Scoring poorly in calcium
ONLY one in four females consume the right amount of calcium - a nutrient which helps lower the risk of stroke and heart disease.
And according to Southern Downs senior dietitian Paul Jones, that's no surprise.
The results were found in a survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Girls aged 12-18 years and women over 50 years were found to be the worst offenders.
Mr Jones said the results were expected because: "Australia does have a very high recommended calcium requirement, compared to the World Health Organisation recommendation."
But Mr Jones quickly added calcium was an important nutrient.
He said women should have at least two serves of dairy day. "Two serves of dairy foods is linked with reduced stroke risk and reduced heart disease risk, so this would be a realistic target," Mr Jones said.
The dietitian said calcium deficiency was an issue many clients across the Southern Downs had.
"It is something I see a lot of," he said. "I also see some anxiety around whether people are eating enough calcium, and some of this can be misplaced, particularly if we are talking about fractures.
"To reduce fracture risk we often need to look at factors other than calcium."
