Celebrate National Osteoporosis Prevention Month

Would you believe that osteoporosis causes a fracture every 20 seconds? May is National Osteoporosis Prevention Month. For healthy bones, choose foods rich in calcium and aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.

It?s in the food!

The best way to get calcium is always in food, especially low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese. There are also many calcium-fortified foods available that can provide calcium in the diet. Choose calcium-fortified orange juice or look for cereals and waffles that are fortified with calcium.

If you still don?t feel you are getting enough calcium with your foods, it may be beneficial to take a calcium supplement. However, all supplements are not created equal!

?Elemental? is the pure calcium that is available for absorption by the body. Calcium in supplements is ?bound,? usually to carbonate or citrate; for example, calcium carbonate tablets are 40 percent calcium, 60 percent carbonate.

Look for the percent of Daily Value (DV) listed for calcium on the Nutrition Facts label. Simply replace the % sign with a zero, to determine the milligrams of calcium. For example, if the label lists calcium as 20% DV, that food provides 200 mg calcium per serving.

Aim for 500 to 600 milligrams of elemental calcium per dose, since the body cannot absorb more than that amount at one time. The daily value for calcium is 1,000 mg, though pregnant or breast-feeding and postmenopausal women need as much as 1,500 mg daily.

Why calcium?

The human body contains more calcium than any other mineral. About 99 percent of your body?s calcium is stored in your bones and teeth. If you are not taking in enough calcium, your body withdraws calcium from your bones ? leaving them weak and brittle. This leads to the crippling bone disease called "osteoporosis."

Orange Julius Sipper

Refreshingly healthy after-school or after-work drink

All you need:

3 to 4 Tbsp sugar

1 cup water

6 oz can frozen orange juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk

10 ice cubes

All you do:

Combine all ingredients in blender.

Cover and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately. Serves 8.

Nutrition Facts: 100 calories, 23 g carbs, 2 g protein, 25 mg sodium.

This information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.