Health Hints Feb 10-14, 2003

Calcium


The Food Guide Pyramid recommends 2-3 servings of Dairy foods daily. Calcium from food becomes part of your bone's framework. The more calcium your bones contain, the stronger and more dense they will be. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium from food and helps deposit the mineral in your bones. You can't keep bones healthy without the vitamin D-calcium partnership. This is a reason milk is fortified with vitamin D. Also calcium help control your blood pressure or maintains your heart beat.

Osteoporosis or porous bone is a disease. It is a serous health problem caused in part by a lack of calcium in the diet. This disabling disease results in severe bone loss and increases susceptibility to fractures of the hip, spine and wrist. This is a major public health threat for more than 28 million Americans.

  • 80% affected by osteoporosis are women.
  • One in two women and one in eight men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
  • By age 75 one third of all men are affected by osteoporosis.
  • Osteoporosis is responsible for 1.5 million fractures annually.

Symptoms: Osteoporosis may be the "silent disease" because bone loss occurs without symptoms. People may not know they have it until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump or fall causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse.

Detection: A specialized test called a bone density test can measure bone density in various sites in the body.

Prevention: Building strong bones, especially before the age of 30, can be the best defense against developing the disease. It is also important to keep bones healthy throughout life. A comprehensive program can help prevent osteoporosis includes:

  • A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
  • Weight-bearing exercise. Bone-building exercises or activities that work your muscles against gravity. Tennis, power walking and dancing are examples. General guidelines for physical activity apply to bone health. The American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control advise 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise in your daily routine most days of the week.
  • A healthy lifestyle with no smoking and limited the intake of alcohol
  • Bone density testing and medications when appropriate

A Lifelong Commitment to Calcium:
Think of your bones as a bank account. They're were you can "deposit" calcium when you're young so you'‘ll have enough to draw on later in life.

Adolescence: Bone development shifts into high gear. Nearly half of all bones are formed during the teen years. Yet, most teens miss out on calcium when they need it most.

Early 20's: Prime bone-building years. You can continue to add bone tissue to make them denser and stronger 

30-34: Window of opportunity is still open. Boost your daily intake before peak bone mass is reached – the maximum amount of bone you will ever have.

35-45: Calcium withdrawls speed up. Calcium-rich and exercise will help maintain bone density

Over 45:Start thinking about options to protect bones. At menopause, bone loss accelerates due to sharp decline in the production of estrogen. This female hormone plays a role in preserving a positive calcium balance in our bones. In the years following menopause, the protective effect is lost and the need for calcium increases.

Calcium Sources

No matter what type you choose – flavored, unflavored, whole, reduced fat, low-fat or fat free – milk is your best and most convenient source of calcium. One eight-ounce glass of milk supplies about 300 milligrams of calcium toward your daily intake.

For calcium 8 ounces of milk is about equal to:

8 ounces yogurt 6 oranges
8 ounces buttermilk
 4.5 ounces canned salmon with bones
2 ounces processed cheese
 1 ½ cups okra
1.5 ounces of natural cheese 1 Cup collard greens
1 cup pudding 8 ounces tofu (made with calcium)
1 ½ cups frozen yogurt
3 cups broccoli
2 cups cottage cheese
 1 cup macaroni and cheese
1 ½ cups ice cream
6 corn tortillas

 

No matter what your lifestyle there is a milk product for everyone. If you are currently drinking whole or 2% milk you want to loose weight, try 1% or fat-free milk. Whole, fat free or in-between, their nutrients are just about the same.

8 ounces Milk Calories Fat (grams) Calcium (milligrams)
Whole Milk 150 8 297
2% reduced fat milk 120 5 297
1% low fat milk 102 3 300
Fat-free milk 86 0 301


Fitness Fruit Frappe

1 peeled and sliced medium banana
1 Cup favorite fruit (peach pineapple etc.)
2 cups skim or 1% milk
½ C strawberries, fresh or frozen
12 Ice cubes

Combine ingredients in a blender container . Cover and blend until smooth, about 20 seconds. Sweeten to taste if necessary (Sweet and Low, or Splenda). Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon if desired. Yield 2 Servings
Per Serving: 310 mg calcium;
Calories 170


***University of Nebraska Cooperative Education program abides with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska and the United State Department of Agriculture

Please submit one answer per team when reporting the total points for the week of Feb 10-14.

Trivia Question Week February 10-14

If you weight 130 pounds how many pounds about how many pounds would be attributed to calcium? _____

Answer: According to the National Dairy Council about 3 Lbs is Calcium.