Calcium tracking

Sbutter

Just started tracking on the cronometer. Recently diagnosed with osteoporosis and am tracking the calcium closely. When I go to the total mg of calcium, it’s way below what I’ve entered as I added my food up manually. Need help

Karen_Cronometer

Hi Sbutter,

Would you like to email us a screenshot to support@cronometer.com and our customer support team will investigate the issue.

Cheers,

lizbertawhite

I'm working with a naturopath for the same reason, osteoporosis with multiple vertebral fractures.
I also can NOT get enough calcium from food as I don't digest dairy well and I learned I was celiac which I now have under control by eating no gluten.
So now for dairy, I only eat Greek yogurt and no more than an ounce of gouda cheese a couple times a week. I eat organic and tons of veggies & fruit and very little processed food, still my calcium intake is too low.
First off there are many studies (peer reviewed - PubMed) that show we do NOT need 1200 mg per day and in fact if you try to get that from supplements you are likely to trigger problems with calcium in your blood instead of your bones. 700 - 800 mg per day is lots. (and from food is best) Also you need Vit D3, Magnesium and Vit K2(MK 7) to help escort calcium into your bones. She has me taking a smaller amount of calcium citrate supplement on the days when I can see I won't be getting enough calcium in my diet.
Takes a bit of adjusting to get it figured out but the cronometer is a huge help to assist having a closer idea of what nutrients you are actually getting through your food.
I hope this helps. Good Luck on your journey to healthier bones.

robartsd

I've been wondering about calcium too. I don't have any known medical issues (my body analysis scale says I have excellent bone density - though my absolute bone mass reported has dropped a small amount as I lost weight last year), but as I've been tracking it seems to be the one mineral that I never have enough of. Perhaps I need to do some more research the topic and adjust my target rather than my diet.

lizbertawhite

From everything I've read and the naturopath I work with taking a small supplement with a meal is no different than taking say a fortified almond milk, or orange juice or cereal or anything else they have added calcium to. So I think it's best not to stress yourself and if you don't naturally take in about 800 mg of calcium through food in a day then you can add a small calcium supplement to make up the difference. I no longer shoot for 1200 mg as there are lots of studies coming out of Europe and Britain saying we only need 700 mg. / day, safer for the cardio and providing enough calcium for the bones. Check into that... makes life a bit easier!

robartsd

Cronometer's default target is 1000 mg. I generally get at least 50% of that and probably average 700-800 mg per day. Unless it's pretty important to get the calcium daily rather than simply having a decent daily average, I'm probably OK.

I'm sure I got plenty of calcium in my early years - I drank a lot of milk as a teen and into my 20's.

Susan_RD_101

Calcium is one of those nutrients that still has many unknowns. Because there are so many factors that influence the availability of calcium in both food and bodies, there is ongoing debate about the exact amount that is needed for bone health.

European countries have a daily recommended target slightly below North America but both guidelines are in agreement that needs increase post-menopausally (and in older males) since bone loss begins to exceed bone accretion.

Beyond that, we know that maintaining healthy bones requires a balance of many other nutrients (some of which were mentioned above), getting the right amount of protein, paying attention to sodium and caffeine, and engaging in regular weight-bearing activity.

SharonCC

I've just eaten 200g canned salmon (including bones and skin) and Cronometer doesn't show any calcium or Vit A, this is wrong surely, I've googled it on various sources and it definitely has calcium and Vit D, I've noticed this before but have only just found the Forums

Karen_Cronometer

Hi @SharonCC

It sounds like you may have selected a brand name product that does not have that information available. Instead, try a generic version from the source: NCCDB. These foods have much more complete nutrient profiles, including calcium, vitamin A and D!

Try "Salmon, Canned, Pink, Drained" or Food #462647

KinsleyMaynard

Hello there! I know it's been a while since you posted about tracking your calcium intake, but I wanted to jump in with some helpful tips. Firstly, double-check your manual calculations to make sure there are no errors in your entries. It's easy to miss something when tracking your food intake. Additionally, if you're looking to save some money on your supplements, you might want to consider using a Pharmacy Card. It's a program that can help you save on both prescription and over-the-counter medications. This could be a great way to save some cash if you're on a tight budget. Anyway, don't hesitate to reach out if you need any more advice or support. LMK how you're doing!!