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Calcium
Calcium is necessary for your child's bones to grow strong. Low calcium intakes may be an important risk factor for fractures in children. Dietary calcium spares, or protects, the calcium in your bones. If you don't get enough calcium from the proper diet, your body pulls the calcium you need from your bones. If this process continues, your bones become weak and break easily. This leads to the crippling bone disease in later life called "osteoporosis."
Milk provides important amounts of protein and it is many children's main source of calcium and vitamin D. Children need about 24 ounces of milk every day to provide adequate calcium.
To help your child get enough calcium, use more dairy products or calcium-rich foods in your cooking. The most available source of calcium in our food supply comes from milk and foods made with milk.
Calcium-fortified orange juice provides the same amount of calcium as milk. However, OJ does not contain vitamin D, or provide the protein that milk provides.
Ways To Include Calcium In The Diet
- You can make milk and/or orange juice the only mealtime beverage except for water.
- You must not insist, "You have to drink your milk or OJ." And you must not use leverage: "You have to drink your milk/OJ before you can have more spaghetti." Also, you shouldn't play games: "I bet I can drink my milk/OJ faster than you can." These tactics give children the clear message that they should not like milk/OJ. Children reason, "If it's so good, how come they have to do all that to get me to drink it?"
- Most children go through a stage when they do not drink milk. For many, it is when they first are weaned from the bottle. Don't panic and put your child back on the bottle. Just wait. They will start to drink milk again.
Calcium Requirements
| Age |
Mg of Calcium |
| 0-6 months |
400 |
| 6 months to 1 year |
600 |
| 1 through 3 years |
800 |
| 4 through 5 years |
800 |
| 6 through 10 years |
800-1200 |
| 11 through 18 years |
1200-1500 |
Calcium Supplements
For children who do not receive enough calcium from their diet, calcium supplements should be used. Supplements (500-600 mg) are available as tablets (Tums & Viativ Soft Chews), liquid and chewables (Flintstones).
The body better absorbs some forms better than others. Supplements in the form of calcium lactate or calcium carbonate are reasonably well absorbed. Avoid bone meal and dolomite (these contain lead and other trace elements that are not good for your child).
Calcium supplements come with or without vitamin D. The recommended daily allowance for vitamin D is 400 IU per day. Eight ounces of milk will supply 400 IU of Vitamin D.
Different Ways To Use Dairy Products
- Make fortified milk: Combine 2 cups of liquid milk and 1/3 cup of powdered milk. Cool in refrigerator before using. Substitute for regular milk. One cup of fortified milk contains the calcium and other nutrients of I and 1/2 cups of regular milk.
- Add flavorings to milk: strawberry, chocolate, soft drink powders. Make eggnog, cocoa, and milkshakes.
- Make a "smoothie": Blend milk with fruit to make a beverage much like a milkshake.
- Use milk in some cooking instead of water: for example, in cooked cereal, soups, and gravies.
- Use powdered milk when you bake: Add 2 tablespoons of powdered milk to each cup of flour.
- Store and use for all baking.
- Add powdered milk to other cooking:
- Ground beef: Add 1/2 cup powdered milk for each pound of beef. Add water.
- Casseroles: Add 2 tablespoons of powdered milk for each cup of casserole.
- Vegetables: Make a cream sauce using powdered milk.
- Make desserts with fortified milk: for example, custard, pudding, rice pudding, pumpkin custard, and cheesecake.
- Use cheese in cooking: for example, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, tacos, grilled cheese
- Use vegetables high in calcium (see previous page)
- Use beans and peas; for example, bean or split pea soup, chili, three-bean salad, pea-pickle-cheese salad, and kidney beans with cheese.
- Use leafy, green vegetables in salads, soups, and casseroles.
What If My Child Is Lactose Intolerant?
Children with lactose intolerance can drink small amounts of milk without discomfort. Other alternatives include the use of other dairy products, such as solid cheeses and yogurt, which may be better tolerated than milk. Lactose-free skim milk Lactaid is available. Lactrase capsules can be given with milk products to help digest lactose. One to 2 capsules can be given with milk or dairy products or the capsule contents can be sprinkled on dairy products before eating. Increasing the intake of nondairy products, such as vegetables, may be helpful, as may the use of calcium-supplemented foods.
Common Foods Containing Calcium
Calcium contents vary. Check nutrition labels. Calcium intakes on food labels are indicated as a percentage of the "daily value" in each serving. This daily value is currently set as 1000 mg/day. Good sources of calcium are those foods, which provide 20-30% of the daily value for calcium.
Milk (skim), orange juice with calcium, and low fat yogurt contain 300 mg of calcium per cup (8 ounces). Vegetables have a low calcium content. Therefore, relatively large servings are needed to equal the total intake achieved with typical servings of dairy products.
