Calcium could be the key nutrient needed to help you lose weight, according to a growing consensus of new research examining the mineral. Calcium not only helps with hypertension, the research shows: it also appears to support healthy physiology in a way that results in the loss of excess body fat.

But there's a major misconception with all this talk about calcium: people think that if calcium helps them lose weight, then drinking cow's milk or eating cheese pizza is the way to go about getting that calcium, and that's just plain bad thinking. Cow's milk is associated with all sorts of chronic stagnation disorders such as asthma, constipation and sinus infections. And cheese, for its part, is extremely high in both saturated fat and sodium.

There are far better ways to get the calcium you need to support a weight loss effort, and nutritional supplements offer the answer. Coral calcium supplements offer a convenient way to take regular doses of the mineral, and plants like broccoli are naturally loaded with precisely the form of calcium your body wants. Quinoa, a supergrain, is also very high in calcium while containing a complete protein. Whole food meal replacement powders like The Ultimate Meal are also high in calcium.

Definitely get your calcium, even if you're not trying to lose weight, but don't make the common mistake in thinking that calcium = milk. That's just a marketing myth promoted by the dairy industry. Coral calcium supplements are far better for you, and plant-based calcium is better yet. Work to get your calcium from superfoods, whole foods, vegetables and supergrains, not from bovine juice. And, of course, to make sure you don't lose the calcium you already have, never drink soft drinks, which have been proven to strip calcium right from your bones.