Is Milk Giving Our Children Enough Calcium?

Our mothers and grandmothers have always boasted about how good milk is for the kids, especially growing children, and we have believed it to be true for decades. Have you ever wondered whether milk is giving enough calcium to our children? If not, it’s time you read on.

Though milk is a good source of protein, vitamin D, and calcium, it is not the only source that provides these nutrients. There is no scientific proof that drinking milk will allow you to avoid bone fractures.

How Much Calcium Does Your Child Need?

When you plan to force your child to drink milk, you want your child to have enough calcium. But how much calcium do children need? According to a reliable source, the recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for calcium for a 0-6 months old is 200 mg, 7-12 months old is 260 mg, 1-3 years old is 700 mg, 4-8 years old is 1,000 mg and 14-18 years old is 1,300 mg a day.

If Not Milk, Where Can My Kid Child Calcium?

As a parent, you should know that milk is not the only reliable source of calcium. There are many other sources that you can trust to meet the RDA for your kid. A serving of 8 ounces plain and low-fat yogurt has 415 mg of calcium and 1.5 ounces of mozzarella, part skim has 333mg of calcium. Eight ounces of low-fat fruit yogurt has 313-384 mg of calcium, and 1.5 ounces of cheddar cheese has 307 mg calcium. 8 ounces of calcium-fortified soymilk has 299 mg, 6 ounces of calcium-fortified orange juice has 261, half a cup of firm tofu made with calcium sulfate has 253 mg, a cup of calcium-fortified ready to eat cereal has 100-100 mg, half cup vanilla ice cream has 84 mg and a slice of white bread has 73 mg calcium.

What’s the Ideal Solution?

If you still want to depend on milk as a key calcium source and your kid is resisting, make sure that you check with the pediatrician about whether your kid might be lactose intolerant. If there is no lactose intolerance, you can make milk interesting by adding a bit of chocolate powder in it. You can also reduce the amount of milk a child has to drink and replace milk with any other calcium-rich foods mentioned above. You can even talk to a nutritionist to ensure that your kid is getting enough calcium from other sources. Calcium is vital for the growth of every child, so you can’t afford to make a mistake in this regard.