| FOODS |
SERVING SIZE |
Calcium Content (mg) |
| BREADS |
| Hamburger/hot dog roll |
1 roll |
54 |
| English muffin, plain |
1 muffin |
45 |
| White bread |
1 slice |
32 |
| Whole wheat bread |
1 slice |
20 |
| Hard roll |
1 roll |
12 |
| Vanilla wafer cookies |
5 cookies |
8 |
| Italian bread |
1 slice |
5 |
| Graham crackers |
1 cracker |
3 |
| Saltine crackers |
1 cracker |
0.5 |
| Noodles (macaroni) |
1/2 cup |
15 |
| |
| CEREALS |
| Nabisco Cream of Wheat ®, instant |
1 cup |
59 |
| Oatmeal, cooked |
1 cup |
19 |
| Kellogg's Raisin Bran ® |
1/2 cup |
10 |
| Nabisco Shredded Wheat ®, biscuit |
1 cup |
10 |
| Nabisco Cream of Rice ® |
1 cup |
7 |
| Farina Mills Farina ® |
1 cup |
5 |
| Kellogg's Rice Krispies ® |
1/2 cup |
2 |
| Puffed Wheat |
1/2 cup |
2 |
| Kellogg's Corn Flakes ® |
1/2 cup |
0.3 |
| |
| DAIRY |
| Skim milk |
1 cup |
302 |
| Whole milk |
1 cup |
291 |
| Buttermilk |
1 cup |
285 |
| Egg, whole, raw, large |
1 egg |
25 |
| Sour cream, cultured |
1 tbsp |
17 |
| Cream, light |
1 tbsp |
14 |
| Cottage cheese, uncreamed |
1 oz |
9 |
| Butter, regular |
1 tbsp |
3 |
| Yogurt (low fat) |
1 cup |
300 |
| Cheese (natural - processed) |
1 oz |
200 |
| |
| MEAT AND FISH |
| Halibut, broiled, dry |
1 oz |
17 |
| Shrimp, raw, mixed species |
1 oz |
15 |
| Turkey, dark meat, no skin |
1 oz |
9 |
| Veal, all cuts |
1 oz |
7 |
| Flatfish, raw |
1 oz |
5 |
| Lamb, all cuts |
1 oz |
5 |
| Turkey, white meat, no skin, roasted |
1 oz |
5 |
| Cod, cooked, dry heat |
1 oz |
4 |
| Tuna,* oil, drained |
1 oz |
4 |
| Chicken, breast, roasted |
1 oz |
4 |
| Chicken, leg, no skin, roasted |
1 oz |
3 |
| Beef pot roast |
1 oz |
3 |
| Hamburger patty, lean |
1 oz |
3 |
| Steak, sirloin, lean |
1 oz |
3 |
| Bluefish |
1 oz |
2 |
| |
| SWEETS |
| Ice cream, vanilla, hard 10% fat |
1/2 cup |
88 |
| Sherbet, orange, 2% fat |
1/2 cup |
52 |
| Jams/preserves |
1 tbsp |
4 |
|
|
| FOODS |
SERVING SIZE |
Calcium Content (mg) |
| FATS |
| Margarine, regular, hard unsalted |
1 tsp |
0.8 |
| Mayonnaise, soy commercial |
1 tsp |
0.6 |
| Shortening, vegetable, soybean/cottonseed |
1 tsp |
0 |
| Olive oil |
1 tsp |
0 |
| Vegetable oil, corn |
1 tsp |
0 |
| |
| FRUITS |
| Oranges, raw, all varieties |
1 orange |
53 |
| Cherries, sweet |
1/2 cup |
18 |
| Pears, raw, Bartlett, unpeeled |
1 pear |
18 |
| Pineapple,* w/juice |
1/2 cup |
18 |
| Apricots |
1/2 cup |
14 |
| Grapefruit |
1/2 cup |
14 |
| Apples, raw, unpeeled |
1 apple |
10 |
| Strawberries, raw, whole |
1/2 cup |
10 |
| Bananas, raw, peeled |
1 banana |
7 |
| Apples, raw, peeled |
1 apple |
5 |
| Peaches, * lite syrup |
1/2 cup |
5 |
| Applesauce |
1/2 cup |
4 |
| Blueberries, raw |
1/2 cup |
4 |
| Peaches, raw |
1 peach |
4 |
| |
| JUICES |
| Pineapple* |
3.5 ozs |
19 |
| Prune, canned or bottled |
3.5 ozs |
13 |
| Lemon, canned or bottled |
3.5 ozs |
12 |
| Tomato* |
3.5 ozs |
10 |
| Orange (with calcium) |
8 ozs |
300 |
| Apple, canned or bottled |
3.5 ozs |
8 |
| Apricot nectar* |
3.5 ozs |
8 |
| Grapefruit * unsweetened |
3.5 ozs |
8 |
| Pear nectar* |
3.5 ozs |
5 |
| Grape* |
3.5 ozs |
4 |
| Cranberry, bottled |
3.5 ozs |
3 |
| |
| VEGETABLES |
| Tomato,* stewed |
1/2 cup |
42 |
| Broccoli, raw, boiled, drained |
1/2 cup |
36 |
| Snap beans, wax, raw, boiled |
1/2 cup |
29 |
| Cabbage, boiled, drained |
1/2 cup |
24 |
| Asparagus spears* |
1/2 cup |
19 |
| Carrot, raw, whole |
1 carrot |
19 |
| Carrots*, drained |
1/2 cup |
18 |
| Green beans,* snap, |
1/2 cup |
18 |
| Cauliflower, raw, boiled, drained |
1/2 cup |
17 |
| Green peas, drained |
1/2 cup |
17 |
| White rice, cooked, parboiled |
1/2 cup |
17 |
| Whole beets* |
1/2 cup |
17 |
| Celery, pascal, raw, stalk |
1 stalk |
16 |
| Potato, boiled, peeled |
1 potato |
11 |
| Noodles, egg, enriched, cooked |
1/2 cup |
8 |
| Cucumber, raw |
1/2 cup |
7 |
| Tomato, raw, ripe |
1 tomato |
6 |
| Corn*, sweet, drained |
1/2 cup |
4 |
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