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Building Stronger Bones:
Calcium
By the end of this lesson you will:
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List the importance of Calcium. |
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Define Osteoporosis. |
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Identify foods with calcium from all over the food guide pyramid. |
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Utilize food labels to identify the amount of calcium provided. |
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Identify how much calcium you need. |
Please do not use ENTER to move through the fields, use the TAB key.
Welcome to the Municipality of Anchorage WIC Program Website. If you (or your child) are a WIC participant, please enter your first and last name here:
First and Last Name
Activity 1:
List two reasons why you think calcium is important for you or your child:
What is Calcium?
Calcium is the mineral in your body that makes up your bones and keeps them strong. Ninety-nine percent of the calcium in your body is stored in your bones and teeth. The remaining 1% is in your blood and soft tissues and is essential for life and health. Without this 1% of calcium, your muscles wouldn’t contract correctly, your blood wouldn’t clot and your nerves wouldn’t carry messages.
Why do we need Calcium in our diets?
Calcium plays a critical role in building strong and healthy bones. It is also essential for bone and teeth development and maintenance, muscle contraction and nerve transmission. A deficiency can lead to heart palpitations, muscle cramps, and tooth/bone weakening.
Did you know that you have 206 bones in your body? Did you know that all 206 bones are alive? They are living tissue, not permanent, hard rods. Just like our hair, skin and blood, our bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding. Without a sufficient amount of calcium in our bones, we are at risk for a serious bone disease, Osteoporosis.
What is Osteoporosis?
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"Osteo" is Latin for "bone", "porosis" means "porous" or "full of holes". So, putting these two together we have "osteoporosis" which means "porous bones or bones full of holes". Porous bones are brittle and can break easily. |
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Osteoporosis is a painful disease, which can cause bones to break and deform the body. |
Osteoporosis Statistics:
Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for more than 28 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. In the U.S. today, 10 million individuals already have the disease and 18 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.
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80% of those affected by osteoporosis are women. |
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8 million American women and 2 million men have osteoporosis, and millions more have low bone density. |
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One out of two women and one in eight men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. |
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While osteoporosis is often thought of as an older person's disease, it can strike at any age. |
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Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually. |
Symptoms
Osteoporosis is often called the "silent disease" because bone loss occurs without symptoms. People may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse. Collapsed vertebrae may initially be felt or seen in the form of severe back pain, loss of height, or spinal deformities such as stooped posture.
Risk Factors
Certain people are more likely to develop osteoporosis than others. Factors that increase the likelihood of developing osteoporosis are called "risk factors." The following risk factors have been identified:
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Being female |
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Thin and/or small frame |
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Advanced age |
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A family history of osteoporosis |
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Post menopause |
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Abnormal absence of menstrual periods (amenorrhea) |
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Anorexia nervosa or bulimia |
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A diet low in calcium |
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Use of certain medications, such as corticosteroids and anticonvulsants |
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Low testosterone levels in men |
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An inactive lifestyle |
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Cigarette smoking |
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Excessive use of alcohol |
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Being Caucasian or Asian, although African Americans and Hispanic Americans are at significant risk as well |
Women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in the 5-7 years following menopause, making them more susceptible to osteoporosis.
Detection
Specialized tests called bone density tests can measure bone density in various sites of the body. A bone density test can:
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Detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs |
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Predict your chances of fracturing in the future |
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Determine your rate of bone loss and/or monitor the effects of treatment if the test is conducted at intervals of a year or more |
Prevention
By about age 20, the average woman has acquired 98% of her skeletal mass. Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis later. There are four steps to prevent osteoporosis. No one step alone is enough to prevent osteoporosis but all four may. They are:
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A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D |
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Weight-bearing exercise |
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A healthy lifestyle with no smoking and limited alcohol intake, and |
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Bone density testing and medication, when appropriate |
Calcium is one of the best life-long defenses against osteoporosis!
How do I get Calcium in my bones?
