Calcium on the go

Sometimes you're so busy that getting a meal or snack means grabbing something at the convenience store or a fast food restaurant. But the corner store or burger joint can be full of foods that provide little or no calcium, and lots of fat and calories instead. Armed with a little knowledge, you can choose foods that can help build your bones and not clog your arteries.

Fast foods - which would you choose?
You want an afternoon snack, and a shake sounds good. Both McDonald's and Burger King's shakes are excellent sources of calcium, but there is a big difference in how much fat each shake contains.

McDonald's small 12 oz. vanilla Triple Thick ™ Shake	35% DV calcium, 19 g fat
Burger King small vanilla shake	30% DV calcium, 32 g fat

Learn more about % Daily Value
Learn more about Nutrition Facts and recommended intake

The Burger King shake contains almost half the fat a person should eat in an entire day! The McDonald's shake is a better bet.

Or maybe you find yourself at Wendy's at lunchtime - what's a high-calcium, healthier choice?

Jr. bacon cheeseburger	10% DV calcium, 19 g fat
Broccoli and cheese baked potato	20% DV calcium, 3 g fat

The potato gives you twice as much calcium, and spares you extra fat from the burger and bacon.

Get informed!
Some fast food restaurants make it easy to learn more about their foods and even help you build a healthier meal. Spend a couple of minutes online to find out about some calcium-rich, healthier choices. Or ask for a nutrition facts guide when you're at a fast food restaurant.

Au Bon Pain

Burger King

D'Angelo's

KFC

McDonald's

Subway

Starbucks

Taco Bell

Wendy's

Calcium at the convenience store
If you're looking for a snack or meal at the convenience store, try to add some high-calcium choices to your selection.

• Calcium-fortified cereal bars or energy bars
• Calcium-fortified animal crackers or graham crackers
• Pudding
• Flavored or plain milk
• Yogurt or yogurt drinks
• Calcium-fortified orange juice
• A sandwich with cheese (watch out for sandwiches loaded with fattening meats, mayonnaise, or dressings)
• String cheese

It's also easy to stock up on simple, healthy foods at the grocery store, and have them on hand when you're headed out the door.

• Buy calcium-fortified cereal bars or energy bars and keep them in your bag.
• Look for calcium-fortified animal crackers, graham crackers, or cereals, and toss some in a sandwich bag to take with you.
• Buy single-serving sizes of yogurt drinks, flavored milk or soy milk, calcium-fortified orange juice, pudding, or yogurt.