How can my child get enough calcium without dairy?
Calcium, Dairy Free Diet, Plant Based Diet
Dairy products are a major source of calcium, so if your family avoids or limits dairy products, it’s important to include non-dairy sources of calcium in their eating pattern.
There are plenty of fortified plant-based drinks (link to blog post ‘What’s the best dairy alternative drink for my toddler?’) and yoghurts available that are excellent sources of calcium, but in this blog post I wanted to show you some other non-dairy calcium rich options available to you.
How much calcium do children need each day?
|
Age |
Daily calcium recommended |
|
0-12 months |
525mg |
|
1-3 years |
350mg |
|
4-6 years |
450mg |
|
7-10 years |
550mg |
|
11-18 years Girls Boys |
800mg 1000mg |
|
Breastfeeding |
1250mg |
Some examples of non-dairy sources of calcium include:
🍊 1 orange = 60mg calcium
🥦 170g broccoli = 60mg calcium
🥬 40g kale = 60mg calcium
🍞 1 slice fortified bread = 150-180mg calcium
💚 50g calcium-set tofu = 180mg calcium
🥣 3 Tbsp fortified ready oats = 180mg calcium
❤️ 1 Tbsp tahini = 60-70mg calcium
🧡 25g ground almonds = 60mg calcium
Calcium bioavailability
Bioavailability means the amount of calcium that is absorbed from foods and available to be used by the body. The absorption of calcium from different foods varies greatly – the absorption of calcium from low oxalate vegetables such as broccoli and kale is very good (around 50-60%), from calcium-set tofu, fortified drinks and breads is good (around 30%) and from beans, nuts and sesame seeds is not as good, but they can still contribute small amounts of calcium to the diet. The calcium from spinach is very poorly absorbed at around 5%.
Remember that although the calcium in broccoli and other low oxalate green vegetables is very good, large portion sizes are needed and these are likely to be unrealistic for young children.
|
Calcium absorbability |
Plant Food |
|
Good (around 30-50%) |
|
|
Fair (around 20%) |
Pinto beans, red beans, white beans |
|
Poor (around 10% or less) |
Sesame seeds, rhubarb |
|
Very poor (around 5%) |
Spinach |
Source: The Vegan Society
Would you like to know more?
I have an ebook How to meet your child’s calcium requirements on a plant-based eating pattern the gives you all the guidance you need for children of all ages as well as breastfeeding women.
