Calcium
CA
What calcium does for you
Aside from building strong bones, your body needs calcium to handle other important tasks: to move muscles, send messages through the nervous system, help release hormones and enzymes, and circulate blood. While calcium supports all of these critical functions, more than 99% of this precious mineral gets stored in your bones and teeth to keep them healthy and strong - and to have calcium on hand for when you really need it.
If you're not getting enough calcium in your diet, especially during pregnancy, your body will actually draw what it needs from your bones, as if borrowing it, until you replace it with new calcium. Over time, this can weaken your bones.
Storing calcium for the future
Your body can't make calcium, so it absorbs it from your diet and from supplements, then stores it. From childhood through your teen years, you build up your calcium stores until you reach your peak bone mass; you then stop increasing your calcium stores and start maintaining them. That's why getting calcium early on and throughout your life is so important.
How your bones change
Your bones are constantly changing over the course of your lifetime, and calcium is key to supporting these changes so your bones support you:
Your bones continue growing until you reach your peak bone mass in your 20s.
As you grow, your bones are broken down and rebuilt through bone remodeling, where old bone tissue is removed, then replaced with new bone tissue, helping repair damage from repeated stresses.
After your 30s, your body produces less new bone, and you experience more bone loss. But, you can slow down bone loss and help reduce your risk of osteoporosis with proper nutrition and exercise.
The calcium-rich foods you need
Since your body depends on you to fuel up with calcium-rich foods and supplements like Viactiv® Calcium plus D, knowing your go-to sources is important. Here's how much daily calcium is recommended for you, and the high calcium food choices that can help you reach your daily requirement - in addition to the 650 mg of calcium you get in every tasty Viactiv® Calcium plus D chew.
Your Daily Calcium, By Age:
The FDA has increased the recommended daily value of calcium by 30% to 1,300 mg.— a new standard for all people 4 years old and up. Viactiv is meeting this new standard now, well ahead of the FDA’s 2020 deadline, to still deliver 100% of your daily value of calcium a day in just two tasty chews.
| To Bank In Childhood | To Maintain In Adulthood (Also During Pregnancy and Lactation) | To Slow Down Bone Loss in Menopause | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To Bank In Childhood | To Maintain In Adulthood (Also During Pregnancy and Lactation) | To Slow Down Bone Loss in Menopause | |
| Age range: | 4 to 18 years old | 19 to 50 years old | 51+ years old |
| Recommended daily calcium intake: | 1,300 mg | 1,300 mg | 1,300 mg |
| Recommended upper limit for calcium: | 2,500 mg | 2,500 mg | 2,500 mg |
High Calcium Options
Dairy Products
Yogurt
Plain, Low Fat, 8 oz.
415 mg
Mozzarella
Part Skim, 1.5 oz.
333 mg
Cheddar Cheese
Part Skim, 1.5 oz.
307 mg
Milk
Nonfat, 8 oz.
299 mg
Milk
2% milk fat, 8 oz.
293 mg
Cottage Cheese
1% milk fat, 1 cup
138 mg
Calcium-Fortified Foods
Soy Milk
Calcium-Fortified, 8 oz.
299 mg
Orange Juice
Calcium-Fortified, 6 oz.
261 mg
Ready-to-Eat Cereal
Calcium-Fortified, 1 cup
100-1000 mg
Fruits & Vegetables
Figs
Dried, ½ cup
121 mg
Kale
Raw, Chopped, 1 cup
100 mg
Turnip Greens
Fresh, Boiled, ½ cup
99 mg
