A High-Calcium Menu Just for Moms

May is a time to celebrate moms.  It’s also National Osteoporosis Awareness Month.  So do something special for yourself; boost your bone health with calcium-rich foods. But first, what is osteoporosis?  Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that affects 44 million Americans or 55% of men and women ages 50 and older.  Characterized by fragile, porous bones that break easily, this disease can be treated — and better yet — prevented.  You can help prevent osteoporosis by increasing your calcium intake.

 Calcium is essential to developing and maintaining bone strength and plays an important part in preventing osteoporosis. Dairy foods provide lots of natural calcium but if you don’t eat milk products or yogurt, don’t worry; there are also nondairy sources of calcium that make it easy for women to naturally get the minimum daily requirement of 1,200 milligrams of calcium each day.

Here are some examples of dairy and non-dairy sources of calcium to help you get started.

Dairy Sources include: milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Non-Dairy Sources include: canned salmon, almonds, leafy green (kale, spinach), some soy-products, and calcium-fortified foods such as juice and cereal. 

Here is a sample menu to help you boost bone health!

Breakfast       

8 ounces fortified orange juice                        345 mg

1 cup calcium fortified cereal                          250 mg

4 ounces skim milk                                           150 mg 

Lunch                           

Turkey and swiss cheese (1 slice)    150 mgsandwich on whole wheat bread 

Dinner            

Asian Cod (Right for Tonight recipe below)                              

½ cup spinach                                                    120 mg 

Dessert          

8 oz ShopRite low-fat yogurt with fruit           250 mg 

Total                                                               1265 mg calcium                                         

Don’t forget about vitamin D– also known as the “sunshine vitamin.” When taken with calcium, this dynamic duo works together to protect bones against age-related bone loss. Only a few foods naturally contain vitamin D, but many — such as milk, some yogurts and cheeses, some breakfast cereals, breads and juices — are fortified with vitamin D.

For more information and great recipes, visit the American Dairy Association’s website www.3aday.org     

Asian Honey Cod

Serve this with a side of sautéed spinach and brown rice

Prep time: 10 minutes*

Cook time: 8 minutes

30 minutes marinate time extra 

6 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 tsp. sesame oil

3/4 tsp. dried ground ginger

4 (5- to 6-oz.) cod fillets (1 1/2 lbs.)

2 tbsp. sesame seeds 

1. In an 11 x 7-inch baking dish combine honey, soy sauce, vinegar, oil and ginger; stir. Add fillets; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill to high (400°F to 450°F). Remove fillets from marinade; discard marinade. Grill fillets, covered, 4 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle fillets with sesame seeds and serve. 

Per serving: 263 calories, 19g carbohydrate, 33g protein, 1g fiber, 6g fat, 0g saturated fat, 64mg cholesterol, 344mg sodium