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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
a great
tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Calcium-fortified Foods: Is There a Reason for Concern?
Why Foods Naturally Containing Calcium Are Preferable
The major reason why foods naturally containing calcium, particularly milk and other dairy foods, are the preferred source of calcium is that these foods provide calcium as well as many other essential nutrients (4,9,11).Another advantage of meeting calcium needs through foods is the possibility that they contain unidentified or unrecognized health-promoting components(5,13).
Milk and other dairy products are among the best sources of naturally occurring calcium due to their high calcium content, high calcium bioavailability,and low cost relative to their nutritional value (4,14,24). Milk and otherdairy products are calcium-rich foods providing in many cases about 300mg calcium per serving (57). In fact, it is difficult to meet calcium needs without including dairy products in the diet (1,9). According to Healthy People 2010, "with current food selection practices, use of dairy products may constitute the difference between getting enough calcium in one's diet or not" (1).
Adequate calcium intake should be achieved first through foods that naturally containthis nutrient. Calcium-fortified foods (and calcium supplements) are asupplement to, not a substitute for, foods naturally containing calcium.
In addition to calcium, milk and other dairy foods contain other nutrients important to health such as vitamins D (if fortified),A, and B12, protein, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus (57).Vitamin D-fortified milk provides almost all of Americans' dietary intake of vitamin D (5). Adequate vitamin D is important for optimal absorption of calcium (5). While optional, nearly all fluid milk marketed in the U.S. is fortified with vitamin D to obtain the standardized amount of400 IU (10ug) per quart of milk (5). Because milk and other dairy productsare excellent sources of calcium as well as other essential nutrients, their intake improves the overall nutritional quality of the diet (58-60).
A number of nondairy foods such as salmon withbones, some green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, beans (pinto, red,white), bok choy, sweet potatoes, rhubarb, and corn tortillas naturally contain calcium (23,53,57). However, these foods generally contain less calcium per serving than do milk and other dairy foods (23,57). Also,the bioavailability of calcium from some nondairy foods is lower than that from dairy foods (23,53). Food components such as phytates in unleavened bread, seeds, nuts and most cereals, and oxalates in spinach, rhubarb,and sweet potatoes can form insoluble complexes with calcium, reducing its bioavailability (51,53). A food's contribution to meeting calciumneeds depends on its calcium content, bioavailability, and frequency of consumption (23). In general, for foods other than dairy foods and some calcium-fortified products, more servings are required to obtain the sameamount of absorbed calcium from one glass of milk. For example, an individual would need to consume 8 cups of spinach, nearly 5 cups of red beans, or2 1/2 cups of broccoli to obtain the same amount of calcium absorbed fromone cup of milk (23,53).
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