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Choose
to Move: Journal #9
Sept. 24, 2002
I
learned a lesson about walking this weekend. It’s dangerous
for me to walk in a shopping plaza.
My walking partner, Janice, and I walked at the New
Hartford Shopping Center Saturday. We were supposed
to meet at 6:30 p.m., but she called to tell me she
was detained.
No problem, I’ll just go shopping while I wait, I said.
So I ended up spending more than $60. Then, when she
got there, I realized I needed to exchange something
I bought. So we walked to the store and changed the
item. Then we continued to walk outside until we found
another open store we wanted to go into.
I bought a pair of shoes and a purse.
Janice was smart, she left her purse in the car. I guess
that’s what I’ll have to do next time. Otherwise I do
more shopping than walking.
I also learned some interesting facts about calcium.
Diane Crossley, the clinical nutrition manager at the
Sitrin Family of Services, was the speaker at Wednesday’s
Choose to Move meeting.
Crossley spoke about calcium, but unfortunately, I missed
a large portion of her talk because I was stuck at work.
But she did gives us some informative handouts.
I decided to take a quiz on one of the handouts from
the National Dairy Council and realized there are some
things I didn’t know about calcium:
* The milk you get in your cereal in the morning is
not enough for the entire day. You need at least three
8-ounce glasses of milk a day.
Instead of drinking soda or iced tea with your meals,
drink a glass of milk with each meal. This is an easy
way to boost your calcium intake.
The handout suggested adding a spoonful of chocolate
syrup or heating a mug of milk in the microwave with
a splash of vanilla extract. A cup of fat-free milk
is 80 calories and you’ll get 300 milligrams of calcium.
* About 75 percent of the calcium in the food supply
comes from milk and milk products. Other foods may contain
calcium, but in smaller amounts. To get the same amount
of calcium found in three glasses of milk, you would
have to eat seven cups of raw broccoli, three ounces
of sardines and six cups of red beans.
I also learned about our daily calcium needs:
* Age 9 to 18: 1,300 milligrams.
* Age 19 to 50: 1,000 milligrams.
* Older than 50: 1,200 milligrams.
* Pregnant or breastfeeding (18 or younger): 1,300 milligrams.
* Pregnant or breastfeeding (19 to 50): 1,000 milligrams.
According to the National Dairy Council, nine out of
10 women fail to get the calcium they need. Almost two-thirds
of adult men don’t meet their calcium requirements.
If you want more information, go to (www.whymilk.com).
The National Dairy Council also says, without a steady
supply of calcium in your diet, your body will steal
it from the only source it has: your bones. Over time,
frequent calcium withdrawals can make bones weak and
fragile and can lead to osteoporosis.
Just one more reason to have a glass of milk!
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