Family Living
Focus
by
Denise A. Talko
Bucks County
Cooperative Extension
What’s In Your Glass?
Calcium Needs Reviewed
The average 12 to 19-year-old
male who drinks soda pop,
drinks more than two cans a day
(females are consuming one a
day) which can add up to about
900 cans of soda pop (12 ounces)
in a year.
Americans are consuming
twice as much soda pop as they
did 25 years ago. In addition, the
market for non-carbonated,
sweetened drinks like sports
drinks, fruit-ades, and flavored
iced teas is also on the rise. What
is in your child’s glass?
The concern is that these sweet
beverages provide calories and
sugar to the body, but do not
offer other essential vitamins and
minerals. There has been an asso
ciation made with soda pop con
sumption and overweight and
obesity because it can provide
extra, non-nutritious calories and
is often offered in very large sizes.
Consuming extra calories, in ad
dition to decreasing physical ac
tivity, may lead to gradual weight
gain over years.
More importantly, by choosing
these beverages, young people are
not selecting milk, which does
provide an important nutrient to
the body—calcium.
Calcium is a key mineral that
your body uses in many different
ways; however, it is most noted
for its role in bone and teeth
strength. Eating and drinking
enough calcium is important at
any stage of life, but it is most
critical during the pre-teen and
young adult years. During the
adolescent years (around 9-15),
bones develop quickly. In fact,
nearly half of all bone is formed
during these years. Lifestyle
choices at this time, such as get
ting enough calcium into your
body, will effect the quality of
bones in the future. Unfortunate
ly, only 13 percent of girls and
boys aged 12-19 are meeting their
recommended need for calcium.
The recommended daily intake
of calcium for youth aged 9-18 is
1300 mg of calcium each day. As
a reference, a glass of milk can
provide about 300 mg of calcium
to the body. Young people should
aim to eat or drink a food or bev
erage that is high in calcium at
least four times a day! This can
be easy if young adults chose a
food or beverage high in calcium
each time they have a meal or
snack. It can taste good, too.
Not all calcium comes in a
glass. Though milk (any flavor) is
a concentrated source of calcium,
most dairy products will also
meet the body’s craving for calci
um. Foods such as low-fat yo
gurt, cheeses, custards, ice cream,
puddings, powdered milk, and
foods made with these items will
be good sources of calcium. Some
of your favorite foods may al
ready fit—milkshakes, macaroni
and cheese, cereal with milk,
tacos, pizza, and sandwiches, to
name a few. What other foods
can you think of?
Kids and teens who do not like
milk or dairy products can find
calcium in foods/drinks such as
calcium-fortified orange juice
and other foods with calcium
added such as cereals, cereal
bars, and snacks. Other natural
sources of calcium are soybeans,
tofu (if preserved in calcium
salts), some beans, salmon
(canned with bones), greens,
spinach, and broccoli, and al
monds.
Look at the Nutrition Facts
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panel on the food label and
search for the amount of calcium
in that product. It is listed as a
percent, pick a food or drink with
at least 10 percent of the recom
mended amount of calcium per
serving.
In addition to maintaining
adequate intakes of calcium, it is
important to keep bones healthy
by being physically active, avoid
ing low body weights or extreme
diets, getting outside in the sun
shine, and choosing not to smoke
cigarette or drink large amounts
of alcohol. These are other life
style choices a parent or guardian
may want to discuss with the
young adults in their family. Fi
nally, being a positive role model
for young adults can help them
to make healthy habits a part of
their lives.
To celebrate National Osteopo
rosis Prevention Month in May,
leam more about calcium. Con
tact your county’s Penn State Co
operative Extension office. Ask
for publications entitled: “Bone
Builders: Are You Getting
Enough Calcium? And “Bone
Builders: Support Your Bones
with Healthy Habits.” On the In
ternet, check out whymilk.com.
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