Calcium Rich Foods For Children

Calcium Rich Foods For Children

Calcium is critical across the life cycle, from your time in utero, as an infant and a toddler, through life changes such as pregnancy and then, finally, in the older years. Young people need calcium to help build their growing bones. Older people need calcium to avoid bone loss. To meet the needs of a young, growing body, dairy foods tend to be the best bet.

Daily Calcium Intake
Children need adequate calcium to grow strong bones. As children grow and their diet grows with them, their recommended intake changes. The National Academy of Science’s Food and Nutrition Board recommends the following intake as of 2010:

  • Children 0 to 6 months: 200 mg/day.
  • Children 6 months to one year: 260 mg/day.
  • Children 1 to 3 years old: 700 mg/day.
  • Children 4 to 8 years old: 1000 mg/day.
  • Children 9 to 18 years old: 1,300 mg/day.

 

Calcium-Rich Dairy Foods
To meet that need for calcium, dairy foods do hold the highest calcium content.

  • Yogurt, plain: 450 mg/cup.
  • Milk, low fat or nonfat: 300 mg/cup.
  • Milk, whole: 275 mg/cup.
  • Cheese: 200 mg/ounce.

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Food labels will contain the amount of calcium, including calcium added to the food in processing. Learn to read the labels to determine just how much calcium is in the food. However, keep in mind that the Daily Value (% DV) provided on the food packaging is the recommended level of an adult (1000 mg/day). The recommended level for a child will vary depending on the child’ age. A glass of milk containing 300 milligrams of calcium would meet nearly half the calcium requirement of a two-year-old child even though it would meet less than one-third of the calcium need of an adult.

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