0ur Calcium Needs

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. Every cell requires calcium. Ninety-nine percent of the body's calcium is found in the bones and the teeth. Calcium is essential in proper blood clotting, nerve impulse function, muscle operation, and proper bone, teeth, and cartilage formation. Excess bed rest causes calcium loss. Perhaps this is due to lack of exercise which is important in calcium function in the body. Tests on astronauts indicated that they were losing 200mg. calcium/day because of the sedentary nature of their work.

Forty women in a nursing home, aged 69 to 95, were exercised lightly to moderately for 30 minutes a day, three days a week. These women showed no changes and some showed increase in bone formation. The non-exercise group showed bone loss.

Experiments have shown that animals fed a low calcium diet are much more disease prone: the lower the calcium levels in the food the less energy the animals get from the food.

We can diminish the likelihood of calcium losses by avoiding a high protein (such as meat and other animal products, as well as meat substitutes), or a high phosphorous diet. (Soft drinks are one source containing high amounts of phosphoric acid.)

The best sources of calcium are ; Soybeans, Collards and other Greens, Sesame Seeds and/or Sesame Butter, Almonds, Figs, Beans, Oats, Molasses, Carob, and Raw Vegetables.

In nature we find that mothers milk has 80 mg. of calcium per cup whereas in cows milk it is 288 mg. It is now known that for people not on a high protein diet about 350 mg. daily dietary intake of calcium is sufficient, whereas 800 mg. is recommended for others.