Only about one out of every four American women gets the recommended   daily calcium intake--1,000 to 1,300mg, the equivalent of about three and a half cups of skim milk-- often beause they're shunning dairy products' in an attempt to lose weight. "They' re shooting themselves in the foot," says Michael B.Zemel,Ph.D.,director of  the University of  

Tennessee's Nutrition' Institute,in Knoxville.In his research,he's found that a high-calcium diet actually helps overweight people to drop pounds.Zemel says that when calcium levels are low, the body releases a hormone, that helps squeeze the most out of every available milligram of the      mineral;that same hormone' also seems to crank down the body' s metabolism. But if a dieter adds a couple glasses of skim milk to her daily menu, she can keep her calorie count in check and her metabolism at a normal fat-burning level.Though you'll still have to cut calories and get more exercise,calcium may help you get a bigger bang out of  your weight-loss regimen. It’s important  to assess not only how much calcium is in your diet, but also where that calcium I comes from.Research indicates that milk products provide the highest dose of calcium per serving.The body absorbs a smaller percentage of calcium from food sources, but vitamin D aids in calcium absorption, so be  sure to consume vitamin D-rich foods such as egg yolks and fortified cereals.