Are You Flushing Your Calcium?
Are You Flushing Your Calcium?
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You might be flushing your much needed calcium right down the toilet.
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• Health: Food & Nutrition • Health: How-To • Health: Medical • Health: Natural Remedies • Health: Tips & Tricks
Do you take a calcium supplement? If so, you may be flushing most of it down your toilet without knowing it. It's been suggested that our bodies only use between 30% and 50% of the calcium we get from food. If we're flushing that down the toilet we're getting even less. If you're taking a supplement and flushing out most of it then you're not getting the full benefits of your calcium supplement.

Why Do I Need Calcium

Your body loses calcium every day through your finger and toe nails, skin, hair, sweat, and urine. If your body doesn't get enough calcium it takes calcium from your bones which can decrease bone density and lead to an increased risk of fractures.

Research suggests that certain types of foods can slow or stop the absorption of calcium into your body. When that happens your body ends up flushing it out through your urine stream which can lead to a calcium deficiency.

Which Foods Cause Problems?

Coffee, wheat bran (found in cereals and toast), spinach, cocoa, sweet potatoes, and rhubarb can interfere with calcium absorption. So if you're eating a cereal that is high in fiber with milk, you might be losing a large part of the calcium benefit that milk brings to the table.

Even salt can mess things up as it increases calcium excretion through urine and sweat. Considering much sodium we eat this can be a big deal. Try eating less salt when possible and adding foods that are high in potassium (bananas for example) to counteract that effect.

Caffeine is another one to watch as it can increase calcium loss through urination. If you're a morning coffee drinker make sure any morning calcium supplement you take is done a few hours before you drink your coffee (or soda, tea, etc) or take your calcium pill later in the day.

Calcium Boosters

If you're looking to boost your calcium intake, try getting some Vitamin D (it's free from the sun, just watch the skin cancer). Adding magnesium can help keep the calcium in your body soluble and thus available to your body when it needs it. Also, look into adding more calcium rich foods like leafy greens, nuts, white or navy beans, and even calcium fortified cereals.