Our bones need
calcium to grow and stay strong. They especially need calcium during the teen and tween years when bones are growing the fastest and gaining strength for later in life.
Although calcium is found in a variety of foods, low-fat and fat-free milk and other dairy products are great sources of calcium because they have so much of it.
Tweens and teens can get most of their daily calcium from 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk, but they also need additional servings of calcium to get the 1,300 mg necessary for strong bones.
Other reasons low-fat and fat-free milk and dairy products are great sources of calcium include:
- Low-fat and fat-free milk has lots of calcium with little or no fat.
- The calcium in low-fat and fat-free milk and dairy products is easy for the body to absorb and in a form that gives the body easy access to the calcium.
- Low-fat and fat-free milk has added vitamin D, which is important for helping your body better absorb calcium.
- In addition to calcium, milk and dairy products provide other essential nutrients that are important for optimal bone health and development.