ThisNext Blog

If I ate two and a half pints of Ben & Jerry’s Oatmeal Cookie Chunk ice cream every day, I’d get the 1,000 daily mg of calcium recommended for women ages 19 to 50. Of course, that would also mean consuming 2,700 calories and 150 fat grams (90 of them saturated) and thus possibly developing some sort of heart condition. So it’s fortunate that there are less artery-clogging alternatives available, many of which are featured on ThisNext.

Contrex Mineral Water, for instance, provides 486 mg calcium per bottle (plus 84 mg of magnesium). Says our shopcaster Chantel:

“The water tastes good after you adjust to the mineral taste…I was at a conference where they were giving this water away and I became very addicted. I kept at least two bottles a day in my bag and it helped flush my system before a cold could take hold.”

If you go the supplement route, Katolen Yardely’s Holistic Health & Herbal Medicine Blog suggests choosing calcium citrate over the carbonate, lactate, and gluconate forms and always going for a capsule that also contains magnesium (“a catalyst enzyme used to ensure that all the calcium absorbed into the bones, stays in the bones,” Katolen explains). One such supplement is Country Life’s Cal/Mag Citrate W/Vitamin D, which provides 100 percent of your daily magnesium needs and 40 percent of calcium (plus 25 percent of your vitamin D requirement). ThisNexter Michelle Theall recommends another cal/mag combo, Now Foods’ magnesium and Calcium Reverse Ratio Supplement. (“Say goodbye to lactic acid buildup after a race,” says the editorial director/publisher of Women’s Adventure magazine. “No more muscle cramps. Magic.”)

To get your calcium from good ol’ fashioned dairy, Brown Cow Farm’s Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt might be one of your best bets. With 35 percent of your daily calcium needs, one 8-ounce serving contains just 2.5 grams of fat. Like our own Sean Timberlake, and Valerie Anne is crazy for Brown Cow’s texture:

“This yogurt is thick and creamy. It’s great for breakfast or to put in a smoothie. I especially enjoy cutting up strawberries and adding it to the yogurt. It’s almost like dessert, only healthier!”

Of course, you could also opt for the mounds of mouth-watering cheeses adored by many a ThisNext member, including healthier choices like Jarlsberg Lite. “Yeah you can pay lots for fancy cheeses with unpronounceable names and I’m all for that in the right context,” says Eric. “But when I’m at the local grocery store and I need to replenish the ‘snack cheese’ slot in the fridge, Jarlsberg Lite is my choice.” David adds:

“This is the ONLY ‘lite’ food that I eat. I thought it was odd so I tried the full fat version and hated it. Jarlsberg Lite is incredible. Even more odd is that I like the bigger slices.”