Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

Growing children need both calcium and iron in their early years. This week, Registered Dietitian Cindy Williams explains why you need to balance milk and meat for your toddler so he doesn’t miss out on these critical minerals.

Question: How much milk and meat should I feed my child?

Answer:

Milk

Milk is an excellent source of calcium. Children need plenty of calcium to build strong bones and teeth. Up until 12 months a baby should not drink cows’ milk because the protein is too large for the baby’s immature digestive system. After 7-8 months babies can have a little cooked cow’s milk as part of a milk pudding or custard. Yogurt and cheese are also fine for this age group – and a great source of calcium. Babies who drink cows’ milk before 12 months are at greater risk of iron deficiency.

Up to the age of two children should have full fat cows’ milk. They need the extra energy from the fat for growth. After the age of two toddlers can drink reduced fat milk so long as they are eating a good variety of food.

Up until the age of five, health authorities recommend children should drink about two cups of milk a day. Some toddlers love milk and would be happy to drink it all the time. Stick to two cups a day otherwise they will fill up on milk and have no room to eat their meat and vegetables. Toddlers who regularly drink more than two cups of milk a day are at greater risk of iron deficiency.

In a day they could have milk on cereal for breakfast, a small glass of milk sometime during the day, a little cheese and perhaps a milk pudding or half a carton of yogurt. The amounts will vary according to the child’s appetite. Remember the parent decides the quality and the child decides quantity.

Meat

Meat, especially beef and lamb, is the best source of iron and zinc for a child. The type of iron found in meat is called heme iron and it is easily absorbed. Children can also get iron from non meat foods such as iron fortified cereal, legumes (split peas, dried beans, lentils) and green leafy vegetables. Only about 5% of this iron is absorbed but having vitamin C with the food will increase absorption. Give your child some vitamin C rich fruit such as orange or kiwifruit with their breakfast cereal and they will absorb about four times more iron from the food.

Research has found that children who eat fruit with their meals are less likely to be iron deficient than those who eat fruit between meals.

Babies are born with enough iron stores to last about six months. Premature babies have lower iron stores because iron is mostly stored in the last three months of pregnancy so it is especially important for these babies to start eating iron rich foods sooner rather than later.

At six or seven months a baby can eat cooked, pureed meat, chicken or fish. It provides essential iron for brain development but at this young age is still a top-up after the usual milk feed. By 7-8 months a baby should be eating two or three small meals a day with 2 tablespoons to 1/2 a cup per meal. Increase the amount gradually before increasing the number of meals. Include some cooked minced meat with mashed vegetables most days.

A one year old needs more iron than his or her dad. It is vitally important that toddlers get enough iron from their food. This is when their brain is developing the most rapidly. If they miss out on iron at this stage their brain will not develop to its full potential – and they can’t make up for it later. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends two serves of meat (or protein equivalent) a day for children under six years. A serve is 1oz of meat, fish or poultry or 1 egg or 2 tablespoons peanut butter or 4-5 tablespoons legumes. Remember to give your child an orange or piece of fruit with the egg, peanut butter or legumes to increase iron absorption. Give your child a mixture of meat, chicken, fish and vegetarian meals each week. Variety is good for both their health and training their taste-buds to enjoy different flavours.

KEY POINTS

• Don’t drink cows’ milk before 12 months.
• Toddlers should drink no more than 2 cups milk a day.
• Eat fruit with meals rather than between meals.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

Jenna of kidAppeal left an insightful tip in response to Getting Enough Iron on a Vegetarian Diet:

soaking grains with whey reduces the amount of phytates, that should boost iron absorption.

I decided to research this further to understand why this might be so. First, a few definitions:

Whey: is the liquid portion of milk remaining after it is curdled with lemon juice or vinegar. Curdling is a common technique to make cheese. Only whey proteins from milk remain in this liquid while the majority of the milk proteins called casein are separated out in the curd. Because of the lemon juice or vinegar, the whey liquid is also acidic in nature.

