Calcium, the body’s most abundant mineral, plays a critical role in bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis, but it does much more than that. Calcium allows cells to divide, regulates muscle contraction and relaxation, keeps the heart beating and the brain working, plays an important role in the movement of protein and nutrients inside cells, helps control blood pressure, and is essential for blood clotting. Calcium also seems to protect against heart attacks and certain types of cancers.

The body maintains its blood calcium level at any expense so if you’re not absorbing enough calcium from what you eat to satisfy your body’s requirement, you’ll steal it from your bones. In effect, the body uses its bones as a calcium bank. It constantly takes calcium from the bone and supplies it to the blood to make sure that all of these essential functions can continue.

Many adults shrug off the need for adequate calcium and feel it’s not necessary since they’re no longer building bone, a process that ends at about age 30. But if you continue to consume an inadequate amount of calcium, you’ll gradually erode your skeleton to the point where breaks are more likely. According to research, if adults made sure they were eating enough calcium rich foods and either walked or participated in some other form of weight-bearing exercise for 30 minutes a day, they could substantially reduce the incidence of broken bones resulting from osteoporosis.

Because vitamin D plays a role in the body’s absorption of calcium, consuming a sufficient amount is also crucially important. And, since your body makes vitamin D when exposed to the sun’s rays, 15 to 30 minutes of sunlight on your face and hands two to three times a week will take care of it. If you are over the age of 40 then take a good multivitamin and mineral containing vitamin D (see Resources, page 41).

Good Sources of Calcium:

Although the optimal amount of calcium isn’t known, “enough” in the US is 1,200 mg a day for women over 50 whereas in the UK it is 700mg.

Everybody tends to think of getting calcium only from dairy products. But you can get calcium from many other foods as well. Tofu, eggs, hazelnuts and sesame seeds contain good amounts of calcium. Leafy green vegetables, canned sardines, and tinned salmon with bones are other good sources. Even carrots and green peas contain calcium.

The most important message about calcium is also the simplest: Make sure you get an adequate amount. You don’t have to count milligrams with every bite, but learn which foods are rich in calcium and make them a regular part of your diet. And, to guarantee that the calcium you eat becomes available to your body, get sufficient vitamin D, via the sun or in a multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Just because you are watching your weight doesn’t mean you have to forgo the pleasures of eating out. Fortunately most restaurants offer a healthy choice as part of their standard meals, even if it is not highlighted as such on the menu.

If you want something special, ask — don’t be afraid to tell the waiter or waitress that you would like your vegetables served without butter or your fish without any sauce, but make sure you do it when they take your order.

Avoid high-fat starters such as pate or anything deep fried — choose melon, soup, salad or smoked salmon instead.

Avoid creamy sauces and anything fried. Vegetarian options are not necessarily lower in calories — avoid dishes that contain cheese.

You don’t have to miss out on dessert, just choose wisely. Opt for the fruit salad and be careful about how much you drink. A glass of wine may contain around 100 calories, but one glass tends to lead to another and another.

The patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life. Don’t take your body to the doctor as if he were a repair shop.