Making the Calcium Connection
To help meet a calcium requirement of 1,000 mg/day, you need to consume at least two calcium-rich foods daily, such as:

• Low-fat or nonfat yogurt (250 to 400 mg calcium/cup).
• Fat-free milk (300mg calcium/cup).
• Calcium-fortified orange or grapefruit juice (350 mg calcium/8-ounce glass).

Like the calcium in dairy products, the calcium in most fortified foods can be readily absorbed by the body. Make sure you are getting adequate Vitamin D in your diet also to help absorb calcium.

Not a milk guzzler? For extra health insurance, you might consider taking a calcium supplement (ask your physician about one that also contains vitamin D, necessary for absorption) to top off the calcium in your diet. Research has indicated that calcium supplements in the form of calcium-citrate are absorbed better than calcium carbonate when taken with a meal. Robert Heaney, MD, a calcium researcher, suggests taking a 500-mg calcium supplement each day and getting the remaining 500 to 1,000 mg of calcium from food or beverages (but talk to your own doctor about a recommended plan for you).

And what if you're lactose intolerant? Don't write off dairy products. Ask your doctor about supplements like Diary Ease or Lactaid that help your body digest the protein in milk. And try to consume foods such as milk, cheese or yogurt with meals. Food slows the rate that lactose enters your intestine, so your body can handle it better. Lactose-free milk and soy milk with added calcium are other options' but make sure you check the soy milk package, because unless calcium's added, it won't contain much on its own.

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You probably know that getting plenty of calcium in your diet is one of the best ways to ward off bone-thinning osteoporosis. But that's not all. The latest research has revealed four new reasons to get the recommended daily intake of this mighty mineral �?1,000 milligrams per day for adults up to the age of 50 and 1,200 per day if you're over fifty. Read on for all the benefits this super nutrient offers you �?in addition to building bone.

1. Combating colon cancer. A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that a diet rich in calcium may help prevent colon cancer, one of the three most common cancers among women. Possible theory: Calcium binds with bile (a substance that aids digestions) and fatty acids, which may otherwise irritate the colon and create cancerous conditions.
   
   
2. Downsizing PMS: With more calcium in your diet, you are apt to suffer less from the mood swings, headaches and smoldering irritability and anxiety associated with Pre-Menstrual Syndrome, A.K.A. "That Time of The Month." A major study in the American Journal of Obstetrical Gynecology suggests that upping your daily dose to 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams per day can reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms by 50 percent.
   
   
3. Preventing high blood pressure: High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Calcium from low-fat dairy products, in combination with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, has been shown in The New England Journal of Medicine to help keep blood pressure in check.
   
   
4. Beating breast cancer. Calcium may also help reduce the risk of breast cancer, especially if you're a milk drinker. A recent Finnish study published in the British Journal of Cancer, involving more than 4,600 women, concluded that those who drank roughly three 8-ounce glasses of milk (about 900 milligrams of calcium) daily had a reduced risk of breast cancer, compared with those who didn't.