swallowing pills, there are liquid and chewable forms of calcium out there . . .

[Zen]

Zen, those fish vertebrae are where all the calcium on the label comes from!
Theres still plenty of bones left after that but yeah, that's a major portion of it.
hey- I'm still getting the omega 3's!

[Zen]

Open the can without looking at the bones.

:p :D :p

[RoadRaven]

Re: taking pills...my middle son is 23 and he's only recently learned to swallow pills. It's been a hassle--the pediatrician gave him a hard time about needing liquid antibiotics when he was 12.

Ahhh!!!
I thought my strapping 6'2" son was the only one!
He's nearly 17 and if I don't have liquid stuff in the house he would rather suffer!
He gags... crazy cause he can eat all sorts of chunky foods but he has some kind've head block (throat block) when it comes to teeny pills!!!

[RoadRaven]

Oh... and I drink almost a litre of milk a day... plus cheese and yogurt...
I am lucky as I used to be lactose intolerent but seem to have grown out of it.
I don't take calcium (or any other supplements) at all.

[kjay]

Thanks for the needed reminder! I don't drink cow's milk . . . only soy milk, and I eat very few dairy products except a bit of cheese or some yogurt once in a while. I did find some liquid calcium at Whole Foods that I really like, so will pick up some more and pay more heed to your reminder. I think I'm already starting to get a hump (or is that because I love camels so?) lololol