Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast. This week's episode was suggested by a listener

who wrote in with concerns about calcium. My doctor has advised me to take 1200 milligrams

of calcium a day, but I've read that the calcium from supplements can end up in your arteries.

So is eating calcium-fortified foods the same as taking a calcium supplement? Or is it

best to get calcium only from foods that contain it naturally? Okay, there's lots to unpack here.

The recommended daily allowance for calcium for women over 50 is 1200 milligrams and a lot of

women and their doctors interpret that to mean that they should be taking a 1200 milligram calcium

supplement. And if you go into the vitamin I love the drugstore, you will see lots of bottles of

calcium marked 1200 milligrams. By the way, even if the bottle says 1000 or 1200 milligrams that

doesn't necessarily mean that each pill contains that much, you need to check the dosage instructions

which are in that teeny tiny type on the back of the bottle because often it takes two or even three

tablets to get the amount that's listed on the front of the bottle. But almost no one needs to be

taking that much calcium in supplement form. The typical diet provides around 250 milligrams of

calcium, not counting dairy products. So if you do consume dairy products, it's likely to be

quite a bit higher than that. Each serving of dairy provides another 250 to 300 milligrams and

other foods such as tofu and certain vegetables can contribute significant amounts of calcium as well

plus any calcium fortified products such as non-dairy milk alternatives, orange juice and some

cereals will contribute even more. So depending on your eating habits, it is entirely possible

that you are getting the recommended amount of calcium without needing any supplements at all.

Now calcium fortified foods typically use the same form of calcium as you will find in the most

common calcium supplements. But getting that calcium from a fortified food instead of a pill or

tablet does offer some advantages. It means that you're getting your calcium in smaller amounts,

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