ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH CALCIUM?

Complete this self-assessment to find out.

STEP 1.            Determine your calcium requirements.

According to statistics, 90% of women and 60% of men fail to meet calcium requirements.  The amount of calcium you need varies throughout life.  Refer to the box below for your current needs.  Circle the amount of calcium recommended for your age from the list on the right.

Age                  Calcium DRI*                 # of Dairy Servings                     500 mg

                                                                                       You Need Daily

                                                                                                  800 mg

 1-3 yrs              500 mg                            2

 4-8 yrs              800 mg                            3                               1,000 mg

 9-18 yrs          1,300 mg                            4

 19-50 yrs        1,000 mg                            3                               1,200 mg

 51+ yrs           1,200 mg                            4

                        * Dietary Recommended Intakes                       1,300 mg

                        Source:  National Academy of Sciences, 1997

STEP 2.            Determine the servings of dairy food recommended for your age group.

A “serving” of dairy food is a food that contains at least 300 mg of calcium.  From the information in the box above, how many servings do you need to meet your requirements?

            (Circle One)                   2 Servings         3 Servings         4 Servings

STEP 3.            Determine your current intake of calcium.

                        Using the list below, identify the high calcium foods you at yesterday.

                                    Food                             Serving Size                  Calcium/mg

                        _______________                      __________                   __________       mg

        _______________                      __________                   __________       mg

                        _______________                      __________                   __________       mg

                        _______________                      __________                   __________       mg

                                                                                           TOTAL:  __________  mg

MILK GROUP                                MG                   MEAT GROUP                                      MG

Plain lowfat yogurt, 1 cup            415                Sardines w/bones, 3 oz                          371

Swiss cheese, 1 ½ oz                   408                Canned Salmon w/bones, 3 oz               167

Parmesan cheese, 1 oz                336                Almonds, 1/3 cup                                    120

Cheddar cheese, 1 oz                  204                Pinto beans, ½ cup                                  40

Skim, nonfat milk, 1 cup              302                VEGETABLE GROUP

2%, reduced fat milk, 1 cup          297                Tofu, w/calcium, ½ cup                          258

Buttermilk, 1 cup                          285                Kale, ½ cup                                             90

Dry milk, reconstituted, 1 cup      279                 Calcium-fortified orange juice, ½ cup   150

Chocolate milk, 1 cup                  280                 Broccoli, ½ cup                                      47

Ricotta cheese, ½ cup                 257                  GRAIN GROUP                                    

Pudding mix, ½ cup prepared    147                  Calcium-fortified cereal*                           *

Frozen yogurt, ½ cup*                103                   COMBINATION FOODS

Ice cream, ½ cup                         88                   Frozen cheese enchilada          approx. 324

Cottage cheese, ½ cup                78                   Frozen cheese pizza, 1 slice      approx. 220

* Calcium contents vary.   Check nutrition labels.  Good sources of calcium are those foods, which provide 20-30% of the daily value for calcium.  Also, Viativ Soft Chew Calcium Chews – 500 mg.

STEP 4.            Determine if you are meeting your calcium needs.

·                     Record your total calcium intake yesterday.   __________ mg total calcium.

·                     Did you meet your recommended calcium intake from Step 1?  Yes    No

·                     Was yesterday a typical day or do you usually eat more or less of the high calcium foods?

(Circle One)                   More                 Less                 Same

STEP 5.            Determine what to add to your diet if you are not meeting your calcium needs.

If you typically do not meet your calcium recommendation, check the list of high calcium foods again and visualize what foods you could add and when.  Write your additions below:

                                                What Food?                              When?

                        ______________________________________________________________________

                        ______________________________________________________________________

Check Your Risk For Osteoporosis

            Are you female?                                                                                     Yes                  No

            Do you have a family history of osteoporosis?                                        Yes                  No

            As an adult, have you fractured a bone?                                                 Yes                  No

            Are you a Caucasian or Asian female?                                                    Yes                  No

            Do you have a small, thin frame or weigh less than 127 pounds?            Yes                  No

            Is your diet low in calcium and dairy products (3 or less servings)?         Yes                  No

            Are you physically inactive?                                                                    Yes                  No

            Do you smoke cigarettes?                                                                        Yes                  No

            Do you regularly consume more than to alcoholic drinks a day?             Yes                  No

            Have you gone through menopause without taking estrogen

            replacement therapy?                                                                               Yes                  No

            Do you suffer from irregular or stopped menstrual periods (for more

            than one year)?                                                                                        Yes                  No

            Have you taken steroids or glucocorticoid medications (such as               

            Prednisone or cortisone) for treatment of asthma, arthritis, lupus or

            other chronic disease?                                                                             Yes                  No

                                                Total number of “Yes” answers (risk factors):        _______________

The more you answered “yes” the more your bones are at risk for osteoporosis!

What about calcium supplements?

The American Dietetic Association, the American Medical Association, and a panel of experts from the National Institutes of Health recommend calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese and yogurt as the preferred sources of calcium – not pills.  Foods contain more than just calcium.  Milk contains 9 other essential nutrients.  If your physician recommends a 500 mg supplement, keep in mind that for the best absorption, it should be taken at mealtime along with other calcium-rich foods to complete your calcium needs.

What about lactose intolerance?

Don’t give up on dairy.  Research shows that people who have trouble digesting lactose can tolerate milk with meals:

·                      Start with small ½ cup servings and gradually increase the size of servings and always drink milk with food.

·                      Try less, more often.

·                      Eat cheese, which is lower in lactose.

·                      Yogurt and milk with “active cultures” are better tolerated.

·                      Look for lactose-free milk products.

Other reasons to include milk and dairy . . .

Recent research has shown that milk plays an important role in preventing osteoporosis, hypertension and colon cancer.

© 1979- 2006 DGD