HEALTH

Q. I’m lactose-intolerant and can’t drink milk. I’m worried that I’m not getting enough calcium!

A. We all know that calcium is super-important for building strong bones. But what can ya do when you can’t moo juice? We asked Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD and co-author of The Healthy Wholefoods Counter.

“Dairy foods do supply 70% of the calcium in our diets but many people avoid this food category all together and still get enough calcium,” she tells us. “You can also buy lactose-reduced milk or buy a lactase supplement to take with dairy foods.”

Jo-Ann also gave us a handy shopping list of foods that’ll help you bulk up on calcium.

Foods ‘n’ drinks with soy: Soymilk, soy yogurt, soy cheese, soybeans, soy nuts and tempeh (a food that’s kinda like tofu)
Sips and b-fast foods with added calcium: Calcium-fortified juice, rice milk and cereal
Dark green, leafy vegetables: Broccoli, collard greens, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens and bok choy
Dried peas and beans
Canned fish with bone: salmon and sardines

Not quite sure how to cook up these yummy foods? Here’s a start: Throw them into foods you already eat. Such as…

• Top off your steamed broccoli with soy cheese
• Add beans (think: kidney, cannellini) to your pasta ‘n’ meatballs
• Chop up some kale and put it in chicken soup

Easy, right?

Blog It Out… How do you get plenty of calcium in your diet? Any tricks for making the foods you love healthier?

Face it — your body can be one crazy perplexing place sometimes. So submit your body, health and fitness questions here! We’re talkin’ to experts and doing tons o’ research so we can get you the answers you need. Just e-mail HealthyYouQs@girlslife.com!

2/26/2008 12:00:00 PM