Week 5 Lesson:

Calcium and Vitamin D

MAMA RESET NOURISH

Dem Bones

It’s time to talk about a mineral you’ve probably heard a lot about over your lifetime: calcium.

We’ve known for a long time that calcium is essential to bone & tooth health. Even back in the “dark ages” of nutrition in which we grew up, many of our fave childhood food products were fortified with calcium: orange juice, instant oatmeal, & breakfast cereal. Concern about osteoporosis in our old age has made calcium one of the most commonly used supplements in North America. (More on that below.)

But did you know calcium also keeps your muscles, nerves, and blood vessels working well, and it’s one of the key minerals involved in blood pressure control?

Bones. Heart. Blood Vessels. Muscles. Nerves.

Calcium is a priority, mama.

Calciumama

Your prenatal vitamin probably contained a hefty dose of calcium. Here’s why. You’ve got a skeleton of bones that’s sort of like your “calcium reserves.” When you become pregnant & start building that little one’s skeleton inside you, you’ve got to share your calcium reserves.

Putting more calcium into you can help offset the natural leaching of calcium from mama’s bones as baby’s bones are created.

Then baby is born and it’s time to make — you guessed it — calcium-rich milk!

Basically, you’re a calcium factory. Magical, right?

Some bone loss during pregnancy and lactation is normal. Bone density normally recovers after weaning, and research generally indicates no increased risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis or fractures.

‼️ Still, due to the massive increase in your daily needs, the daily recommended intake (DRI) of calcium for pregnant and lactating women is 1,300 to 3,000 mg.

For those who are no longer pregnant or breastfeeding and the non-mama population, the general adult DRI is 1,200 mg or more.

VD + Ca = BFFs

Remember a couple of weeks ago when we told you all about vitamin D? Well, here’s another job VD does in your body: it helps you absorb calcium into your bones.

Mother Nature is a genius, and she’s included vitamin D and calcium together in some foods, like fatty fish and leafy greens. Thanks, Earth!

Mother Industry has also added vitamin D to other calcium-rich foods we tend to consume regularly, namely “dairy” products such as milk and soy milk, plus breakfast cereals and orange juice, since we tend to consume those alongside calcium-rich dairy.

How To Do It

Hold up there. Let’s not go all crazy with the calcium supplements & fortified cereals.

Recent research suggests calcium supplements might not even prevent against dreaded bone loss + fractures.

Absorbtion of natural calcium is shown to be more beneficial than supplements/fortified foods, so aim to include a wide variety of whole foods.

When it comes to fortified foods & supplements, consider them an “insurance plan” on calcium deficiency

Look for calcium-rich foods on a daily basis, such as:

? Milk, yogurt, and cheese

? Canned salmon with bones

? Sardine & other small fish with bones

? Dark leafy greens, especially collard greens, turnip greens, kale + spinach

? Legumes, especially: white beans, black eyed peas, navy beans, soy beans

? Firm tofu

? Blackstrap molasses

And let’s not forget two other non-food components of bone health:

??‍♀️ weight-bearing exercise such as strength training, walking or jogging to build and maintain bone density

? safe sunshine exposure to absorb vitamin D and aid in calcium use within the bones

Mind Your Vs

When someone restricts their eating, as one might do if they are counting calories and/or trying to lose weight, there is a greater risk they’ll miss out on essential vitamins purely because they’re consuming less food in general. Since vitamins A, D, E and K are absorbed and stored in fat molecules, cutting fat intake drastically can also impact our vitamin stores.

But, not to worry, as food products have commonly become fortified with vitamins, vitamin deficiencies have become far less common in the last few decades.

Vitamin D deficiency however, is a bit more complicated. While some vitamin D is available in foods like mushrooms, fatty fish such as tuna and salmon, and egg yolks, most of the body’s vitamin D is produced through absorption of sunlight.

Let’s just say, Mother Nature probably didn’t envision us spending 23 hours out of every day indoors when she designed this system.

While we produce vitamin D naturally from sunlight, excess weight, darker skin colour, age, pollution, limited time outdoors and the strength of the sun at our particular location are all factors in our bodily levels.

Vitamin D is super important to our cellular function and overall health and studies even suggest a correlation between vitamin D levels and the incidence of and recovery from postpartum depression, but no conclusive evidence exists yet.

Deficiency in Vitamin D can cause loads of different symptoms including loss of muscle mass, bone fractures, tooth decay, increased risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease, and a compromised immune system just to name a few. Yikes!

Should you supplement?

The general medical consensus is that most people get enough vitamin D through sun exposure and food, especially fortified foods like milk and grain products.

But If you have dark skin, wear total skin covering on a daily basis (and thus have likely absorbed very little VD over your lifetime), or have a history of disordered eating, severe dieting or other malnourishment, having your vitamin D levels checked might be a good idea.

One way you can, and should, supplement with vitamin D is through safe sun exposure. Try to get out daily for 10 minutes of moderate sun to make adequate D. If you’re out longer than that or in high sun (10-3 ish, depending on where you live and the season), and you should slather on the sunscreen as usual.

If you’re thinking of supplementing, particularly in winter months when you might get less sun, the recommended intake for adults is between 600 – 4,000 IU daily.

And a special note for you mamas of wee ones: breastfed infants are recommended to be supplemented as well, with a recommended intake of 400-600 IU.

Alright, mamas. Let’s do this! ? Grab this week’s delicious recipes to up your calcium + Vitamin D intake while also providing you with the protein and healthy fats we’ve been talking about in previous weeks.

Get some workouts. Get some sunshine. And make some bones!