98% of children are calcium deficient. Dried fish is a high calcium supplement.

Elementary school students in Taiwan have a serious calcium intake deficiency. Among students aged 10 to 12 who are about to enter puberty, 98% do not get the recommended calcium intake. Experts suggest that dried fish, a natural food, is rich in calcium. On average, every 100 grams of dried fish contains 2,213 mg of calcium, which is the highest calcium content of all foods and 20 times higher than milk. Dried fish is also rich in vitamin D and precious natural fish oil Omega-3 fatty acids, which can effectively absorb calcium and help children grow healthily.

Dried fish, a natural food, is rich in calcium. On average, every 100 grams of dried fish contains 2213 mg of calcium, which is the highest calcium content among all foods. (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

The latest "Dietary Tracking Record Survey of Children in Clinical Clinic" conducted by Taipei Medical University Hospital found that 20% of children did not get enough calcium, and less than 1% of them ate dried fish. This shows that insufficient intake of high-calcium foods is the main reason why schoolchildren do not get enough calcium.

Professor Chen Junrong, director of the Department of Health and Nutrition at Taipei Medical University, said that most people believe that middle-aged and elderly people only need calcium supplements because of osteoporosis. In fact, it is more important to get enough calcium during childhood. In addition to helping growth, it can also reduce the chance of fractures in the future. However, children are becoming more and more picky eaters, resulting in nutritional imbalance and making the problem of calcium deficiency in children more serious.

Professor Chen Junrong said that most people think that middle-aged and elderly people only need calcium supplements because of osteoporosis. In fact, it is more important to get enough calcium during childhood. (Photo provided by Professor Chen Junrong)

Another survey found that the average daily calcium intake of elementary school children in Taiwan is only 50% to 60% of the recommended amount, and 98% of 10-12 year old children who are about to enter puberty do not get the recommended amount of calcium. Professor Chen Junrong emphasized that balanced nutrition is the most important key to the health of growing children, and calcium is an indispensable element in the growth process of children. In addition to helping children's bone and tooth growth, it also regulates cells and assists heart and muscle contraction function.

The latest "Dietary Tracking Record Survey of Children in Clinical Clinic" conducted by Taipei Medical University Hospital found that 20% of children do not get enough calcium. (Photo provided by Professor Chen Junrong)

Professor Chen Junrong suggested that the first step to help children supplement calcium is to choose the correct and effective source of intake. The Department of Health recommends that children consume about 800-1200 mg of calcium per day, and eating just 10 grams of dried fish per day can effectively supplement most of the calcium nutrition. Therefore, parents are advised to supplement the calcium needed for children's growth from daily food ingredients, and to consume more dried fish as a source of high calcium. You only need to eat at least the amount of dried fish in the palm of your hand every day, and then combine it with other high-calcium food sources to supplement adequate calcium.