Staying Strong: Calcium-Cool Cuisine

Hi. We're Carla's friends Katie and Tracy. We've got some great ideas for quick ways to get plenty of calcium every day. Remember, calcium is just one part of healthy eating. Check out the Food Guide Pyramid to learn more.

Breakfast Ideas
Start your day with these treats to get an energy boost and give your bones more power.

• Fruity Granola Yogurt Parfait: Layer the following ingredients any way you please in a glass: 1/2 cup low-fat granola, 3/4 cup (6-ounce container) vanilla or plain low-fat yogurt, and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, or bananas.
• Munch on a bowl of cereal with added calcium, fat-free or low-fat milk, and fresh fruit.
• Top a whole wheat English muffin with your favorite melted low-fat cheese.
• Make waffles or pancakes for the whole family. Be sure to make them with milk or top 'em with fat-free or low-fat yogurt...and enjoy a glass of fat-free or low-fat milk with them.
• Enjoy a glass of fruit juice — the kind with added calcium.
• Make a breakfast banana split. Top a sliced banana with a small container of low-fat or fat-free fruit yogurt, a sprinkle of cereal, and pieces of your favorite fruit.
• Fruit adds a flavorful punch to foods like cereal, smoothies, and yogurt. Although it's generally not high in calcium, fruit has lots vitamins and minerals.

Bus Stop Eats
Munch these convenient treats when you're running to catch the bus.

• A cereal bar with added calcium.
• A whole wheat English muffin, spread with low-fat ricotta cheese and topped with tomato or salsa.
• Add a handful of almonds to dried fruit and toss it in a zipped plastic bag. (Keep a couple of bags on hand for those super-busy days.)

Scrumptious Lunches and Snacks
Spice up lunch or snack time with these fun foods with calcium.

• Pink Lemonade Yogurt Pops: Mix together 1 cup plain non-fat yogurt and 4 tablespoons of undiluted pink lemonade and pour into frozen pop containers or paper cups with popsicle sticks. Freeze and eat. Makes 2-3 pops depending on size of container.
• Salsa and Corn Cheese Sticks: Wrap small corn tortillas around low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks. Dip the wraps into salsa and enjoy!
• Try a soy beverage with added calcium. (Believe it or not, these cool treats can help you get the calcium you need.)
• Top a fruit salad with fat-free or low-fat yogurt and almonds. (Who would guess that almonds can deliver calcium?)
• Add almonds or low-fat cheddar cheese cubes to a snack of apple slices.
• Warm up with a bowl of tomato or mushroom soup made with fat-free or low-fat milk.
• Make some pudding with fat-free or low-fat milk. Scrumptious!
• Steam chopped broccoli and top it with low-fat ranch dressing. Yum!
• Add almonds and fruit to a bowl of low-fat cottage cheese.

Slumber Party Treats
With your best pal or ten friends, enjoy these bone-healthy foods between the gossip and videos.

• Versatile Veggie Dip: Season 1 cup of plain non-fat yogurt with dry ranch dressing mix or other dry herbs, such as basil or garlic. Add just enough for it to taste great! Presto, ready to dip with cut vegetables such as carrot sticks or broccoli.
• Top baked tortilla chips with low-fat cheddar cheese and heat until melted. This slumber party sensation will keep your pals coming back for more.
• Mix up bowls of your favorite pudding made with low-fat or fat-free milk.
• Combine chopped collards and low-fat cheese in a bowl, heat until bubbly. Eat with crackers, toasted bread or practically anything you can dip!
• Top whole wheat English muffins with your favorite veggies and low-fat cheeses. Toast in the oven for a treat your friends will love.
• Serve up tortillas, grated low-fat cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa — for a south-of-the-border treat.
• Melt low-fat cheese on a whole-wheat pita. Add apple slices.
• Set up a baked potato bar. Let your guests get calcium from toppings like broccoli, grated low-fat cheese, or plain yogurt (fat-free or low-fat).
• Sip mugs of hot chocolate made with fat-free or low-fat milk.
• Scoop up fat-free or low-fat frozen yogurt. Top with sprinkles or fruit.
• Make a frozen treat by pouring fat-free or low-fat drinkable yogurt into a paper cup. Add a stick and freeze. Then, peel the cup, and voila!!
• Wash it all down with a glass of fat-free or low-fat milk (with chocolate or strawberry flavor to make it extra yummy)! Lactose-free milk or a soy beverage with added calcium works too!

