How much calcium do you need? Plus sources you haven’t thought of

Calcium is important for bone health, and muscle contraction and plays an important synergistic role with vitamin D3. With certain medications like prednisone, we are at increased risk of lowered calcium. To check out some of calcium’s other functions- check out our deep dive HERE.How Much Calcium Do You Need?Did you know calcium needs change throughout our lives? Pregnancy and age increase our demand for calcium which is why needs in the chart are slightly higher. Just like vitamin D, it is possible to get too much calcium so it’s important to not overdo calcium if supplementing. If you aren’t supplementing calcium, you probably don’t need to worry about overdoing calcium-rich sources in the context of a diverse diet. AgeCalcium RecommendationsUpper Limit (do not exceed)0-6 months200 mg1000 mg7-12 months260 mg1500 mg1-3 years700 mg2500 mg4-8 years 1000 mg3000 mg9-18 years1300 mg2500 mg19-50 years1000 mg2000 mg51-70 years1000 mg (male), 1200 mg (female)2000 mg70 years and older1200 mg2000 mgPregnancy & Lactation (under 18 years old)1300 mg3000 mgPregnancy & Lactation (over 18 years old)1000 mg2500 mgCalcium – Non-dairy SourcesWe typically only hear about dairy products as being calcium-rich. However, there are other sources to find calcium in. Since dairy is often not well tolerated in IBD- it’s […]