Don't Get Cheated Out of Calcium

If you drink calcium-fortefied beverage such as soy or rice milk, be sure to give the carton a good shake before you pour. Unlike the calcium that naturally occurs in cow’s milk, the mineral must be added to these drinks in the form of finely ground powders. These particles can settle, Creighton University researchers recently found, as the beverage sits on a shelf, forming a calcium sludge at the bottom of the container. As a result, the actual calcium you get from soy or rice drinks may be as much as 85 percent less than what the label says. –Kimberly Papa