Most toddlers now have no problems with their calcium, thanks to breast milk and formula. But much more depressing point is that calcium intake drops affectedly after the infant years. Girls, especially teenagers, eat much less dairy than boys, putting them at massive long term risk for osteoporosis and other illness from low calcium.
What about your young teenagers or what about yourself? Are you getting enough calcium in your nutrition? To answer this, we must know how much calcium we required per day to stay healthy. According to the US National Institute of Health, children 1-3 years want 700 mg per day, 4-8 years need 1,000 mg, and 9-18 years need the most, at 1,300 mg, to help their quickly developing bones. Most adults 19-50 years old want a bit less, at 1,000 mg.
The finest choice for calcium remains dairy products. One cup of full milk has 246 mg, while low-fat milk has a bit more at 264 mg. Yogurt has a parallel amount, and cheese is another superb choice, as one slice (30 g) of cheese may have 200 mg. If your kid hates cow’s milk or is lactose intolerant, at least try to boost yogurt and cheese. You could also effort low-fat or skim chocolate milk, which would be much better than no milk at all! Subsequently breakfast is important for a child, a wonderful meal could include yogurt with fresh fruit or berries, plus a slice of cheese on toast.
While dairy is the world’s most mutual source of calcium, adequately other foods also have calcium. Kid-friendly healthy choices include calcium-fortified soy milk, orange juice, cornflakes and granola bars. One 8 ounce cup of orange juice may have 300 mg of calcium. Other non-dairy sources include fortified rice milk, leafy green vegetables (except spinach), and fish such as salmon or sardines.
Another cooperative task is to completely remove all sodas. You don’t have power over your children at the mall or a friend’s house, but you absolutely can be a role model at home and never purchase sodas. Ever Really! I believe that soda is a very unhealthy choice at all ages. There’s also some data presenting that soda drinkers have lower bone density, but it’s still debated why that is. Most likely the soda is just replacing healthy calcium drinks such as milk. But there still continue a host of reasons never to drink soda, mainly due to its risk of obesity and diabetes. I would much have a preference any child drink calcium fortified orange or apple juice in its place of any soda.
