What are some good ways for your kids to intake enough calcium?

Question

Drinking milk and eating dairy products will help them get calcium, but I've heard that by doing so, you're intaking unneccesary amount of protein in the process. What are some healthy alternatives for kids to intake enough calcium without it being excess? Any source to back up your answer is always appreciated since it would be more reliable that way than a random guess. Thanks in advance and 10 points for best answer!

Answer 1

Dark green, leafy vegetables, tofu, lentils, sardines, and salmon, are also good sources of calcium, which in addition to soy milk and orange juice, are good sources of calcium for kids with a milk allergy.

Foods or meals that are prepared with the above foods, such as pizza, a grilled cheese sandwich, lasagna, or a burrito with beans and cheese, are also good ways to get enough calcium.

Many other foods, including bread and cereal, may also be fortified with calcium, and can help boost your child's daily intake of calcium.

Answer 2

I disagree trevor. Access protiein leeches calcium from your bones. So you aren't gaining, or loosing anything by drinking milk. Almonds and calcium fortified soy milk are fine

Answer 3

Unnecessary protein?  thats ridiculous.  Milk however will reduce calcium due to its high acidity, much like meat.  Once digested and absorbed, calcium much be leached from your bones into your blood stream to keep it at the proper pH level.  

Anyways, I wouldn't be worried.  They get a lot more calcium in their diets than you think

Answer 4

I'm sorry...an unnecessary amount of protein?

I've never heard of such a thing. Most children get far too many cheap carbohydrates (sugar)...and never get enough proteins or healthy fats.

I included two articles that are very informative on the subject (listing food types and how much is needed for various ages), but my personal experience tells me that your fear of "too much protein" is unfounded unless your children have digestive problems, such as GERD or Celiac disease.

I loved and drank milk growing up. I still love and drink it. I have several siblings and the only ones with calcium/bone density problems are the ones that dislike milk and thence don't drink much of it.

My brother and youngest sister both love milk too, and their bones are like mine: perfectly healthy. We never suffered from "protein overdose", and if we did, it apparently wasn't too serious. Maybe I did. I'm a weightlifter and my muscles are a tad bigger than normal. It takes a large amount of protein to grow muscle. ;)

That anecdotal experience tells me that there is a definite cause of bone problems: Not drinking enough milk. And that there is a definite factor in having healthy bones: Drinking enough milk.

I think you will be just fine if you get your children to eat the the minimum amount of dairy needed to provide them with calcium, and more if they feel like eating it. If they're active and have a healthy lifestyle, and if they actually like dairy, you can be thrilled they actually like healthy food and aren't demanding only sweets and junk food! Far too many children do these days...

I hope that helps. Best wishes with giving your children a nutritional advantage. ;)

One last note: I push real milk because it's natural and it's healthy and I've used it for 20 years with nothing but health as a result. Other milks and unnatural sources of calcium are just that: Unnatural. Take soy milk.

Soy milk is not a miracle liquid. It has been shown to have devastating effects on the male reproductive system if enough is intaken over a long enough period of time. Milk from animals is a natural, readily available source of healthy nutrients. Anyone who has watched a calf grow into a bull has an appreciation for exactly what milk can do.

Soy milk is unnatural and has to be produced via man-designed techniques. As such, it's subject to our imperfect abilities and can cause serious problems, particularly in the male body:

http://www.livescience.com/health/617728...