Having the right type of vitamins and minerals is an essential part of making sure that you’re healthy. But do you know what exactly these vitamins and minerals do for your body? Welcome to our vitamin and mineral spotlight!
In this article we’re going over Calcium, a mineral that can be found in large amounts in your body. Calcium is widely considered as the “bone” mineral because of its effects, but it is much more than that
What is Calcium?
Calcium is one of the most important and abundant minerals in your body. The main reason why it is so abundant is due to the amount of uses it has for your body. Calcium is almost unmatched when it comes to the number of functions it has in your body like:
Keeping Your Bones Healthy
Your bones are the supports of your body. However, you have to deal with various things that can weaken and create small fractures in your bones. The silver lining of this is that your bones become stronger once these microfractures heal. Calcium makes sure that the new bone that forms is stronger than the last.
Your bones are also considered a type of storage for calcium. If there isn’t enough calcium in the rest of your body to sustain other functions, then it is taken here.
Helping Your Body Repair Itself
Whenever you get hurt and an object breaks your skin. Your blood comes out and solidifies around the wound. This is what is called a clot and it makes sure that the injury doesn’t have a major impact on the rest of your body. Calcium makes sure that clots happen faster and more effectively.
Making Sure That Your Nerves Transmit Signals To The Rest of Your Body
The nerves in your body is what carries the electrical signals from your brain. They make sure that the right signals get to the right place. If there is a problem here then you may have difficulty moving and experience pain. Calcium ensures that your nerves are always in top condition and ensure that moving is painless.
Calcium Keeps Your Heart Beating
Remember how we said that the nerves carry electrical signals from your brain? Those signals include the involuntary things your body does without your input. This includes your heart. Calcium makes sure that you don’t have any irregular heart beats that could cause problems down the line.
Best Sources for Calcium
Now that you know what calcium does for your body, it’s time to find out where you should get it.
There are a large number of sources for calcium in food. The most well known sources are dairy products like milk, and green leafy vegetables. These foods are excellent not just for your calcium intake but also other vitamins and minerals.
In case you don’t have access to these foods and drinks then you also have the option of taking in calcium supplements. They may not be as good as natural sources of calcium but they can certainly fill in the gap.
