Despite widely held belief, there is no evidence to support the idea that increasing your intake of calcium for weight loss is a good idea. Some claim that it keeps your bones healthy, which makes sense, but sadly, the majority of mainstream diets are high in fat and/or sugar, two items that can consume a lot of calcium.
Therefore, while it’s important to include enough calcium into your diet to maintain the health of your bones, doing so won’t have any other benefits for your waistline.
That said, some research does suggest that getting adequate levels of dietary calcium may play a small part in helping individuals achieve their weight loss goals.
However, before drawing any definitive conclusions, we must look at the studies carefully. It is important to note that not all researchers agree about whether or not including foods with vitamin D can be used as a placebo factor to determine if additional calcium will work.
This article will talk about the evidence for using nutritional supplements to aid in weight loss, as well as potential drawbacks.
What are the different types of calcium?
Consuming more than 1,000 mg per day can be confusing. Some experts say that eating enough dairy (try to add milk to your breakfast menu) is important for weight loss, while other professionals suggest limiting dietary calcium to avoid obesity.
There are three major types of calcium you’ll come across when trying to determine how much calcium for weight loss you need: natural source, supplement, or fortified.
You’ve probably heard about the importance of consuming an adequate amount of vitamin D, but many people forget about calcium. That’s because most foods contain adequate amounts of calcium — it’s not always obvious which ones are!
Experts agree that individuals who limit their intake of sugar and starch may benefit from higher intakes of calcium. This advice applies particularly to those who like to bake, as both often feature wheat as a base ingredient.
Dairy products such as milk and yogurt are good sources of calcium, but none are high in cholesterol so they do not pose the same heart health risk as meat.
Can you get enough calcium through your diet?
Many people believe that to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories. Along with lowering your calorie intake, many suggest supplements such as vitamin D or calcium to help keep your bones strong. Unfortunately, although consuming more of these nutrients may boost bone health, they do not make up for poor dietary habits.
Fortunately, scientists have looked into how well individuals can meet their nutritional needs while losing weight. They discovered that even if eating less can help us lose weight, our diets still contain enough vitamins and minerals. Therefore, eating fewer calories does not necessarily mean one is losing out on anything important unless they are deficient.
Another myth about weight loss is that fat contains twice the number of calories per gram as carbohydrates or protein. This no longer seems to be the case. Recent studies have revealed that some fats take much longer for us to digest than others. Due to this, most nutritionists agree that you can’t use the total amount of calories consumed to determine whether or not you’re losing weight.
Can you get too much weight with calcium?
Even though most people understand that eating more fruits and vegetables is good, there are some studies that suggest eating enough dairy may not be your best weight loss choice.
A few observational studies have linked higher milk intake with longer obesity times. It has also been suggested that individuals who eat more of this food group lose less weight than those who do not.
However, it seems that if you’re at risk of developing osteoporosis or bone thinning, then having adequate amounts of calcium can help prevent this.
So, while it isn’t known whether high doses of calcium aid in weight loss, it does seem to play an important role in helping to keep our bones strong.
For this reason, we recommend having eight ounces (8 oz) of low-fat yogurt every day as part of your diet. This amount is equal to about three slices of cheese. You would want to choose lower-fat yogurts like vanilla or strawberry flavor so they don’t contain too many calories.
Alternatively, you could try adding some dried fruit and nuts to your daily snack. Try one-half cup of almonds or berries like strawberries or raspberries.
Here are some tips for getting enough calcium!
Consuming more dairy products is one of the best ways to get your daily dose of calcium. But just because you’re not eating it directly doesn’t mean that you’re still not getting enough.
Many people assume that since they don’t drink milk they don’t get calcium, but this isn’t true at all. Just because you don’t drink raw milk doesn’t mean that you’re depriving yourself of important nutrients.
By determining your body’s total calcite content, nutritional consultants can tell whether you’re deficient in calcium or not. However, experts agree that anyone who wants to lose weight should strive to consume enough calcium to keep their levels above 500 mg per day.
