
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) promotes good vision and healthy skin, and is also important in converting the amino acid tryptophan into niacin.Vitamin B1 (thiamine) helps to release energy from foods and is important in maintaining nervous system function.This timing allows your body to maximize the vitamins and minerals of all food types. By making this timely adjustment to your meals, you gain all the nutritional benefits without interfering with your body’s ability to absorb the calcium it needs every day. Eat calcium-binding foods at least two hours before or after you eat calcium-rich foods. The best way to maximize the nutrition from foods that bind or flush calcium and continue to boost your calcium levels is just a matter of scheduling. You should still eat these types of foods, just not at the same time that you drink milk or eat calcium-rich foods. Wheat and other “bad-to-the-bone” foods provide many other vitamins and minerals vital to your health. You can eat your spinach and build your calcium, too. Don’t drink more than two or three alcoholic drinks a day.Avoid eating foods that have a sodium content higher than 20 percent of the daily recommended value.Calcium flushing can make the bones porous, which can lead to the development of osteoporosis. As calcium levels in the blood decrease, the body extracts (resorbing) calcium from the bones to obtain the calcium it needs to function properly. Beer, cheese and snacks are a trifecta for calcium loss.Īlcohol and salty foods are catalysts for calcium flushing. Eat your meal and then drink your milk later. To make the most of your calcium intake, don’t drink milk with your beef stew, chili or steak dinner. More study is needed to determine protein’s effect on the body’s ability to process calcium. But recent studies show protein also may increase intestinal calcium absorption. Historically, nutritionists have warned that eating large amounts of protein causes the kidneys to flush calcium out of the body. Does protein interfere with calcium absorption? Though these foods should not be considered for their calcium value, they do provide other nutrients and minerals that help the body stay healthy. Other foods that contain oxalic acid include beet greens, rhubarb and sweet potatoes. The body is unable to process the calcium it provides. Spinach is naturally high in calcium, but it is also high in oxalic acid. Oxalic acid hinders calcium absorption.įoods high in oxalic acid also impede the absorption of calcium by binding the mineral. When calcium is bound, the body cannot use it. Phytates found in whole-grains, legumes (dried beans), nuts and soy products bind the calcium of other foods eaten when they are eaten at the same time. Eating a high-fiber, whole-wheat cereal with milk, macaroni and cheese, or drinking a tall, cold glass of milk with Boston baked beans and hot dogs may be great-tasting combinations, but they do not boost bone-building nutrition. High-fiber foods contain phytates, which prevent the body from absorbing calcium in other foods. There are certain foods, like wheat, that block calcium absorption. But eating whole-wheat cereal and milk together may not be the best menu choice if you are trying to increase your bone mass. It sounds like a nutritious way to your day.


You even make sure you have a nutritious breakfast of natural whole wheat squares topped cold, vitamin-D-fortified milk.

You do everything in your power to maintain strong bones because you want to be active well into your 70s and 80s. You try to eat a healthy, calcium-rich diet.
