How to get enough calcium in your diet

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Crystal Byrd
6 years ago
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1 How to get enough calcium in your diet What is Calcium and what does it do? Calcium is needed to help build and maintain healthy bones and teeth. 99% of the calcium in our bodies is found in our teeth and our skeletons. It also helps to make blood clot normally and regulate our heartbeat. How much Calcium does my child need? My child s requirement for calcium is mg / day. This will vary according to age and is not the same for everyone. What happens if I don t get enough calcium? A lack of calcium can lead to a condition called rickets in children, where the bones are soft and weak, and can become deformed, such as bowed legs or curvature of the spine. Rickets can also cause bone pain and poor growth. Even if rickets do not develop, lack of calcium at any stage in life increases the risk of osteoporosis later on in life, where bones become brittle and can break easily. Which children may be at higher risk of calcium deficiency? Those on a cow s milk-free or lactose-free diet Those with coeliac disease Those who eat a limited range of foods What if my child can t eat dairy foods? Don t worry! There are plenty of other foods that contain calcium, and most alternative milks are fortified so that they have similar levels of calcium as cow s milk. Rice milk is not suitable for children under 5. What are some ways of introducing more calcium into my child s diet? 1.Aim for 3 portions of dairy foods or dairy alternatives a day. 2.Include green vegetables every day. 3.Provide snacks of nuts and dried fruits. 4.Try swapping meat for tinned fish, beans or tofu at some meals. Source: Nutrition & Dietetics Services Reference No: Issue date: 16/11/17 Review date: 16/11/19 Page 1 of 6

2 5.Give desserts such as yogurt or custard (or fortified alternatives such as soya or coconut). Which foods are good sources of calcium? Dairy foods are generally high in calcium, but if you cannot eat these or do not like them, there are dairy alternatives which can be used and there are many other foods which also contain calcium. Please note that some foods may not be suitable for a gluten free diet. Dairy Sources Quantity Food Calcium content (mg) 1 glass (1/2 Skimmed milk 355mg pint, 280ml) 1 glass (1/2 Semi skimmed milk 345 pint, 280ml) 1 glass (1/2 Full fat milk 340 pint, 280ml) Portion of milk Semi skimmed milk 125 on cereal (100ml) 1 pot (150g) Yoghurt g Cheddar cheese tbsp Grated hard cheese Cheese snack such as baby bel, cheese 130 string 1 Cheese spread triangle pot 45g) Fromage Frais (Ella s Kitchen, Plum, 85 Munch Bunch) 1 pot Fromage Frais Calcium Enriched (Petit 125 Filous) 1 scoop Ice cream 75 25g Horlicks Original in 200ml milk g Ovaltine Original in 200ml milk g (1/2 a Rice Pudding 176 tin) 120ml / 1 pot Custard g / 1 fun size bar Milk Chocolate 66

3 Dairy Free Alternatives Quantity Food Calcium content (mg) 200ml (1 125g pot 200ml (1 250ml (large Calcium enriched milk alternatives such as 240 soya/oat/nut/coconut milks Calcium fortified yoghurt or dessert or 150 custard Lactofree milk 240 Calcium enriched orange juice serving Calcium fortified infant cereals g Calcium fortified cereals slice Calcium fortified bread scoop Soya ice cream 6 200ml (1 Danone water (calcium fortified) 60 Meat and Fish ½ tin Tinned sardines with bones 260 ¼ tin Tinned salmon with bones 25 3 pieces Scampi in breadcrumbs 95 4 fish (16g) Fried whitebait 140 ¼ medium White fish, fried in batter 25 fillet (45g) 60g or 20 Shelled prawns 100 prawns 1 sausage Large sausage 50 (80g) 1 party size Sausage roll party size 20 Meat and fish alternatives 60g Tofu / soya bean curd (set with calcium 200 chloride or calcium sulphate, not nigari) 50g cooked Quorn pieces 15 50g cooked Soya mince 40 1 standard Veggie burger / bean burger 100

4 Quantity Food Calcium content (mg) 1 tbsp cooked Spinach 55 2 spears Broccoli 30 2 tbsp cooked Curly Kale 40 2 tbsp Frozen peas, cooked 25 1 fresh or 2 Figs 125 dried 18g Raisins 8 4 (30g) Dried apricots 25 1 large (210g) Fresh orange 70 1 medium slice Bread and Cereals Bread, white or brown 40 1 slice Gluten free bread 35 1 medium Wholemeal bread 20 slice 1 medium Chelsea or current buns 85 1 plain Scone 70 1 Original Rusk 60 3 tbsp (50g) Swiss style Muesli 65 Nuts, Seeds and Beans (NB whole nuts are not suitable for children under 5 years) 10 nuts Whole almonds 50 7 nuts Brazil or hazelnuts 35 ½ bag (25g) Peanuts 15 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds 80 1 tbsp Kidney beans 25 1 tbsp Chick peas 20 ¼ tin (100g) Baked Beans 50 Snacks and Treats 25g Tortilla chips 30 2 finger Kit Kat 45 60g slice Banoffee pie 50 60g slice Cheesecake 30

5 Calcium content of foods Daily requirements The amount of calcium you need varies at different stages of life. Infants Under 1 year 525mg Children 1 3 years 350mg 4 6 years 450mg 7 10 years 550mg Adolescents years girls 800mg years boys 1000mg Adults 19 years and over 700mg Breastfeeding 1250mg Women Post-menopausal 1200mg Coeliac disease Adults 1000mg Vitamin D Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb the calcium we eat. Foods rich in vitamin D include: Fresh or frozen oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon or tuna Fortified margarine and butter Fortified breakfast cereals Liver Eggs However, you cannot get enough Vitamin D from food alone. Most of our vitamin D is made by the action of sunlight on skin. Children who cover up their skin in sunlight, use a high SPF cream or stay indoors a lot may need to get more Vitamin D from food or a supplement. All children aged 1-5 years should receive a vitamin D supplement, which is available free of charge to those who are eligible to healthy start vouchers, or can be easily bought from a chemist or supermarket.

6 If you would like any information regarding access to the West Suffolk Hospital and its facilities please visit the disabledgo website link below: West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

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