Calcium Clues

From the age of nine, girls and women may lack as much as 25–30 percent of the necessary calcium in their diets. Two cups of milk (or an equivalent amount of other dairy products besides butter) go a long way toward supplying a day’s calcium needs; dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach, collards, mustard greens, or turnip greens, also provide some. Salmon and sardines supply useful amounts if the very tiny bones are also eaten.—U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health, Education and Welfare