The Body's Champion

Every BODY needs a champion. What is a Champion? Webster's New World College Dictionary says that a champion is 1) a valiant fighter, and 2) a person who fights for another or for a cause; defender; protector: supporter. Although calcium is not a person, it is a defender, a protector and a supporter. Want to know how calcium does all of this? This is how.

Taking calcium supplements and making sure you have calcium in your meal plan keeps your bones and your nails strong. It keeps your hair healthy. By keeping your bones strong, calcium "defends" them in times when they could be broken or fractured. Calcium "protects" you from a disease called osteoporosis. Calcium helps "support" your body frame.

If you don't get enough of that marvelous mineral, you could be susceptible to a disease called osteoporosis. Without it, your bones become brittle and you could have a body bent over with a humpback instead of standing tall and proud. Although this disease is most common with women, men are susceptible of having it also. And how do you know if you are a victim of this disease? Go see your doctor so he or she can do a bone density test to find out if you need some medical attention.

Here is a little personal history I want to share with you: I went to a counselor at a facility that helps with weight management and my counselor asked me, "Are you taking calcium supplements?" When I said "no," she responded, "Why not?" And I told her a story about a little lesson I learned at work. I told her how the supplement tablets can lay in the stomach without being dissolved. She told me, "Then take Tums." Tums has 800 mg of calcium per serving. Take two a day. It dissolves as soon as it hits your mouth. No tablets lying in the stomach. So that's what I do. I take two Tums every morning

I also like to eat foods that are high in calcium, like yogurt, cottage cheese, milk and believe it or not broccoli. Nutrients received in the body from foods are always better than supplements because anything natural helps your body without side effects; that is, unless you're allergic to a certain food, like some people are lactose intolerant. So you have a choice. You can enjoy your nutrients from food and milk or from supplements. If it is in your meal plan, I would suggest trying to get as many vitamins and nutrients via the natural way (your food). So there you have it. The inside scoop on calcium, the champion of the body