Phytates: are salts of phytic acid, which is found in bran (outer layer of grains), seeds and plant tissues. Phytic acid binds to minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc to form these salts. When this happens, they become insoluble which reduces their absorption in the GI tract. Phytic acid and phytates are therefore not very desirable because of the risk of low mineral absorption in people who rely primarily on plant sources for nutrition. As a result, phytates and phytic  acid are sometimes collectively referred to as anti-nutrients.

Soaking grains in water is an ancient practice. It works very well to remove phytic acid especially when the soaking medium is acidic as in case of whey. Sprouting and lactic acid fermentation are some of the other methods of phytate removal.

Interestingly, the probiotic micro-organisms in the GI tract also provide an enzyme called phytase which can break the phytate salt complex to make it more soluble for better absorption.

Whey works, but you can also get the same benefit by using water with a little lemon juice or other media such as apple cider vinegar, coconut milk or water, kefir, buttermilk, thinned down yogurt (see The Nourishing Gourmet link below)

Don’t, however, treat phytates as the enemy – it does have some benefits especially for the health of your colon. Cleaerly everything in nature has a purpose!

Other resources:

Be kind to your grains – Weston Price foundation website
Soaking grains, soaking grain part 2 – The Nourishing Gourmet

This is part 2 of a series by guest writer Lauren Morgan, a dietetic intern at the University of Maryland and blogger at The Blue Plate Special. Having grown up with food allergies, and because of her training as a dietitian, she has a strong interest and technical knowledge of this topic. Feel free to leave a question or comment for follow up!

In part 1 on milk allergy, we introduced a definition and some common symptoms of milk allergy. In this second part, we offer a few tips if you are trying to manage your child’s nutrition when he or she has a known milk allergy.

Do we know the reasons why a child may develop milk allergy? Is it because of genetic reasons or are there environmental factors?

This is a good and complicated question because the causes of allergies are not well understood.  Children develop allergies when they come into contact with allergens, thus this is an environmental trigger.  Children are at greater risk for developing allergies if one or both parents have allergies, so this is the genetic component.  Researchers do think that there is generally a strong genetic component although it is not well understood.

How to achieve proper nutrition and avoid calcium and vitamin D deficiency if my child has a milk allergy?

Like we mentioned last week, milk is a great source of calcium and vitamin D which are very important to the body.  Calcium is key for healthy bones, especially for children as their bodies are growing and developing, and vitamin D is necessary for our bodies to absorb the calcium.  The good news for parents of kids with milk allergies is that there are other places to get these important nutrients if your child cannot have any milk or milk products.

Many foods are fortified with calcium these days including fortified ready-to-eat cereals, soy milk (although many children with milk allergy are also allergic to soy so be careful with this one), sardines, collards, spinach, kale, okra, and soybeans and tofu (again watch out for the soy allergy).  Many of these foods have much lower amounts of calcium then a dairy source so be aware of this to make sure your child is getting enough calcium.

Our bodies can make vitamin D, and all we need for this is some sunlight to activate the process!  However, many Americans are deficient in vitamin D for several reasons including that we are more careful and precautious in the sun by applying more sunscreen.  While sunscreen is very important (especially on your children!) it is still possible to make some vitamin D.  By exposing your arms and legs in the sun for about 15 minutes and then applying sunscreen you will be safe in the sun and produce enough vitamin D when doing this 2-3 times a week.  If you are uncomfortable with this or do not think you can be out in the sun enough then food sources or a multivitamin with vitamin D are a good way to make sure you are getting enough.  Food sources include egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver, and some vitamin-D fortified cereals.

What precautions should be taken when traveling or eating out?

Eating out when you have a child with a milk allergy can be a scary thing.  Closely evaluate the menu and pick items that are traditionally milk free; however, you cannot completely rely on this because you never know what ingredients a specific recipe will call for.  The safest strategy is to ASK!  Talk to your server and ask to speak with the chef; they can tell you exactly what ingredients are in the dish and if it is safe for your child to eat.

