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The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Without calcium, the body would be a shapeless mass of skin. In fact, 99% of the body’s calcium can be found in the skeletal system and the teeth. That last 1% can be found in the soft tissues and the blood. The mineral most prominent in the body, practically every food that is consumed contains some amount of calcium.

Calcium is Crucial

In addition to its crucial role in helping the body develop and maintain strong bones and teeth, calcium plays a role in several other very important body functions. For example, calcium helps regulate the rhythm of your heart beat. It helps ensure that nutrients are passed into and out of cell walls properly. Calcium helps nerves and muscles function correctly. It plays a role in lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure. The blood clotting process could not work correctly without calcium. And if you’ve ever been told to drink a glass of milk before bed, there’s a reason for this advice. Calcium helps relieve insomnia.

Sources of Calcium

Getting adequate amounts of calcium is easy. The most concentrated and well absorbed sources of calcium are found in dairy products such as milk, cheese (cottage and cheddar) and yogurt. Tofu (as long as it is firm and processed with calcium sulfate), dried beans and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale and bok choy also are good sources. You’ll also find calcium in foods that have been fortified with it such as orange juice and some cereal products. Eating drained sardines (and their bones) that have been packed in oil is another option.

Think about what you’ve read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about calcium? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

The required daily allowances for calcium vary depending on age. Infants and toddlers should get 400 and 600 mg respectively. Children should increase their intake of calcium to 800 and increase to 1200 mg/day as they near puberty. Teenagers need a lot of calcium because a significant amount of bone mass is being added during this stage of life. Adolescents and even young adults should strive to get 1200 mg/day. Pregnant women should try to get between 1200 and 1500 mg/day of calcium. Men need 1000 mg/day but those age 65 and above need to increase their daily intake of calcium to 1500 mg/day.

Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency

When the body does not get a sufficient intake of calcium, the bones suffer most. The first noticeable sign is bones that become soft and brittle. Left to continue, osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones begin to deteriorate, often develops, especially in women during and after menopause.

Children who do not consume sufficient quantities of calcium generally will experience growth-related problems including bone deformation. Children also can develop Rickets, a condition that had at one time virtually been eliminated. Decaying teeth, depression and spasms in the legs and arms are other noticeable symptoms of a calcium deficiency.

While some feel that drinking milk is a good habit current science is coming out against this.  Cows milk may not be the best source for your calcium any longer as cows are given so many drugs and hormones, you are getting more than you bargained for in  your glass of milk.  So it is important to research viable alternatives such as soy milk with calcium.

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in calcium. When people start looking for more information about calcium, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

You may already be aware of the necessity to give our body both vitamins and minerals.  Sadly, many of us have no clue as to why.  It is important to note that vitamins and minerals have different roles within our body. Our body requires both of these to function properly.

You will find one substantive difference between the two is that vitamins are considered organic because they have carbon. Where as minerals, which lack carbon, are then considered inorganic substances.

Once these arrive inside the body both vitamins and minerals have important roles to play. Most of us the burn the candle at both ends know that the body can keep going for some time without you giving it the recommended daily requirements of some vitamins.  But, and this is a big BUT, if you have a mineral deficiency, it can lead to death. So lets learn how this important substance impacts the body.

Roles Minerals Play

First and foremost your body needs Iron.  This is what makes up the hemoglobin that is found in your red blood cells. Then, for your body to build strong teeth and bones, it needs calcium. Calcium plays an important role in the proper functioning of your kidneys, nerves and muscles.

Most people don’t think about this, however, without proper levels of Iodine, the thyroid gland will not perform some its most important tasks. One is to produce energy. Then the lesser known minerals are, manganese, selenium and zinc. These are called antioxidants and their responsibilities include helping to heal wounds, helping the skeletal system develop properly, and protecting cell membranes. Chromium helps keep arteries clear.

You may have heard the term trace minerals. Well, the minerals the body needs are divided into two categories. These are: Major minerals and Trace Minerals. What makes up the difference between these categories has mostly to do with the amounts the body requires. The average person needs a minimum of 100 milligrams per day just to carry out the bodily functions associated with the Major minerals. In the case of Trace minerals, on a per day basis, less than 100 milligrams are required.

The 7 Major Minerals are:

1. Calcium
2. Phosphorus
3. Magnesium
4. Sodium
5. Potassium
6. Sulfur
7. Chloride

The Trace Minerals include:

• Chromium
• Copper
• Fluoride
• Iodine
• Iron
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Selenium
• Zinc

Mineral sources

Interestingly, minerals come from the ground that covers the Earth. We don’t eat dirt and rocks, yet we get our minerals from the foods we eat. How can this be? Minerals primarily make their way into our bodies by way of the foods that grow from the ground and the animals that survive off the land. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, poultry, dairy products, grains, legumes – these and others are the primary sources of the minerals our bodies need to survive.

What’s also interesting is that individuals who eat a lot of processed foods or who fail to consume a nutritionally-balanced diet often suffer from diseases that have been directly attributed to vitamin- and mineral-related deficiencies.

Much controversy surrounds the subject of mineral supplementation. Ideally, people should strive to meet their daily mineral requirements from food because, as is the case with some vitamins, excessive amounts of some minerals inside the body can have a toxic effect.

Minerals are used for creating automobiles, building, pots, pans and many other durable products. But most importantly for humans, minerals are needed to build and maintain strong bodies capable of functioning as designed!