Got No Milk?

Not getting the vitamins your bones need from food? Here’s the skinny on where to get your calcium.

By Taylor Mallory

In an ideal world, we’d all get the vitamins we need for strong bones from well-balanced home-cooked meals. But if your busy lifestyle or a poor or limited diet (i.e., vegetarianism, veganism or lactose intolerance) does not provide the recommended amounts of these vitamins (1,000 mg of calcium and 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D each day), supplements can make up the difference.

Calcium Content of Selected Foods

Adult recommended intake is 1,000 mg to 1,300 mg

Calcium Supplements

Several different calcium compounds are used commonly in supplements. As a rule, stick to brand names with proven reliability, recommends the National Osteoporosis Foundation, or ask your pharmacist to recommend a supplement that dissolves in your stomach for better absorption.

Choosing a Calcium Supplement: All Calcium Supplements Are Not Created Equal

Calcium is never taken in its pure form but is always combined with another chemical, or “salt,” the way it is found in nature. Calcium supplements should always contain information on the amount of elemental calcium contained in each dose. Some may also list the total of calcium salt in the product, but different calcium salts provide different amounts of calcium.

Calcium carbonate (Oscal and Caltrate) and calcium citrate (Citracal) are the most popular calcium supplements. The other forms command a small percentage of the market due to the lack of consumer and physician awareness.

Here’s how the two popular forms stack up:

Click here to read “Protect Your Bones: Osteoporosis Prevention” and “Osteoporosis: What’s Your Risk Factor?”.