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network has a wonderful resource for eating out!  Their chef card template is available for download for FREE.  Just fill out the card with the ingredients your child cannot have and then present this to your chef when dining out.

Stay alert, stay safe, and stay nutritious with food allergies!
©2010 Littlestomaks.com

This is part 1 of a series by guest writer Lauren Morgan, a dietetic intern at the University of Maryland and blogger at The Blue Plate Special. Having grown up with food allergies, and because of her training as a dietitian, she has a strong interest and technical knowledge of this topic. Feel free to leave a question or comment for follow up!

While many people go through their lives never giving a second thought to drinking milk, that is not how it goes for kids and parents of kids with milk allergy.  Milk is a fundamental part of the diet, especially for many young children.  There are certainly ways to have a healthy diet and healthy child while avoiding milk, but for parents of young children just developing these allergies it can be a rough road.  Let’s address the basics of the milk allergy.

What is milk allergy?

Milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies seen in children these days! Here are a few basic facts to know about milk allergy:

• It involves an allergic reaction which is a reaction of the immune system to the protein present in cow’s milk.
• The immune system identifies the protein in milk as harmful and begins to fight it by producing immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to attack the protein.
• The IgE antibodies then trigger a cascade of responses in the body to fight off the allergen; this is what leads to the body’s response of vomiting, swelling, etc.
• There are mild to severe reactions involved in a milk allergy.
• One thing to remember about food allergies is that repeated exposure can lead to more severe reactions.  The first exposure, known as sensitization, begins the production of these antibodies. So the next time the body sees the protein the antibodies are there to fight it off.  This can happen more intensely over time.

It is important to note here that many people mistake a milk intolerance for a true milk allergy.  A true milk allergy involves a reaction of the immune system where as a milk intolerance will often involve digestive problems such as bloating, and/or gas after drinking milk or eating milk-containing products.  It is important to know the difference because milk allergy is a very serious issue that can be life-threatening. Also you do not want to deprive your child of milk and milk products if their digestion can be helped with lactase enzymes or other products. Milk, after all, is a good source of calcium and vitamin D.

Check out a good introduction to general allergic reactions on MedlinePlus and milk allergy on Mayo Clinic and  and HERE for more information on the process behind the milk allergy reaction.  If you are interested in how things work in the body then this will fascinate you!

How can you recognize an allergic reaction to milk in your child?

Allergic reactions happen within minutes to several hours after consumption of the food, or drink in this case.
You could see these symptoms if your child is having an allergic reaction:
Immediately

• Wheezing
• Itchy eyes
• Runny nose, sneezing
• Hives
• Vomiting
• A more severe reaction called anaphylaxis, which is a systemic reaction in the body that can be life-threatening and needs emergency medical attention immediately

Symptoms that take more time to develop

• Diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps
• Loose stools which may contain blood
• Itchy skin rash that is often around the mouth
• Colic in babies

Here is a good description of signs and symptoms of food allergy by American Academy of Pediatricians

How many kids are affected? What is the age range of affected kids and how early can I find out if my child has milk allergy?

According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network approximately 2.5% of children younger than 3 years of age are allergic to milk. If an allergy to milk is going to develop, it almost always develops in an infant’s first year of life.  The good news with milk allergies is that most children (it’s estimated 80-90%) will outgrow the milk allergy in their first few years of life.

That’s a lot to take in about milk allergies, so digest it, and I will be back to talk about the “so what do we do?” side of it very soon!

Photo Source: Clearly Ambiguous on Flickr

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

According to the 2nd edition of the PDR for Nutritional Supplements -

The absorption efficiency of calcium varies throughout the life span. It is highest during infancy when it is about 60%. In prepubertal children, it is about 28%. During early puberty, at the time of the growth spurt, it increases to 34% and then drops to 25% two years later.

