Suggestions of High Calcium Foods for Toddler

I've acquired at the Asian market in SF a powdered drink made from a base of black sesame seeds - higher in calcium than almost anything and very palatable.

Good luck!

S.

Hello M.,

There is a new book out called "Deceptively Delicious". Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote it. In the book she tells you how to make purees of all kinds of veggies and hides them in different foods she serves her kids. Green veggies are a great source of calcium, i.e. broccoli, leafy greens, etc.. The purees can be stored in the freezer and you can put it in cookies and other foods you prepare. When serving the food, always put a piece of broccoli or whatever it is on the plate even if they don't eat it because it's exposure and eventually they will take it. Of course there are lots of other Calcium fortified drinks, such as Soy, and Rice milk. Orange juice is another. Calcium can be found in corn tortillas, almonds, and tofu as well.

Hope this helps! Best, S. C.

My 22 month old won't drink milk either. I make him a smoothie with plain yogurt, 3 T. of organic powdered milk (which is a full serving of milk), ripe banana and frozen mango. He loves it. I also sometimes serve it in an ice cream cone and top it with wheat germ. I also usually add a little carrot and cucumber to the smoothie to sneak in some some veggies. Best of luck!

I wouldn't be too worried about it. My son isn't a fan either. Too be honest I think he's better off without it. He loves yogurt though & has it every day. There are a lot of non dairy calcium foods out there too. They might not have as much calcim as milk but the calcium is a lot easier for them to absorb and make use of.
Here's a few she might eat:
Figs-high in Calcium(my son likes natural fig newtons),oranges,raisins, broccoli,garbanzo beans,kidney beans or any other kind of bean,papaya,molasses. I also make myself a chocolate Spirutein shake with milk sometimes, it's a shake mix with all kinds of good vitamins & greens, my 2 yr old likes it. So any kind of smoothie, you could do a fruit smoothie with milk or yogurt. If you're still worried about it you can give her fortified OJ or cereal. Hope it helps!
K.

Cheese, yogurt, leafy greens

Like many of the other moms, i suggest leafy greens etc....it is next to impossible to get my kids, 4 years, 20 months,& 29 years (my husband), to willingly eat them. I am praising the new cookbook by Jerry Seinfelds wife "Deceptively Delicious" It is all about hiding pureed veggies in unsuspecting favorite foods. The response in my house was amazing!!!!!

The organic plain rice milk is fortified with calcium, all the dark leafy greens, of course cheese, I use plain organic yogurt and add berries with a dash of agave syrup to sweetin.
Good luck

My daughter's nutritionist recommends mixing in powdered milk in things she already eats like eggs, mac & cheese, yogurt, etc. We also use Carnation Instant Breakfast in milk to boost nutrition and calcium.

my daughter wont drink milk either. The doctor just told me yogurt and cheese. I get the block chees and cut it into tiny pieces for her. She did drink Soy milk and loved it i would get her the very vanilla. Then they said to get almond milk. I compared the almond milk to the rice milk. Rice milk had %10 more calcium in it. So i have her drinking that now. And sometimes i get her chocolate rice milk and do half that and half regular rice milk or regular milk. Whatever you choose i would recommend that you get something that is sweetend. I had normal almond milk and it was awful.

Ronzoni Smart Taste is a pasta with 3 times the fiber and as much calcium as an 8 ounce glass of milk in each serving. My daughter also likes cottage cheese and yogurt. Spinach and broccoli also contain calcium as do Gerber Graduates cereal bars. Good luck!

Hi M.,
Many many foods contain calcium. In addition to cheese and yogurt, nuts like almonds and hazelnuts are rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium. Almond butter is easy to find and often a favorite. Green veggies like broccoli are also rich in calcium. Remember that there are many cultures that do not include dairy products in their diet and their children still develop normally. This is not to say that your child should or should not eat dairy, just that there are many other ways to get it. Broths made from animal bones that are slow simmered for a long time also contain high amounts of calcium. Does your child like to drink tea? Some herbal teas like peppermint also contain some calcium if you steep them long enough--10-15 minutes. My little one adores herbal tea. He is especially into the Traditional Medicinals teas for children.

