Naturally full of nutrients like heart-healthy potassium, folate and vitamin C, calcium-fortified orange juice now is a contender for the calcium crown.
With calcium-fortified orange juice offering as much calcium as milk, demand for this morning favorite is on the upswing. Sales in the calcium-fortified segment of the orange juice category are up 20% and growing. Clearly, this is a welcome new choice for the more than 80% of women who still aren’t meeting their calcium requirement, according to the American Dietetic Association.
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Breakfast Just Became More Important
Because the body isn’t able to effectively utilize large amounts of calcium in a single dose, people should avoid trying to meet their daily requirement in one meal or pill. Leading experts in calcium nutrition recommend consuming calcium-rich foods throughout the day and consider morning to be the crucial first opportunity to help achieve the daily requirement. Now, morning-friendly foods such as orange juice fortified with calcium can help Americans meet their bone-building quota.
This is a wake-up call for millions of Americans who continue to routinely avoid breakfast, according to the International Food Information Council. “If you don’t consume a calcium food source in the morning, your chance of meeting this nutrient’s daily requirement is greatly reduced due to your body’s need to absorb calcium throughout the day,” says Dr. Connie Weaver, Professor and Department Head of Purdue University’s Department of Foods and Nutrition and one of the nation’s leading experts on calcium. “An eight-ounce glass of calcium-fortified orange juice which has proven to be as effective as milk can be consumed in a matter of seconds, and each delivers 300 mg of calcium or almost one-third of the recommended daily value of 1000 mg for most adults. We should all be able to fit this into our morning routine.”
Teenage girls need more calcium than most adults, requiring 1,300 mg of calcium a day. Approximately 90 percent of total body bone mineral content in girls is achieved by about age 17, so female teens truly need the added calcium during these critical, bone-building years. Most of the remaining bone mass is achieved by about age 26.
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By GlobalDataUnfortunately, less than a third of U.S. teens consume the calcium they need each day to support normal bone growth. “There is a legitimate calcium void that we must fill,” says Gail Rampersaud, registered dietitian at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “Low calcium intake can have a crippling effect later in life. Now is the time for young girls and women to improve their diets with calcium-rich foods.”
Despite the need for calcium, many girls turn away from dairy products due to taste, concern about fat or lactose intolerance.
“We’ve been encouraging people to drink milk for years, but unfortunately, many are not,” says Dr. Weaver. “The reality is we need alternatives. An excellent alternative is calcium-fortified orange juice which has proven to be just as effective as milk in delivering calcium and also provides vitamin C, folate and potassium our bodies need.”
Improved Taste, Powerful Profile
Taste satisfaction has been a priority for today’s makers of calcium-fortified orange juice, and their products are enjoying sweet success. Americans now find calcium-fortified orange juice delivers the natural, refreshing taste they demand with the key nutrients they need. In many cases, these same juices provide extra Vitamin C and other nutrients. Orange juice also is sodium-and fat-free, making it a well-suited partner for calcium.
Based in Lakeland, Fla., the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) is a state agency devoted to promoting Florida citrus products. Florida is one of the world’s leading producers of oranges, grapefruit and specialty citrus fruits, with more than 90 percent of Florida oranges being made into orange juice. Consumers can identify pure Florida orange juice by looking for the “100% Pure Florida” symbol on juice packaging.
CONTACT: Heather Hogan, 312-729-4237, or hhogan@golinharris.com, Denise Paleothodoros, 312-729-4211, or dpaleothodoros@golinharris.com, both of Golin/Harris International for the Florida Department of Citrus.
