Calcium
Calcium is essential for the formation of bones and teeth, and daily recommendations for intake increase significantly during adolescence, early adulthood, pregnancy, and lactation. Calcium is a very important nutrient from a public health perspective because an inadequate intake of calcium may increase the risk of osteoporosis, a condition characterized by decreased bone mass and bone density that weakens bone.
While this is not a complete list of examples, some good sources of calcium can be found in several Food Groups·
Most foods in the milk group
-Milk and dishes made with milk, such as puddings and soups made with milk
-Cheeses such as Mozzarella, Cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan
-Yogurt
Canned fish with soft bones such as sardines, anchovies, and salmon*
Dark-green leafy vegetables, such as kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens, and pak-choi
Tofu, if processed with calcium sulfate. Read the labels
Tortillas made from lime-processed corn. Read the labels Look for calcium fortified foods, like fruit juices and breakfast cereals.
* Some foods in this group are high in fat, cholesterol, or both. Choose lower fat, lower cholesterol foods most often. Read the labels.
Selection tips for choosing from the milk group include:
Choose skim milk and nonfat yogurt often. They are lowest in fat.
1½ to 2 ounces of cheese and 8 ounces of yogurt count as a serving from this group because they supply the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of milk.
Cottage cheese is lower in calcium than most cheese. One cup of cottage cheese counts as only ½ serving of milk.
Go easy on high fat cheese and ice cream. They can add a lot of fat (especially saturated fat) to your diet.
Choose "part skim" or lowfat cheese when available and lower fat milk desserts, like ice milk or frozen yogurt.
