Teenagers fare even worse, with nine out of 10 teenage girls and seven out of 10 teenage boys, ages 12 to 19, failing to meet recommendations. In addition to bone-building calcium, milk contains eight other essential nutrients, beating out sodas, juice drinks and even sports drinks. Based on current calcium recommendations, children ages 9 to 18 should get 1,300 me of calcium each day and children 4 to 8 years old should get 800 me each day. Baker recommends incorporating calcium into meals throughout the day - such as having lowfat or fat free milk with cereal for breakfast, yogurt for lunch, chocolate milk for an afternoon snack and cheese with dinner to ensure kids get the calcium they need. An 8-ounce glass of milk has about 300 me of calcium and can be a great way to get this important nutrient.
Osteoporosis is a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences.
Although the fragile bones might not show up until we are adults, the problem starts from not getting enough calcium as kids. If we stop or even slow down drinking milk, long-term effects can occur such as limited bone growth, stress fractures from weak bones and eventually osteoporosis as an adult. The campaign is designed to increase calcium consumption among children and teens to help them build strong and healthy bones. While the campaign encourages children and teens to consume a variety of calcium-rich foods, it places emphasis on drinking more lowfat and fat free milk. The newest kid on the block to sport a milk mustache is Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle.