Cornerstone Family Practice

ARTICLE

No Bones About It- We All Need Calcium

Our bones are alive! Often we think of bones as those bright white skeletons that were in the back of the science room in high school, but they are not static; they are always being broken down and built back up. Just like your home they need constant upkeep to function properly. As you already know, our bones are mostly made of calcium, and we need to enough calcium each day to keep them strong.

To ensure bone health the recommended daily amounts are:

Age	Male	Female	Pregnant	Lactating
1-3 years	500 mg	500 mg
4-8 years	800 mg	800 mg
9-13 years	1,300 mg	1,300 mg
14-18 years	1,300 mg	1,300 mg	1,300 mg	1,300 mg
19-50 years	1,000 mg	1,000 mg	1,000 mg	1,000 mg
50+ years	1,200 mg	1,200 mg

Take a look at the charts below. Are you getting enough calcium?

Food	Calcium (mg)
8 oz. Plain, non-fat yogurt	452
½ cup Ricotta cheese, part skim	335
1.5 oz. Cheddar cheese (1 ½ slices)	307
1 cup Fat-free (skim) milk	306

Dairy is a great source of calcium but it is important to chose varieties that are low-fat or fat-free because the fat that’s in dairy products is the heart unhealthful, saturated andtrans fats. For those who cannot digest dairy because they are intolerant to the carbohydrate lactose in milk there are several options including taking a pill that can assist your digestion, or choosing milk products like Lactaid that do not contain lactose.

For those who do not drink milk because they are allergic or for other reasons there are several other food sources of calcium. Take a look below.

Food

Calcium (mg)

3 ounces Sardines (canned in oil, with bones)

324

3 ounces Salmon (pink, canned, solids with bone)

181

½ cup Firm tofu (made with calcium sulfate)

204

8 ounces Calcium-fortified soy beverage

80-500