Drink milk
Many people believe that to lose weight, you need to drink less sugar or use glucose supplements like maltitol powder. Unfortunately, this is not true! You would think that eating foods high in calcium would help keep bones strong and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, but it does something much more than that. Drinking milk every day is a good idea!
Calcium helps feed yeast cells that live in your gut. Yeast cells contribute to digestion and energy production so having enough calcium can prevent symptoms of food sensitivity (GI issues).
Eat broccoli
Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin D, which helps to regulate calcium metabolism in your body.
But did you know that some of the magnesium in broccoli can help boost the uptake of dietary calcium into your bones?
As part of our research, we wanted to determine whether there are any health benefits to eating more broccoli or not.
We spoke with two experts who gave us very different answers about how much broccoli you should eat before it becomes too much. One said it was unnecessary, while the other called it essential.
So what do we learn from their theories? Depending on your goals, either theory could be right – but only if you’re willing to put in a little extra work first!
Here’s why…
The truth about broccoli for weight loss: You don’t need much to get lots of vitamins and minerals.
Broccoli isn’t necessarily the most delicious vegetable out there. Some people even describe it as tasting like soap due to all of its pungent compounds (such as sulforaphane).
However, it does pack a nutritional wallop – 1 cup contains around 300 kj (100 kcal) and over 100 mg of potassium, along with several grams of protein and zinc.
It also provides modest amounts of folate, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C.
Get your vitamin D
Most of us know that eating enough calcium helps keep our bones strong, but did you know that it can also help with weight loss? That’s right — calcium may be just what you need to achieve your diet goal!
Many experts agree that getting adequate levels of this nutrient can aid in weight management. That’s because calcium is used to form cells that control blood pressure, regulate hormones such as insulin and cortisol (both of which affect body temperature), and build muscles.
Calcium intake has been linked to lower BMI (body mass index), fewer obesity-related health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, and even thinner skin due to its role in bone density. While some studies claim that higher dietary calcium may promote weight gain, others show no effect at all.
How much calcium do we recommend for weight loss? The recommended daily amount for adults aged 19 and older is 1,000 mg per day. Some research suggests that individuals who consume more than 2,500 milligrams per day may experience modest weight loss. However, there are not many foods that supply that much nutrition per serving, so most people will probably fall short.
You should strive to meet this recommendation though, especially if you want to lose weight. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend lots of money on supplements to enjoy plenty of calcium.
Avoid dietary supplements
Many weight loss programs recommend taking calcium in the form of supplements to aid in bone growth or help reduce calories by helping your body use protein as a source of energy. However, there is no evidence that consuming large amounts of supplemental calcium helps you lose weight.
In fact, research shows that ingesting high doses of calcium may even increase body fat content. This comes as a surprise because most foods with enough vitamin D contain adequate calcium.
So why would eating more of one nutrient make it harder to maintain healthy levels of another? That’s what we will go over now!
Why obesity can be a problem?
To understand how overweight and obese individuals are less able to retain lean tissue, look at the two main anabolic hormones in our bodies.
These are insulin and testosterone.
Both play important roles in letting your muscles remain strong while you’re sleeping and keeping your blood glucose (or sugar) levels steady.
As you age, these hormones start to drop, which makes it more difficult to keep up muscle mass. Unfortunately, as mentioned before, when you are obese, they work extra hard to stay within safe limits.
That’s where problems arise: When they try too hard, they may consume too much insulin or have lower-than-normal levels of testosterone.
When this happens, your body uses other nutrients like muscle and connective tissues for fuel instead. Your overall metabolism slows down, making it easier to gain weight.
Take Away!
Weight loss goals have been defined as either too easy or too hard earlier. Recently, many new researches are published that suggest that any of you can achieve weight loss goals. If you still have queries on calcium for weight loss, drop a comment.
