Is My Dairy Free Child Getting Enough Calcium?

Is my DAIRY FREE child getting enough Calcium??

I am often advising and reassuring parents about their child’s dietary intake of Calcium. If your child is DAIRY FREE because of recurrent ear infections, mucous-y coughs and colds, lactose intolerance, digestive disturbances, constipation, allergies or dietary preferences you may also be asking the question.

“Are they getting enough dietary calcium?”

The good news is that there are many non-dairy dietary sources of CALCIUM. In fact NON-DAIRY sources can actually be a healthier more nutritious option. Many DAIRY products we buy from the supermarket are altered from their natural state, processed,contain added sugar, preservatives, artificial thickeners, colours and flavours. These include milk, milk drinks, yoghurts, cheeses, dips and other dairy snacks foods.

Calcium requirements

Australian National Health and medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the New Zealand ministry of Health (NZMOH)

 Babies 6 – 12 months – 270g

1 – 3 years – 500mg

4 – 8 years – 700mg

9 – 11 years – 1000mg

12 – 18 years – 1300mg (including pregnant and breast feeding women)

Top NON DAIRY sources of CALCIUM

This information is intended as a practical guide. Some measurements are estimates and adjusted to fit said practical units

100mg of CALCIUM:

• 1/3 cup fortified almond milk/rice milk/oat milk/quinoa milk
• 1/3-cup goat’s yoghurt/fortified soy yoghurt
• 15g/1 inch cube goats cheese/ feta
• 100g tofu/tempeh
• ½ tin Sardines/ small cans Salmon
• 100g of cooked fish
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa/oatmeal/amaranth/grain/fortified cereal
• 1 tablespoon Black Molasses
• ½ cup cooked spinach/kale/bokchoy/cabbage
• 2 slices wholegrain bread

50 mg of CALCIUM: 

• 1 cup baked beans
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas/lentils/lima beans/black beans
• ½ cup homous
• 1-cupmung beans
• 15 almonds/brazil nuts
• 1-tablespoon almond/ Brazil nut butter
• 2 tablespoons Sunflower seeds/sesame seeds
• 1-tablespoon tahini
• 1 cup Kelp / Wakame
• 1 cup cooked broccoli/green beans/carrots/pumpkin/sweet potato
• 1-cup raw celery
• ½ cup dried apricots/figs/raisins

Other sources of CALCIUM

• 100ml breast milk = 35mg calcium
• 100g soy cheese = 25g calcium
• 1 egg = 25 g calcium
• 1 cup brown rice = 25mg calcium
• 1 kiwi fruit/orange = 25mg calcium

Breakfast ideas

• Almond meal pancakes made egg/ milk/almond meal + glass fresh orange juice
• Cooked oatmeal with almond meal, milk, soy yoghurt with sliced kiwi fruit
• Eggs / baked beans on toast
• Fruit smoothie with milk, soy yoghurt, tahini, fruit
• Nut butter /tahini sardines on toast

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Louise Ross-Campbell

Louise believes that one of the most important things you can teach someone is how to take good care of their health and the health of their loved ones through practical, sound and enjoyable nutrition. This can give the greatest gift of ongoing and lasting health, happiness and vitality. We can all learn what we can do more of, each day, and what we should do less of, to avoid uncomfortable health issues and get closer to becoming our healthiest self.

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