How you can use this information -

1. Get your kids to drink milk and eat yogurt at an early age. Dairy is the best source of calcium. Unless you have an allergy problem, this should be your first choice. Milk also has vitamin D which is necessary for calcium absorption.
2. Other sources of calcium and vitamin D – fortified orange juice, cereals, collard greens, broccoli, tofu, salmon, spinach. Offering a variety of food sources in addition to, or instead of dairy, is a good way to get calcium in your child’s growing bones early on.
3. Recommended daily value for children 1-3 years is 500 mg (about 2 cups of milk) and for children 4-8 years is 800 mg (2-3 cups of milk).
4. In addition to food sources, physical activity is also important. Both exercise and nutrition help bones to increase their strength.

Building a calcium reserve at an early age is almost like building a bank balance of good health for the rest of your child’s life.

What has worked well for you in providing adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D in your child’s diet?

©2009 Littlestomaks.com
Information provided in this post is not meant to be treated as medical advice

Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

This week, Registered Dietitian Rebecca Subbiah offers advice on how to ensure a balanced, nutritious vegetarian diet for your toddler.

Question: My child is on a vegetarian diet. How can I ensure he is getting proper nutrition? Should I give him any supplements?

Answer:

It is very possible for a toddler to follow a vegetarian diet along with the family, as long as it’s well balanced and varied to ensure nutritional adequacy.

Toddlers have unique nutritional needs based on their age and growth, needing between 1000-1400kcal a day, 3 -4 servings of grains, such as a slice of bread, ½ a cup of pasta, half of the servings coming from whole grains. A vegetarian diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables of all the colors of the rainbow in order to get the range of vitamin’s and minerals. Aim for 1-2 cups of vegetables a day and 1-2 cups of fruit per day.

In regard to dairy, aim for 2 cups of milk a day, full fat for the first few years, cheese and yogurt to meet calcium and vitamin D requirements for growing bones. Toddlers between the ages of 2-4 need 500mg of calcium and 400IU of vitamin D. If your child cannot tolerate dairy use calcium fortified cereal and soy products, some orange juice is also fortified with calcium.

A nutrient of concern in a vegetarian diet is iron as the most easily absorbed sources come from meat. Toddlers need 7mg of iron a day, especially after one year as their stores are depleted. Ensure your toddler doesn’t fill up on drinking too much milk and eats well at meal times. Provide iron fortified grains, tofu and beans. With meals serve them along with vitamin C rich foods, such as orange juice, broccoli, strawberries and tomatoes as vitamin C aids iron absorption.

It is also important to eat good sources of protein such as lentils, beans and pulses. Offer your toddler 3-4 servings of protein a day with a serving being ¼ cup of cooked dry beans, or one egg. Look up recipes from around the globe for inspiration particularly in countries that are predominantly vegetarian such as India. You will find a wealth of recipe ideas with dals using lentils, dishes like pongal that combine rice and lentils and many dishes for beans and wonderful ways to cook vegetables.

In Middle Eastern cuisine you will find hummus and falafel. Of course stir-fries are wonderful with vegetables and egg for protein, also vegetable fried rice. Pasta dishes also lend well to vegetarian options and pasta comes in such fun shapes and colors that kids adore.

Here is a simple vegetarian recipe you can try:

Savoury Pongal

Ingredients:

• Mong dal 1/3 cup
• Rice 1 cup
• Cumin
• Pepper
• Cut ginger
• Coriander leaves
• Curry leaves

Method:
1. lightly roast the mong dal
2. add rice and dal to pressure cooker with 4 cups of water and let the whistle go 2 times
3. then simmer for 5 minutes
4. heat oil or ghee and add spices, curry leaves and salt then add to the pongal
This is a easy and tasty traditional South Indian dish actually eaten on Pongal Harvest Festival in January. It is great eaten with spinach dal.

References:

1. Nutrition guide for toddlers on Kids Health
2. Infant and toddler nutrition on MedlinePlus

©2009 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

Greetings! Fall is in the air and I really love this time of the year. There is a cool, crisp freshness in the air, especially in the morning and just before the sunset. We are having a lot of fun with the twins playing outdoors in the yard or going around the block with them on their tricycles. Hopefully you all are having fun too. And yes, the Holidays are not that far off either!

