Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Need For Benefits Of Milk Are Never Outgrown

by Barbara A. Holt, Ph.D.

Clark County Extension Agent --

Family and Consumer Sciences

Cooperative Extension Service

Milk and other dairy products give us many kinds of nutrients, but they are best known for being a good source of calcium. We know calcium builds strong bones and teeth, and we know babies exist almost entirely on milk during the first few months of life. We may forget that we need milk throughout life -- even when we get old. We truly never outgrow our need for milk.

Osteoporosis is a disease that speeds up the natural loss of bone calcuium until the bones become porous, light and fragile -- they break easily. Osteoporosis causes loss of height, curved spines and fractures in millions of people, especially women, every year.

Building and maintaining strong bones is a lifelong process. We actually build the foundation for a lifetime of strong bones during our teen and young adult years. The amount of bone we can build then is our peak bone mass. This is the strongest our bones will ever be and the way we want to keep them for life.

Do you get enough calcium?

Remember what you ate for your last three meals, breakfast, lunch and supper?

Fold your fingers down if you had any of these high-calcium foods: milk, buttermilk, chocolate milk, yogurt, cheese, milkshake, hot chocolate, pudding, custard or sardines with bones. How many did you have?

Now do the same thing with these medium-calcium foods: cottage cheese, cream soup, ice cream or ice milk, frozen yogurt, dried beans or peas, canned salmon with bones in, tofu, almonds, broccoli, mustard or turnip greens and molasses. How many fingers did you fold down?

Three servings of medium-calcium foods count as one serving of high-calcium foods. So how many servings did you have all together?

People in their preteens to early 20's need three to four servings of calciukm a day; those in their mid-20's to 40's need two or three; older people need two to four. Did you realize some older people may need as much calcium as growing teenagers?

Just after menopause, a woman's bones begin to lose density because of lower levels of estrogen, the hormone that helps to keep calcium in the bones. Her doctor may recommend that she take estrogin replacement therapy to prevent osteoporosis. Women taking estrogen need two or three servings of calcium; those who are not need four servings.

About five years after menopause, loss of bone calcium slows down and women need two to three servings of calcium-rich foods then, even more if they are not taking estrogen.

During later years, bones continue to lose calcium, but at a slower rate. Vitamin D provided by milk and from regular short exposure to sunlight can improve the body's use of calcium.

Some people have intestinal discomfort from digesting lactose, or milk sugar. Try drinking milk in smaller amounts and with meals. Yogurt and some hard cheeses, like cheddar, may be easier to digest. Lactose-reduced milk also is available. If you think you have lactose intolerance, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian for further advice.

In later years, we still need to eat and drink plenty of calcium-rich foods. Building strong bones and keeping them strong will help us look, feel and move better throughout life. We never outgrow our need for calcium.

For more information on eating for better health, contact the Extension office at 246-2281.