Some cold milk and some warm sun 🌄🌞

Calcium is a mineral that is essential for building strong bones, maintaining a normal heartbeat, regulating blood pressure, and even maintaining a healthy functioning nervous system. Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. However what a lot of people don’t realize is that it is also found in other items such as dark green vegetables and dried beans. There are also many calcium-fortified products such as orange juice, cereal bars, and fitness water. These products help to add needed calcium into the diets of individuals who do not consume dairy on a regular basis. Average adults need at least 1000mg of calcium daily, while post-menopausal women need up to 1,200mg a day. As important as calcium is to the body it is useless without Vitamin D, which is promotes the absorption of calcium.  It regulates how much calcium remains in your blood and how much is deposited in bones and teeth. Vitamin D is found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, and sardines, egg yolks, beef liver, and fortified milk. Vitamin D is also synthesized when an individual’s skin is exposed to sunlight. Osteoporosis is most often associated with inadequate calcium intake. However, a deficiency of vitamin D also contributes to osteoporosis by reducing calcium absorption. According to the National Institutes of Health, people with a vitamin D insufficiency absorb less than 10% of available calcium. In other words, even if you have an adequate calcium intake, you may not absorb it effectively if you have low levels of vitamin D. Average adults need 200 IU of vitamin D daily while adults over 50 need 400 IU daily. The recommendation for vitamin D intake further increases to 600 IU for people over 70 years of age. However, 25% to 50% of the populations over 50 years old are experiencing low vitamin D levels. So enjoy a tall glass of milk on the porch today to boost you calcium and Vit D intake.