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another Five for Fridays! Here are 5 interesting nutrition stories of the week that caught my eye. Enjoy and drop a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.

Maximize your child’s nutrition at every stage

Registered Dietitian Maryann Jacobsen has written a very nice and comprehensive guide to help you maximize your child’s nutrition at every stage, from birth to school years. What I liked about her post is that she describes very clearly the recommended levels of different nutrients and offers great feeding tips at every age. For preschoolers, it is important to build healthy eating habits early on by striking a balance between their desire for sugary, fatty and high energy snacks and balanced homemade meals. Eating as a family is highly recommended, although it is no easy feat to accomplish!

For school-age children, watch out for deficiencies in vitamin E, D, calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber. Get them to eat with you as a family and encourage them to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Most of all, don’t give up, keep trying and fight the battle by being a role model.

Too much marketing hype behind probiotics

There is a lot of buzz around probiotics these days! People have been eating yogurt for a long time, but it is only recently that food marketers have realized they can make it sexier by using the immunity claim on the package. This kind of advertising is hard to resist, especially when it comes to products for kids. Even we fell for the DanActive Immunity Probiotic Drink, which claimed to have a new more absorbable yogurt culture but it contained a lot of sugar and it was super expensive. All kinds of claims are being made to pull customers. I was surprised to lean that Dannon recently settled a class-action lawsuit Activia yogurts and DanActive yogurt drinks.

When it comes to probiotics, not every strain of the bacteria is equally effective. Consumers should be informed about the specific probiotic strain in the product and its scientifically proven benefits. The L. Casei Immunitas^TM strain in DanActive drinks has been shown to reduce illness in children attending daycare. But there is very little evidence of general immunity or resistance to disease from these probiotics. In my opinion, these new products are not worth the extra money and you should watch out for added sugar. In the meantime, plain yogurt with home-made fruit puree is a very decent affordable option!

Schools start cooking fresh food for a healthier lunch

Yes there are a lot of regulations for school kitchens, there is little or no equipment and there aren’t any skilled cooks on the staff. Plus it is simply easier to serve straight out of a package after a quick reheat. No wonder over 80% of the school districts in the country cook less than half of their entrees from scratch according to a 2009 survey by the School Nutrition Association. School lunches have neither appealing nor appetizing for kids!

I was happy to read about one middle school in New York which is trying to do things differently to encourage kids to eat better at lunch. Mostly due to the efforts of its principal and the cafeteria manager, a few new ideas are being implemented. A curry chicken recipe is one such idea especially popular among the students. The bread is whole wheat, pasta is whole grain and milk is low fat. There are salad bars and deli bars. More importantly, these leaders believe that “the children need a little flair in the food, it is good for their brains”. Amen to that!

Omega-3 cheese may soon become available

A new study shows the promise of formulating cheese with fish-derived omega-3 without the fishy smell. Scientists have developed a technique to add omega-3 as an emulsion to the cheese to make it stable and mask the fishy smell. It is still at the research stage but I am sure there will soon be a commercial product given the huge consumer interest in omega-3 fatty acids. I think it is a good innovation even though only a small amount of omega-3 can be added to cheese by this technique.

Omega-3 fatty acids are called essential fatty acids because the human body cannot make them. They are good for growing children because they help in visual and brain function development. Diet and supplements are the only source of these nutrients. Cheese is popular among children, therefore omega-3 fortification of cheese makes sense. When it becomes available, watch out for saturated fats and trans fats before tossing it in your shopping cart!

A fun way to learn about nutrition

Cathy of A Life Less Sweet provided a link to Nourish Interactive, a website which is trying to educate parents and kids about nutrition by using online games. It looks very interesting, and best of all, membership is free. Parents and kids can learn together by trying out these games, puzzles and challenges. You will need to create an account for your child to play free. There are many useful interactive tools such as a healthy meal planner which helps you calculate the daily calories for different foods based on your child’s age. I plan to check it out in detail. If you do try it, let me know what you think.

