Vitamin D3 supplement
Vitamin D3 supplement
Deficiency is common in Indian cities even in sunny ones, because people work indoors. Worth testing before starting.
Wellness
Calcium
For teeth, for bones, for the long health of the frame that carries you.
Bone is not inert scaffolding. It is living tissue that is broken down and rebuilt continuously, and roughly by your late twenties you have as much of it as you are ever going to have. Everything after that is maintenance.
Where calcium comes from
Milk, curd and paneer are the densest everyday sources and the reason dairy is so heavily recommended. Beyond them: ragi (nachni), til (sesame), almonds, rajma, leafy greens such as sarson and methi, and small fish eaten with the bones. Ragi in particular is one of the best plant sources available in India and is badly underused outside the south.
The part everyone forgets
Calcium without vitamin D is largely wasted - D is what allows the gut to absorb it at all. Vitamin D deficiency is very common in Indian cities, including in sunny ones, because people work indoors and cover up outdoors. Fifteen to twenty minutes of daylight on the arms most days covers most people; if you are indoors all day, ask for a blood test rather than guessing.
Taking calcium while short of vitamin D is like buying bricks and never opening the gate.
Loading the bone
Bone responds to being used. Walking, stairs, and any weight-bearing work signal the body to keep the bone dense. Swimming is excellent for many things but does very little for bone, because the water carries you.
Products
Sesame (til) seeds
Sesame (til) seeds
A dense plant source of calcium, useful for anyone who does not take dairy.
Ragi (finger millet) flour
Ragi (finger millet) flour
One of the better plant sources of calcium available in India, and badly underused outside the south.
Worth having
Picked to go with what you have just read. We only list ordinary, widely available things.