Thursday, March 13, 2008

Calcium Treasure Hunt

I made a goal this week to get 100% of the recommended calcium each day -- so far I'm 0 for 3 -- but, today I decided I'd really do it! Since I don't like to drink milk, and I have such a hard time getting myself to take those big calcium vitamins... I decided to search my kitchen  (and the grocery store) for some new ideas. Here's my new discoveries. :)

Yogurt: Western Family has the most calcium of any yogurt I saw - 40% of the days recommendation compared to Yoplait's just 25%. And, this is just a yum treat - Landon thinks its ice cream!
Cereal: Total Raisin Bran has 100% of the daily rec. in 1 serving, but I don't love raisin bran... Multi-grain Cheerios (which I do love!) has 10% per cup. Lots of General Mills cereals are calcium fortified, even the super yum ones like Cinnamon Toast Crunch!  (Also 10% per serving) Plus, you get the added bonus of the milk you pour on top! (15% for 1/2 cup)
Tofu: I use this in smoothies or in stir fry or spring rolls to add a little extra protein. But, I didn't know that it is also a super way to get calcium. One regular size serving for me (about 5 oz.) has 20% of the days calcium, plus 10 grams of protein (and is less than 100 calories too!) What a great food!
Bread: Costco's regular wheat bread is calcium fortified (10% daily value per slice!), as well as their pita bread (8%/slice).
Other fun finds: Frozen waffles! These are one of my favorite non-treat treats, and I found out that they have 10% of the days calcium in each waffle. Chili (Nalley vegetarian) has 10% per serving. And last, black beans have 5% per 1/2 cup serving.  

Hooray for all of these fun discoveries!