Make Calcium Easy-to-Get at Home

If you enjoy milk, chances are your children will, too.

Tweens and teens look up to their parents and want to be like them.

Young people make many food choices by watching their parents, so if you want your children to enjoy the bone-building benefits of calcium, show it.

Drink milk yourself, and offer calcium-rich meals and snacks. This is the best way to show tweens and teens that Milk Matters!

Put calcium on the menu at every meal.

One way to make it easier for tweens and teens to get enough calcium is to serve low-fat or fat-free milk and other calcium-rich foods throughout the day.

When low-fat or fat-free milk is the main beverage for meals, tweens and teens will choose it more often.

Ideas for calcium-rich meals and snacks

Try these easy ideas for including calcium throughout the day.

Breakfast:

• Pour low-fat or fat-free milk over your breakfast cereal.
• Have a cup of low-fat or fat-free yogurt.
• Drink a glass of orange juice with added calcium.
• Add low-fat or fat-free milk instead of water to oatmeal and hot cereal.

Lunch:

• Add low-fat or fat-free cheese to a sandwich.
• Have a glass of low-fat or fat-free milk instead of soda
• Have pizza or macaroni and cheese.
• Add low-fat or fat-free milk instead of water to tomato soup.

Snack:

• Make a smoothie with fruit, ice, and low-fat or fat-free milk.
• Try flavored low-fat or fat-free milk such as chocolate or strawberry.
• Have a low-fat or fat-free frozen yogurt.
• Try some pudding made with low-fat or fat-free milk.
• Dip fruits and vegetables into yogurt.
• Have some low-fat or fat-free string cheese. 

Dinner:

• Make a salad with dark green, leafy vegetables.
• Serve broccoli or cooked, dry beans as a side dish.
• Top salads, soups, and stews with low-fat shredded cheese.
• Toss tofu with added calcium into stir fry and other dishes.

More Milk Matters - If Milk is a Problem

Some tweens and teens avoid milk, but they can still get the calcium they need. Learn more about strategies for getting calcium if milk is a problem.