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Why Milk Matters Now For Children and Teens
Good nutrition is important for good health and can help protect against many diseases later in life. However, one important nutrient many kids and teens don't get enough of is calcium, found mainly in milk and dairy products and in dark green, leafy vegetables and foods with added calcium. Calcium is a nutrient that helps to make bones and teeth strong and healthy. It is used in building bone mass and also helps to reduce the risk of bone fracture due to osteoporosis, a condition where bones become fragile and can break easily.
How Do We Build Strong Bones?
Our bodies continually remove and replace small amounts of calcium from our bones. If your body removes more calcium than it replaces, your bones will become weaker and have a greater chance of breaking. But by getting the recommended amount of calcium, you can help your bones stay strong.
Calcium needs are highest during the childhood and teen years, because bones are growing fast then and calcium must be added into bones to make them strong. Most of the calcium that makes bones strong is added by the age of 17. By eating and drinking foods that are good sources of calcium, children and teens can help store this important nutrient in their bones for later in life. As adults, we lose calcium. The more calcium that is in the bones when loss begins, the less likely it is that bones will become fragile and fracture easily.
How Much Calcium Do Kids Need?
Nutrition guidelines recommend that children ages 4-8 get 800 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day, or about 2 servings of Milk Group foods daily. Teens and young adults, ages 9-18, need more calcium because their bones are growing more than at other times of life. They should have 1,300 mg of calcium per day, or about 3 servings of Milk Group foods daily. One 8-ounce glass of milk has about 300 mg of calcium, so just a few glasses can go a long way towards getting the calcium needed each day.
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Recommended Amount of Calcium
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Age
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Calcium Recommended
Each Day (MG)
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1-3 yrs
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500 mg
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4-8 yrs
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800 mg
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9-18 yrs
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1,300 mg
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Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride, The National Academy of Sciences, 1997.
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How Do I Know How Much Calcium a Food Has?
Food labels can tell you how much calcium is in one serving of a food. Look at the % Daily Value (DV) next to the calcium number on the food label.
- Try to eat and drink foods with 20% or more DV for calcium (like milk). These foods are good sources of calcium.
- Foods with less than 5% DV for calcium only give you a small amount of what you need each day.
- For most adults, 100% DV=1,000 mg of calcium. But children ages 9-18 need extra calcium. This age group needs 1,300 mg (130 DV), an additional 300 mg of calcium each day. That means an extra 8-ounce glass of milk or extra servings of another calcium-rich food.
How Much Calcium Do Kids Get?
Unfortunately, most children and teens do not meet calcium recommendations. National nutrition surveys show that only 19% of teen girls and 52% of teen boys get the recommended amounts of calcium. In fact, teenage girls only average about 740 mg of calcium per day, well below the amount needed for their normal growth and development.
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Calcium Crisis: Who Gets Enough?
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Age
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% Meeting Recommendations for Calcium
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Female 2-8 yrs
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79%
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Females 9-19 yrs
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19%
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Males 2-8 yrs
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89%
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Males 9-19 yrs
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52%
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Source: Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC, NCHS, 1988-1994.
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Where is the Calcium?
Low-fat and fat-free milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, are excellent sources of calcium. In addition to having lots of calcium, milk and dairy products provide other essential nutrients, all necessary for good bone health and development. These include phosphorus, magnesium, and added vitamin D in milk. Other sources of calcium include dark green, leafy vegetables, such as kale, and foods like broccoli, soybeans, tofu processed with calcium, orange juice with calcium added, and other calcium-fortified foods.
What Kind of Milk is Best?
Fat-free (skim) and low-fat (1%) milk and dairy products are excellent choices because they make it easy to get enough calcium without adding a lot of extra fat and saturated fat to the diet. For example, a glass of whole milk contributes 25% (¼) of your total saturated fat for the day, while a glass of low-fat milk contributes only 7.5% of the total saturated fat. There are now a variety of milk products available including different levels of fat and even different flavors but an 8-oz glass (1 cup) of any variety still contains about 300 mg of calcium.
However, babies under one year old should drink only breast milk or iron-fortified formula. Children ages one to two should drink whole milk rather than reduced fat varieties because some fats are necessary for their early growth and development. Between ages two and five, parents should gradually transition children to low-fat or fat-free milk. Beginning at age 2, children should get most of their calories from grain products; fruits; vegetables; low-fat dairy products; and beans, lean meat and poultry, fish, or nuts.
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Type of Milk
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Saturated Fat Grams (g)
per 8 oz glass
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% Daily Value of Saturated Fat
on food label
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Fat-free (skim)
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0g
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0%
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Low-fat (1%)
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1.5g
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8%
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Reduced fat (2%)
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3g
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15%
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Whole
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5g
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25%
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All have about 300 mg of calcium
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Source: Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC, NCHS, 1988-1994.
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Can Everyone Drink Milk?
Lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy foods, can cause abdominal discomfort in some people. A person with lactose intolerance has trouble digesting lactose. Lactose intolerance is not common among infants and young children, but can occur in older children, adolescents, and adults. It is more common among people of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian and Alaskan Native descent.
For people with lactose intolerance, milk is often better digested when drunk in small amounts and when combined with other foods, such as cereal with milk. In addition, many people can eat dairy foods such as cheeses or yogurt, which cause fewer symptoms. Recent studies also show that many people who are lactose intolerant can drink 2-3 8-oz glasses of milk each day without getting any symptoms. Also, lactose-free milk products are now available in most stores and there are pills and drops that make it easier to digest milk and dairy products that have lactose in them.
Some people, however, are allergic to milk and dairy products and should not eat them. For those people who cannot have any milk, calcium can come from non-dairy sources like dark green, leafy vegetables such as kale, or foods like broccoli, lime-treated tortillas, and tofu processed with calcium. There are also foods with added calcium, such as calcium-fortified orange juice, soy beverages, and some cereals. Getting calcium from food is recommended, but calcium supplements can also be a way to add necessary calcium.
Solving the Calcium Crunch
Getting enough calcium is important for building strong bones and ensuring future health. Here are three things you can do to help get enough calcium and keep bones and teeth strong.
1. Think of ways to incorporate milk and other calcium rich foods into meals and snacks. For example, top a baked potato with broccoli and low-fat cheese, or dunk baby carrots into low-fat yogurt dip.
2. Keep foods with calcium in the house and put them on the table during meals and snacks.
3. Keep drinking milk throughout your life, and be sure to eat and drink other foods with calcium. These foods should be an important part of the diet your whole life long.
Ideas for High Calcium Meals and Snacks
Breakfast
- Pour low-fat or fat-free milk over your breakfast cereal
- Have a cup of yogurt
- Drink a glass of calcium-fortified orange juice
- Add low-fat milk instead of water to oatmeal and hot cereal
Lunch
- Add low-fat or fat-free milk instead of water to creamed soups, such as tomato
- Add cheese to a sandwich or a soft corn tortilla
- Have a glass of milk instead of soda
- Make a mini-pizza or macaroni and cheese
Snack
- Try flavored milk like chocolate or strawberry
- Have a frozen yogurt
- Try some pudding made with low-fat milk
- Make a "smoothie" with fruit, ice, and milk
- Dip fruits and vegetables into yogurt
Dinner
- Make a salad with dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach
- Serve broccoli or cooked, dry beans as a side dish
- Top salads, soups and stews with low-fat shredded cheese
- Add tofu made with calcium to stir fry and other dishes
- Try rice pudding made with low-fat milk for dessert
Sources for the above include: American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 1996.
Ideas for High Calcium Meals and Snacks
| FOOD |
SERVING SIZE |
AMOUNT OF CALCIUM (in milligrams)* |
% DAILY VALUE ON FOOD LABEL |
| Plain yogurt, low-fat or fat-free |
1 cup |
450 |
45% |
| American cheese |
2 oz. |
350 |
35% |
| Ricotta cheese, part skim |
½ cup |
340 |
34% |
| Fruit yogurt, low-fat or fat-free |
1 cup |
315 |
31% |
| Milk (fat-free, low-fat, or whole) |
1 cup |
300 |
30% |
| Orange juice with added calcium |
1 cup |
300 |
30% |
| Tofu (made with calcium) |
½ cup |
260 |
26% |
| Soy beverage with added calcium |
1 cup |
250-300 |
25-30% |
| Cheese pizza |
1 slice |
220 |
22% |
| Cheddar cheese |
1 oz. |
200 |
20% |
| Mozzarella cheese, part skim |
1 oz. |
180 |
18% |
| Salmon, canned with bones |
3 oz. |
180 |
18% |
| White beans, boiled |
1 cup |
160 |
16% |
| Corn tortillas (lime treated) |
3 tortillas |
130 |
13% |
| Frozen yogurt (fat-free, low-fat, or whole) |
½ cup |
105 |
10% |
| Soybeans, cooked |
½ cup |
90 |
9% |
| Broccoli, cooked or fresh |
1 cup |
90 |
9% |
| Almonds, dry roasted |
4 oz. |
80 |
8% |
| Bok choy, cooked or fresh |
½ cup |
80 |
8% |
| Kale, cooked |
½ cup |
45 |
4% |
*Calcium content varies depending on ingredients for many foods. Label values are founded.
Sources: American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, by Roberta Larson Duff, and Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, revised by Jean A.T. Pennington. |
Click here to read other articles by the National Institutes of Health.
Copyright © The National Institutes of Health. The mission of the NICHD is to ensure that every person is born healthy and wanted, that women suffer no harmful effects from reproductive processes, and that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives, free from disease or disability, and to ensure the health, productivity, independence, and well-being of all people through optimal rehabilitation. Reprinted with permission.
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