Enjoy your weekend!

Photo source -chefranden on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

This week, Registered Dietitian Victoria Retelny offers some tips for switching your baby from infant formula to cow’s milk.

Question: Can you give some tips for switching my child to milk from infant formula?

Answer:

Typically, by 12 months old, infants can be completely weaned from infant formula to cow’s milk.  Be sure to choose whole, full-fat milk as your baby needs the fat and calories for healthy brain development until he/she turns two (at that point you can switch to low-fat or fat-free milk).   However, moving from formula to milk does not have to a cold turkey proposition.  Although it seems like a big transition, it can be a gradual change. Weeks before a baby’s first birthday, you can begin mixing milk in with formula, cereals, vegetables, such as creamed corn, spinach, peas, broccoli, and fruit like mashed bananas.

Since cow’s milk is one of the major food allergens for infants and children, a slow introduction is the ideal way to get your child’s delicate system used to cow’s milk as well as give you an opportunity to see if he/she has any reactions, such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or skin rashes, which may be associated with lactose/dairy intolerance or allergies.   If you suspect a reaction has occurred from milk, contact your pediatrician or a pediatric allergy specialist for further evaluation.   Have no fear, there are other options to cow’s milk – try soy milk or rice milk.  Always look for added calcium and vitamin D as you don’t want your child to miss out on those key nutrients for healthy bone development.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

Almonds are a good source of calcium, iron, vitamin E and monounsaturated fats. I personally try to eat a few almonds every day, and now my son is showing an interest in sharing them with me. We do not eat the roasted or salted varieties, but prefer the raw nuts. One of the tricks we use is to soak a handful of almonds in water overnight, which makes them soft and easy to chew.

After soaking overnight, we drain the water and then remove the brown peel with a knife. The softened almonds look milky white.

You can offer a few of them to your child, or chop them into small pieces and mix with his favorite cereal. When giving him a whole almond,  keep a close watch because it can be a choking hazard.

Almonds have a very high nutritious value. According to the nutrition facts label, a serving size of 1 oz (28 g, about 25 whole almonds) provides:

• 160 calories, 120 of which are from fat. Total fat is 14 g, but most of it is of the monounsaturated type which is known to reduce the LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
• Only 6g carbohydrates. Almond flour can be used for cake and bread recipes suitable for people on low-carb diets or those with diabetes. It is also gluten free, therefore very useful for people with wheat allergies.
• 6 g protein, 8% calcium, 6% iron.
• Almonds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which are known to promote brain development.
• They are a very good source of vitamin E and several B vitamins.

Typically, we soak about 10-15 almonds at a time. It is not very practical to eat 25 in a day for sure. Even if your child can eat 4-5 at a time, that is good enough. The important thing is to develop a taste for nuts and include them in the daily diet as a nutritious snack.

So go ahead, and go nuts over almonds!

©2009 Littlstomaks.com

This is a guest post by Rima Mehta. She holds a Masters Degree in Business Management from Thunderbird University, and is a Holistic Nutrition Educator certified by the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. In addition, she has completed an advanced training program in Wellness and Life Coaching.

Calcium for Kids

Calcium is the super nutrient that helps make strong bones and teeth. It’s most important during the growing years when bones are building. The best sources of calcium come from the cow.

Calcium is a mineral that is mostly present in your child’s bones. Having a diet with foods that are high in calcium to meet daily requirements is necessary for the development of strong bones. It is also an important way to prevent the development of osteoporosis in adults.

Recommended daily Calcium requirements:

Toddlers (age 1-3 years) require about 500mg of calcium each day (about 2 glasses of milk). Preschool and younger school age children (age 4-8 years) require about 800 mg of calcium each day (about 3 glasses of milk).

Older school age children and teens (age 9-18 years) require about 1300 mg of calcium each day. This higher level of calcium is especially important once they begin puberty (about 4 glasses of milk). Since milk has a lot of calcium in it, children who routinely drink milk each day usually easily meet their daily requirements of calcium. Children with milk allergies or who just don’t like milk are a little more of a challenge to meet these requirements, but it is still easy if you learn to read food labels.

