You know you’re supposed to drink your milk for strong bones but what most people are not aware of is the link between calcium intake and weight loss. New research has shown that boosting calcium consumption spurs weight loss in people whose diets are calcium deficient. The discovery was made in a 15-week weight loss program on obese women where participants consumed on average less than 600 mg of calcium per day, (the recommended daily intake is 1000 mg). In addition to following a low cal diet, the women were instructed to take two tablets a day containing either a total of 1200 mg of calcium or a placebo. Those who took the calcium tablets lost nearly 6 kg over the course of the program, compared to 1 kg for women in the control group. Apparently the brain can detect the lack of calcium and seeks to compensate by spurring food intake, which obviously works against the goals of any weight loss program; having enough calcium intake seems to stifle the desire to eat more.
So, taking in enough calcium is important to ensuring the success of any weight loss program. Over 50% of obese women do not consume the recommended daily intake and earlier findings, from 2003, showed that women who consumed diets low in calcium had more body fat, bigger waistlines, and higher bad cholesterol levels than those who consumed moderate or large amounts of calcium. Another study showed that the more people reduced their consumption of dairy products over the six-year period examined, the more weight and body fat they gained and the bigger their waistlines grew. In 2007, a direct link between calcium and a lower cardiovascular risk profile among dieters.
So you want to cover your bases for weight loss and enrich your calcium intake?
Here is a list of foods that give you more than 300 mg of Calcium per 100 gm of that food:
Milk and milk products
Cereals and Grains
Vegetables: Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of calcium. Beetroot greens, Turnip greens
Spices: Cumin, Coriander, Cloves, Oregano, Mustard seeds
