Reminder about calcium

Since there have been several posts about different calcium supplements recently, I thought it was time to post this reminder again.

The ASMBS says we need 1500-2000 mg calcium per day and recommends calcium citrate.  The two most common kinds of calcium found in supplements are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate.  Tums, Viactiv and Caltrate are all calcium carbonate and we don’t absorb that well at all.  We absorb about 4% of the calcium in it so you’d need to take about 60 Viactivs every day to get enough calcium.  No, that’s not a typo.  Optisource also contains calcium carbonate and Bariatric Fusion has a mixture of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.

Citracal and generic forms of Citracal contain calcium citrate, which is what we need.  It’s hard to find chewable calcium citrate in stores but Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage both make them and you can order online.  Upcal D, which is a powder you can mix in a drink, is also calcium citrate.  You can find liquid forms as well.

Tricalcium phosphate is another kind of calcium found in some supplements and it is also not absorbed well at all.  That’s what’s in Flintstones.  Wellesse, a liquid calcium supplement, contains a mixture of tricalcium phosphate and calcium citrate, so you’ll only absorb some of the calcium in there.

Make sure you take your calcium in doses of 500-600 mg and take them at least two hours apart.  Read the label carefully to see what the serving size is.  Like, Citrical petites have 400 mg per serving but a serving is TWO pills.

Take them two hours away from your iron.

I take the Citrical Petites and boy are those still kind of huge so I thought I would split them in half to make it easier to swallow but still have issues with them sticking in my throat sometimes.  Have you used the Upcal D?  If so, does it leave an aftertaste?  

I love Upcal D.  There is no taste at all.  If you put it in a glass of something and let it sit for a bit, the powder kind of starts to settle at the bottom.  All you have to do is stir, though, and it mixes right back in.  It's not very much powder per dose, either, so it does not change the texture of whatever you're drinking.

 Can you find it at Walmart, Target or GNC or do you have to order it online?  What kind of drink do you prefer to put it in?  

I haven't found it in any stores.  I order mine from Colonial Medical but I think you can also get it from Amazon.

I put it in my protein shake on days I have a shake.  Other wise I put it in whatever I'm drinking at the time I decide to take it.  I've had it in juice, iced tea, hot tea, decaf coffe, sugar free hot chocolate, all kinds of stuff.

 Thanks.  I think i'm going to switch to the powder.  The price looks pretty decent.  It looks like you have to do 3 packets a day?  I  have to try something different.  I dread taking my calcium for the fear of the pill getting stuck once again.  I have almost choked a couple of times.  Not fun.

Yeah, three a day.

Bariatric Advantage also carries a calcium powder, I mix mine with SF kool aid or iced tea... sometimes iblend it in with my protein shakes ,You only need to take it 3 times a day,because each serving is 600mgs. calcium.Thanks for the reminder for calcium and the info on Upcal D by the way how much is UPCAL D?

About $12 for 120 doses.

 I don't know if you use a straw but I found that they go down much easier when I do.