Wrap It Up
Wraps are the most portable meals ever. Just fill a tortilla with your favorite sandwich ingredients, and in a jif you'll have a tasty, on-the-go meal. Wrap up your favorite fillings. Be sure to include...

• All kinds of low-fat cheeses.
• Low-fat cottage cheese.
• An ounce of slivered almonds.
• Tofu (look for calcium sulfate on the ingredient list).

Slammin' Smoothies
Chat with your friends over these yummy bone-healthy treats. Toss all ingredients in a blender and mix up a smooth snack. Remember to get your parents' OK.

• Sunshine Smoothie: 1 cup of orange juice with added calcium, fat-free or low-fat milk, ice cubes, and a handful of fruit.
• Very Berry Smoothie: 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk, a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, and a dash of honey. Toss in some ice cubes to make it extra thick.
• Fruit Smash Smoothie: 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk, a bunch of frozen strawberries, apricots, bananas, and fresh raspberries. Toss in some ice cubes to make it extra thick.
• Vanilla Smoothie: 1 cup of orange juice with added calcium, a handful of strawberries, a banana, and 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat vanilla yogurt.

Delicious Dinners
Create these dinners at home (with your parents' OK) to help your family build powerful bones.

• Create an Italian feast by combining low-fat cottage and mozzarella cheeses, garlic and basil with cooked pasta and covering it with your favorite sauce. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Make a sesame stir-fry sensation by combining pieces of tofu (look for calcium sulfate on the ingredient list), chicken, or shrimp with your favorite calcium-containing vegetables like bok choy and broccoli in a skillet and cook. Then, sprinkle on some yummy sesame seeds.
• Cheesy rice and broccoli makes a great dinner or side dish. Just combine cooked rice, broccoli, and low-fat cheddar cheese for a dinnertime treat.

Stop for a Snack
If you're out to shop till you drop, make sure you fuel up with these calcium-cool treats.

• Grab a piece of cheese or veggie pizza in the food court, some low-fat frozen yogurt with sprinkles, or a shake from the closest yogurt stand.
• Sit and chat with your friends over a smoothie made with low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and your favorite fruits.

Calcium Cool at School
At lunchtime or after school, pick (or pack) these foods with calcium to help build powerful bones.

• Bring a cereal bar or bottle of juice with added calcium to boost your body into an after-school sports practice mode.
• At lunch, try a carton of plain or chocolate low-fat or fat-free milk or orange juice with added calcium.
• Whether you pack your lunch or buy it at school, be sure to look for these foods to help build your bones while you build your mind:
• Cubes of low-fat or fat-free cheese
• Low-fat yogurt (fruit or plain)
• Fruit juice with added calcium
• Pudding made with low-fat or fat-free milk
• Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese (sprinkle with almonds for added calcium)
• A sandwich made with low-fat cheese and your favorite veggies
• One cup rice beverage with added calcium
• A slice of cheese pizza

What's on the Menu?
Order one of these delicious menu items with calcium when you're out on the town.

• Eating out? Don't worry! Plenty of restaurants have calcium cool menu items such as: grilled cheese; a slice of cheese pizza; stir fry made with bok choy, kale or broccoli; macaroni and cheese; low-fat or fat-free ice cream or frozen yogurt; and pudding made with fat-free or low-fat milk.
• Be your own chef. Check out salad bars and buffets to find fun foods with calcium like broccoli, macaroni and cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, pudding, collards or kale, and low-fat frozen yogurt.

Pack Your Picnic
Don't forget to fill your basket with some of these calcium-cool favorites.

• On the hiking trail, snack on almonds and fruit juice with added calcium to keep you climbing to the top. For a picnic lunch, munch on low-fat American cheese sandwiches, low-fat yogurt, pudding packs, or broccoli.
• Plan a perfect picnic by packing pitas (Try saying THAT three times fast...), along with low-fat cheese or tofu (look for calcium sulfate on the ingredient list). Fill your pita with apples, turkey, or vegetables.
• Click here to read about food safety.

Holiday Season Ideas

• You're planning an awesome Halloween bash, but you don't want your guests chowing down on candy all night. Use a pumpkin, bat, ghost, or other ghoulish cookie cutter to cut shapes out of soft flour or corn tortillas and bake until they get crispy. Top with low-fat cheese for a calcium kick and serve up this frightful treat that's sure to please any ghost or ghoul.
• Give your New Year's Eve a little punch — add some orange juice with added calcium to lemon lime soda or ginger ale. Slice oranges and drop them in, too, for a creative calcium celebration.