Health experts agree that eating enough calcium and vitamin D is important for healthy bones at all ages, especially to help reach peak bone mass in children and young adults.¹ A diet chronically low in calcium and vitamin D is related to low bone mass and may contribute to the development of osteoporosis, a disorder characterized by porous, fragile bones, and an increase in the number of bone fractures.² Although osteoporosis is usually diagnosed in adults, getting enough calcium and vitamin D throughout the lifecycle makes a big difference–the stronger the bones are at 30, the greater the likelihood that bone loss will be delayed as you age.³ In fact, children who do not consume enough calcium have been found to have poorer quality bones and a greater risk of fracture as adults.¹

Adding calcium to the diet starts with knowing where to find good sources and how to incorporate these important nutrients into your meals!

Good Sources of Calcium

A good source of calcium provides at least 100 mg of calcium per serving, which is 10% of the Daily Value for calcium (1000 mg).

a Both calcium content and bioavailability should be considered when selecting dietary sources of calcium. Some plant foods have calcium that is well absorbed, but the large quantity of plant foods that would be needed to provide as much calcium as in a glass of milk may be unachievable for many. Many other calcium-fortified foods are available, but the percentage of calcium that can be absorbed is unavailable for many of them.
b Calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride.

References

1. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Fluoride. 1997. National Academy of Sciences. Institute of Medicine.

2. NIH. National Institutes of Health consensus statement: Optimal calcium intake. 1994;12:1-31.

3. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Calcium, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health.
Accessed 9/25/08: http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium.asp.

4. Nutrient values from Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17. Foods are from ARS single nutrient reports, sorted in descending order by nutrient content in terms of common household measures. Food items and weights in the single nutrient reports are adapted from those in 2002 revision of USDA Home and Garden Bulletin No. 72, Nutritive Value of Foods. Mixed dishes and multiple preparations of the same food item have been omitted from this table.