Remember to stay away from too many of the calcium depleters like soda, refined white flour, excessive sugar, etc. That helps, too.

As a mom and a nutritionist, I know how much we worry about our kids getting what they need. You can probably take a deep breath and relax a little bit. By providing a variety of healthy, whole foods, your child will get what she needs.

Best,
E.
www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com

Some ideas...

on the days my son is not into milk, we would add ovaltine (chocolate) in it.

String cheeses are great, also smoothies made with yogurt or milk with strawberries, bananas etc. (we use magic bullet..easy cleanup and just right size for one or two people to feed smoothies etc)

Ditto on the Jessica Seinfelds book. I just browsed through. One of them was cauliflower puree and mozzerella cheese and put it on top of your favorite italian dish like lasagna. She might give you some inspirations for ideas.

Leafy green veggies. You can steam them, puree them, and hide them into her favorite foods. You could also wrap her "sandwiches" inside them. Or let her make a wrap with her favorite stuff. If she'll eat cheese, give her cheese; or yogurt, many types of fish, calcium fortified juices, blackstrap molasses, broccoli, tofu with calcium (you can mix it with other foods because it's soft and doesn't have a real taste by itself), ground almonds, and most fruits have some calcium. Good luck.

First of all cow's milk has bugger all calcium in it,we have been lead to believe this because it serves the dairy industry nicely to have you consuming it.
Most people are allergic to Lactose(Cows milk sugar) because we are not calves.
You will get alot more calcium out of Almonds,you can buy this as a mlik,but make sure it is orgainic and none heat treated.
The reason your child doesnt like milk is more than likely she has an allergy and our bodies know what we do and don't need.
Hope this has helped you,by the way calcium needs magnesium to be absorbed into our bodies,much the same as Iron and Vitamin c work hand in hand.
Rikki-Jean Croad

My oldest child, now ten, does not drink milk and she is healthy and well. Good sources of calcium are found in peaches, leafy greens, and some legumes. These sources are much more bio available than the calcium additives in some foods. If you are looking for other dairy sources, yogurt is a good choice. You can get healthful yogurts and mix them with your child's favorite cereal or fruit. There is also cheese and cheddar cheese even helps fight the bateria in the mouth that causes cavities. I'm not a big fan of juice but many (such an orange juice) are fortified with calcium and vitamins D and magnesium with are needed for calcium absorbtion.

Hi M., does your daughter like bananas? They are loaded with calcium. Also, low fat yoghurt has calcium in it also, and there are lots of yummy flavors she might like. Hope this helps you..Sincerely, CJ

My 2 yr. old son is lactose intolerent and I give him orange juice with calcium (all major juice brands carry it, such as Minute Maid.) And I also give him a soy yogurt. Good luck!

My older son doesn't like cow milk at all and never has. He uses/drinks either soy or rice milk depending on his mood. Does your child dislike all dairy? If not, then cottage cheese, yogurt, cheeses, any and all dairy products are great. If so, then broccoli, maybe? And calcium supplements. We use Trader Joe's gummi vitamins. Good luck!

Theres yougart and you can buy the ones in the plastic tubes called yogos put them in the freezer they like them better frozen it is more like yougart icecream cottage cheese is good there is also cheese but i think yogos will do the work good luck

Just think Dairy! Try grilled cheese sandwichs, cheese, yougurt, cottage cheese. My son absolutly loves cheese!!! Goodluck!

Some things I give my kids are:
Yogurt
String Cheese
Grilled Cheese sandwiches
ice cream (has calcium !)
Sardines in olive oil (cut up, sprinkle lite soy sauce, and mix with steamed rice)
Orange juice with calcium
Broccoli
Oranges
Almonds

great way to get calcium (even better source than milk!) is leafy greens.
mothering magazine had an article one time that I am SOOO glad I read, b/c I use the info all the time now....
chop up the leafy greens into really small peices and put in a freezer ziploc. Add them to anything/everything you make, a little bit goes a long way and a "sneeky" way of getting the calcium for the toddlers!