MInd your Calcium - Habit of the Week

Every day, our bodies require calcium.  Every single muscle contraction has an ion of calcium as the gatekeeper at the junction or interface of the nerve and muscle.  So our daily requirement of calcium is very important because, not only exercise, but all the big muscles involved in digestion, circulation,  breathing, all require calcium. Even the very smallest muscle contractions like those involved in facial expressions or blinking etc etc all require a calcium ion.

So if dietary calcium intake does not meet this need, then the calcium is taken from the bones, which is known also as the storehouse of calcium.

It is essential to get the calcium we need each day - but how much.  It varies with the stages of life.
Young people are still building up their bone density.  Pregnant women need extra calcium

Here is the chart for adults:-

Age	EAR	RDI
Men
19-30 yr	840 mg/day	1,000 mg/day
31-50 yr	840 mg/day	1,000 mg/day
51-70 yr	840 mg/day	1,000 mg/day
>70 yr	1,100 mg/day	1,300 mg/day
Women
19-30 yr	840 mg/day	1,000 mg/day
31-50 yr	840 mg/day	1,000 mg/day
51-70 yr	1,100 mg/day	1,300 mg/day
>70 yr	1,100 mg/day	1,300 mg/day

and for children and adolescents:-

Age	EAR	RDI
All
1-3 yr	360 mg/day	500 mg/day
4-8 yr	520 mg/day	700 mg/day
Boys
9-11 yr	800 mg/day	1,000 mg/day
12-13 yr	1,050 mg/day	1,300 mg/day
14-18 yr	1,050 mg/day	1,300 mg/day
Girls
9-11 yr	800 mg/day	1,000 mg/day
12-13 yr	1,050 mg/day	1,300.   mg/day
14-18 yr	1,050 mg/day	1,300 mg/da

From "Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand"Here is a link to the article which contains these tables. https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/calcium

This week's habit is to take a look at your dietary calcium.