Strong Bones for Men and Women
by Kathy Stroh, M.S., R.D.
The new requirements for adults age 51 and over state that both men and women need 1200 milligrams of calcium a day! You don’t only need calcium for strong bones. Your heart needs calcium to beat, muscles need calcium to contract and bloodneeds calcium to clot. Over time, if you don’t take in enough calcium, your body uses calcium stored in bones for essential needs. So, protect your bones and let your body function optimally.
How do you measure up???
Print this page and put a check next to the foods that you ate in the last day. Keep the list as a quick reference.
| FOOD | Serving Size | Check (X) |
Milligrams of Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk, (whole, low-fat or fat-free) | 8 ounces | 300 | |
| Protein-fortified milk | 8 ounces | 350 | |
| Yogurt, (whole, low-fat, nonfat, flavored) | 8 ounces | 275-325 | |
| Cheese: cheddar, swiss, monterey jack, provolone, part-skim mozzarella) | 1 ounce | 200-300 | |
| Cheese (American, colby, whole-milk mozzarella, feta) | 1 ounce | 100-200 | |
| Cream cheese (regular or low-fat) | 1 ounce | 20-50 | |
| Cottage cheese (whole-milk, low-fat, fat-free) | ½ cup | 60-80 | |
| Ricotta cheese (whole-milk, low-fat or fat-free) | ½ cup | 250-350 | |
| Ice cream and frozen yogurt (regular, low-fat and fat-free) | ½ cup | 70-1200 | |
| Soy milk (calcium fortified) | 8 ounces | 200-300 | |
| Tofu (made with calcium sulfate) | ½ cup | 250 | |
| Kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, pinto beans | ½ cup | 25-60 | |
| Almonds | 1 ounce | 75 | |
| Spinach, cooked | ½ cup | 125 | |
| Broccoli, green beans, cooked | ½ cup | 30 | |
| Salmon (canned, with bones) | 3 ounces | 200 | |
| Sardines(canned, with bones) | 2 sardines | 100 | |
| Orange juice ( not calcium-fortified) | 8 ounces | 30 | |
| Orange juice(calcium-fortified) | 8 ounces | 200-300 | |
| Rhubarb, cooked | ½ cup | 175 | |
| TOTAL |
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Check other sites on the internet!!! If you want to know your exact calcium intake as well as the calcium content of other foods, use the Calcium Calculator web site at http://www.calciuminfo.com/calciumcalulator.aspx.