Non-dairy sources of calcium:

Fortified orange juice is a good source of both calcium and vitamin D. Leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale are also good sources. Here is a good link for a full list of non-dairy sources of calcium.

How Calcium Works

Calcium MUST have an acid environment in the stomach for absorption into the blood. Interestingly, the majority of Americans nowadays take antacids (prescription and over the counter). The antacids neutralize acid stomach and greatly inhibit calcium absorption.

If the calcium is absorbed from stomach to bloodstream, calcium must find its way to the bone, get into the bone and stay in the bone.

If one’s diet is high in animal protein or refined sugars, this creates blood acidity, which requires buffering. One of calcium’s best jobs is to buffer, so calcium will leave the bone to assist with this buffering. If one’s diet includes veggies, fruits, grains (and small portions of animal protein), the calcium has a chance to get to the bone, if it has a carrier molecule to assist it. Ninety percent of all calcium supplements on the market are “calcium carbonate. Another very important mineral, which most Americans are very deficient in, is magnesium. As a result, we see calcium leeching out of the bone, if it makes it into the bone to begin with, because magnesium’s biggest role is to keep calcium in the bone.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Vitamin D is also well known for its involvement with bone health. It is necessary to absorb calcium. Therefore, people with low vitamin D levels may be more likely to suffer from osteoporosis or joint pain. However, new research is showing that vitamin D has many more functions in the body than just helping our bones.

Vitamin D also effects the neuromuscular and immune systems and can reduce inflammation. Because of these functions, vitamin D deficiency has been related to a variety of disease states including: autoimmune disorders, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
We certainly do not lack for dairy sources of calcium in our country. In fact, most Americans imbibe it in milk and cheeses. However, milk is an animal protein and remember, intake of large amounts of animal proteins create acidity in the blood! Then to top it off food and beverages companies are typically looking to throw any old calcium into their products so they can add a ‘with added calcium’ label to the product but we are not interested in that.

So choose food products that are high in calcium to get your child the calcium he needs. In addition, compare food labels to choose brands or types of foods that have a higher percentage of the daily value of calcium.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Disclaimer – this is not a commercial product; just something we made up to solve a nutritional problem with our twins!

Ever since my son discovered the Breyers Pure Fruit All Natural frozen bars in the store, he just doesn’t want to give it up. “Ice cream cold! Ice cream cold!”, as he calls them, is all he wants to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For a while, we didn’t think it was that big a problem; after all, the Breyer’s product claimed to be “pure fruit”. And it had vitamin C, no added sugar and only 40 calories. After a few attempts, we gave in to his demands because we noticed that he would eat the rest of his otherwise healthy dinner if he had a frozen fruit bar in his other hand.

Except that he was eating 3 of these frozen bars throughout the day. So the “empty” calories just continued to add up. He was not getting any other nutritional value from these frozen bars. And to make it worse, his twin sister also joined in the fun and started demanding the same at each meal. So, we decided that something needed to be done about this problem.

I should admit that we got real lucky because this idea happen to come to us purely by chance.

Our twins like to eat a lot of yogurt. One day, as I was about to throw the empty yogurt cup in the trash bin, I wondered if we could just freeze some orange juice in it to offer it to my son instead of the “pure fruit” bars. The OJ we buy is packed with vitamins, calcium, folic acid, magnesium and potassium. It is low in sugar and calories. As it turns out, the yogurt cup holds about the same amount as one of the frozen pure fruit bars, so the nutritional comparison is easy:

%Daily value based on 2000 cal diet

It was, as you can imagine, very easy to make. Even if my son eats 3 or 4 of these in a day, it is like drinking a cup of healthy, nutritious OJ. And judging by these photos, both my son and daughter can’t tell a difference!

We are thinking of trying cranberry juice (my daughter’s favorite) and frozen yogurt too.

What do you think? Have you had a similar problem? How did you solve it? Do you have other ideas to try?