Check Your Calcium Athletes; Your Bones and Careers will Thank you!

As an athlete, your body is your job. The foundation of what holds that precious body in place and allows you to move in sport is your skeleton. Your bones are precious and frankly you have to use them for the rest of your life!

Most athletes understand the critical role that calcium plays in our body and why it’s important:

• Essential for bone formation (the majority of calcium in our body is contained in bones and teeth)
• Nerve transmission, Muscle contraction, Blood clotting
• Insufficient calcium intake is linked to bone conditions like osteoporosis (weakened bone structure due to decreased bone mass), which increases the risk of fractures.

Even though athletes understand this, most don’t know how much calcium they actually need per day, and have never bothered to check to see if they are getting enough.  How much do you need?

Dietary Reference Intake for Calcium

Are you eating enough for your needs?

BC Dairy Foundation has an amazing, FREE Calcium Calculator tool where you can track and assess your current intake:

http://bcdairyfoundation.ca/interactive/calcium-calculator/

Before reaching for a supplement bottle, remember that food is the #1 source of nutrients. Check out these examples of how easy it is to achieve your intake from food!