Calcium Conundrum
by Courtney Driscoll, RD, LDN
Calcium is a nutrient that many adults and children do not consume in adequate amounts. In this article one of our staff Dietitians makes her debut in this newsletter and answers a common question about the calcium content of various types of milk...
Milk is one of the more popular dairy products consumed, however, there are several misconceptions about the different types of milk. I often have clients say that they are afraid to change to 1% (low fat) or Skim (fat free) milk because they don’t want to sacrifice the calcium. Well, I have good news! Removing the fat from milk does not affect the calcium content. The chart below provides a nutritional look at milk; including milk for Lactose Intolerance. For those who do not care for the Lactaid milk products or prefer to avoid animal products Soy and Rice milk are also excellent, high calcium options.
|
1 cup of milk (8 oz)
|
Calories
|
Fat (g)
|
Calcium (mg)
|
|
Whole Milk
|
150
|
8
|
291
|
|
2% Reduced Fat
|
120
|
5
|
296
|
|
1% Low Fat
|
100
|
2.5
|
312
|
|
Skim Milk/Fat Free
|
90
|
0
|
316
|
|
1 c. Lactaid (lactose free) milk (8 oz)
|
Calories
|
Fat (g)
|
Calcium (mg)
|
|
Whole Lactaid Milk
|
150
|
8
|
300
|
|
2% Reduced Fat Lactaid Milk
|
130
|
5
|
300
|
|
1% Low fat Lactaid Milk
|
110
|
2.5
|
300
|
|
Fat Free Lactaid Milk
|
80
|
0
|
300
|
|
Other Lactose Free milk options (8 oz)
|
Calories
|
Fat (g)
|
Calcium (mg)
|
|
Silk soy milk
(Plain)
|
102
|
4.4
|
290
|
|
Rice Dream
(Original flavor)
|
120
|
2.5
|
300
|
|
Other Dairy Products
|
Calories
|
Fat (g)
|
Calcium (mg)
|
|
Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt (8 oz)
|
209
|
3
|
419
|
|
Lowfat Fruit Yog
(8 oz)
|
243
|
3
|
339
|
|
Cottage Cheese (8 oz)
|
162
|
2
|
136
|
|
Cheddar Cheese
(1 oz)
|
114
|
9
|
204
|
|
Cream Cheese
(1 oz)
|
98
|
9
|
22
|
As you can see, removing fat does not remove calcium. There are also several other ways to include calcium into your diet, some of which are listed in the table above. Other soy products made by Silk are available, including flavored milk, yogurt, creamers and smoothies. In addition to the original flavored rice milk by Rice Dream; also available is flavored rice milk and frozen desserts. Rice milk by Rice dream is available in both shelf stable and refrigerated packaging options. Calcium supplements may also be appropriate for those who do not care for or cannot tolerate dairy products. To find out if a calcium supplement is right for you speak with your Dietitian.
But how much calcium do we need each day? The table below outlines the daily calcium requirements for both males and females recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board of the
Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Sciences.
|
Age
|
Calcium needs (mg/day)
|
|
1-3 years
|
500
|
|
4-8 years
|
800
|
|
9-18 years
|
1300
|
|
19-50 year
|
1000
|
|
51 years and over
|
1200
|
Courtney Driscoll, RD, LDN is a native
Cape Codder and a graduate of St. Joseph’s College in West Hartford, CT where she was a Dean’s List student and an award winning swimmer. She has been a valued member of the team at Live Nutrition for the past year.