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By eating calcium rich foods we can put calcium back in our bones! The most available source of calcium in our food supply comes from milk and foods made with milk. Because these dairy products are one of the easiest way to meet your calcium needs, the food pyramid recommends 2-3 servings from the Milk, Yogurt and Cheese Group every day. Children ages 9-18 need even more (4 servings) since their bones are still growing. |
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Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption and in bone health. It is synthesized in the skin through exposure to sunlight. |
Can I only receive Calcium from dairy products?
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You can certainly obtain calcium from non-dairy products. A lot of foods are now fortified with calcium. Fortified means 'to strengthen or enrich'. For example you can now buy 'V-8' juice fortified with 30% calcium along with fortified orange juice. Dark green leafy vegetables and beans contain calcium. There are other food groups that contain calcium. (See below) |
Take a look at calcium sources from the Food Guide Pyramid
Below is a list of foods that contain calcium. On the Nutrition Label calcium is listed in %. If a food has 250 mg of calcium, the Nutrition Label will list it as 25% calcium. Take a look at the different foods that contain calcium.
Breads, Cereals, and Other Grain Products
| Food Item |
serving size |
% calcium |
| English Muffin |
1 |
10% |
| Muffin, bran |
1 medium |
10% |
| Cheerios |
1 oz. |
5% |
| Wheaties |
1 oz. |
5% |
| Pancakes |
2 4-inch thick |
10% |
| Waffles |
1 |
10% |
Cooked Vegetables
| Food Item |
serving size |
% calcium |
| Broccoli |
½ cup |
5% |
| Spinach |
½ cup |
10% |
| Turnip Greens |
½ cup |
10% |
Meat, poultry, fish and alternates
| Food Item |
serving size |
% calcium |
| Sardines, canned with bones |
2 ounces |
20% |
| Salmon, canned with bones, drained |
3 ounces |
20% |
| Almonds |
1 ounces |
7.5% |
| Dried Beans |
½ cup cooked |
5% |
| Tofu processed with calcium |
½ cup |
10% |
Milk, cheese, and yogurt
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Food Item
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serving size
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% calcium
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Yogurt, plain
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8 ounces
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40%
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Yogurt, fruit flavored
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8 ounces
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30%
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Milk, all types
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1 cup
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30%
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Swiss cheese
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1 ounces
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30%
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Hard cheese
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1 ounces
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20%
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Ice cream/ Frozen Yogurt
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½ cup
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10%
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Activity 2:
How can you identify Calcium on a Food Label?
You will need to practice reading food labels to determine how much calcium is in a certain food. Calcium is usually found below the second thick black line on the food label. Let's practice reading the food label! Answer the following questions.
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First, it is important to look at the serving size. You may be getting more calcium if you are increasing the servings without even thinking about it!
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So, how much calcium do YOU need?
Look at the chart below to figure out how much calcium you need EACH DAY!
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AGE GROUP
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% CALCIUM
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mg CALCIUM
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Birth to 6 months
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21%
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210 mg
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6-12 months
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27%
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270 mg
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1-3 years
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50%
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500 mg
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4-8 years
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80%
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800 mg
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9-18 years
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130%
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1,300 mg
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Pregnant or Lactating teens
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130%
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1,300 mg
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Adults 19-50
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100%
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1,000 mg
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Recommendations based on the Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, National Academy of Sciences, 1997
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Activity 3:
| 3. Name at least one thing that you could do to improve calcium intake in you or your child's diet. |
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For more information on Calcium, and some great recipes, try the following sites:
Got Milk - Got Milk? website
Why Milk - Why Milk website
Nutrition Explorations - Great games, recipes, and resources for the whole family
Which WIC Office do you go to?
Where are you taking today's lesson?
Answers:
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Activity 2:
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Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis means porous bones. This bone-crippling disease affects half of all American women over age 50.
1. 1/2 cup
2. 4%
3. 8%
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Activity 3:
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1. Eat cheese
2. Eat yogurt
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Back to WIC Lessons
Revised: 06-13-2008
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