Thank You Dairy Much

Maybe you don't need encouragement to eat a cone full of mint chocolate chip, a spoonful of cookies 'n cream or a banana split. But, if you need a nudge, National Ice Cream Day on July 17 might be the perfect time to celebrate the frozen delight and the calcium it contains.

The holiday began under the Reagan administration to celebrate the dairy industry and the country's love for ice cream. But despite Americans eating around 23 gallons of ice cream per year, 40% of the population does not meet the daily required amount of calcium from their diets alone.

On average, an adult should consume 1,000 mg of calcium daily—the equivalent of drinking three to four glasses of milk. If you want to add ice cream to the mix, a half-cup serving can range from 86 mg to 169 mg of calcium, depending on the brand.

We all know that ice cream is delicious and that calcium is vital for bone and tooth structure. Calcium also aids the circulatory system, muscle function, blood clotting, nerve transmission and hormone secretion.

Lack of this nutrient can lead to weakened, fragile bones, increased chances of falling, or diseases like rickets and osteomalacia, which soften your bones. Severe calcium deficiency can lead to tingling in the fingers, convulsions and abnormal heart rhythm. Still, for the most part, there are no symptoms and no tests to determine if you have a calcium deficiency.

Children, Black and Asian populations, adults 50 and older, vegans, lactose-intolerant people and postmenopausal women are most at risk for calcium deficiencies. Postmenopausal women experience this because estrogen decreases correlate with a calcium absorption reduction. According to one study, 30% of postmenopausal women have osteoporosis, 40% of which will experience at least one fracture due to falls.

While it's obvious you can get calcium from milk and dairy products like ice cream, yogurt and cheese, there are also food options for the lactose intolerant, such as lactose-free or reduced-lactose dairy products, salmon, whole-wheat bread, breakfast cereals, and corn tortillas.

Vegans can consume tofu, spinach, turnip greens, kale, bok choi, beans, broccoli, apples and orange juice. However, people who forgo milk should know it takes a lot of vegetables to make up for their dairy deficit. For example, you might need up to 20 servings of broccoli per day to meet the recommended daily value of calcium.

Not sure how much calcium you should be getting? Use our chart!

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