But my kids do not like milk
Drinking milk isn't the only way to enjoy its benefits. For example, try making soup and oatmeal or other hot cereals with milk instead of water. Pour milk over cold cereal for breakfast or a snack. Incorporate milk into a fruit smoothie or milkshake. Chocolate milk and cocoa made with milk are also ways to increase the milk in your child's diet.
Sources of calcium also might include an ounce or two of cheese on pizza or a cheeseburger, a cup of calcium-enriched orange juice, or a small carton of yogurt. Your kids can also get calcium from dark green, leafy vegetables like kale or bok choy, or foods such as broccoli, almonds, tortillas, or tofu made with calcium. Many popular foods--cereals, breads, juices--now have calcium added, too. Check the Nutrition Facts label on the package to be sure.
My teenage son loves milk, but it seems to upset his stomach. Could he have lactose intolerance?
People with lactose intolerance have trouble digesting lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy foods. Lactose intolerance is not common among infants and young children, but can occur in older children, adolescents, and adults. It is more common among people of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian descent.
Most kids with lactose intolerance are able to digest milk in smaller amounts and combined with other foods, like cereal. They may tolerate other dairy products such as cheese or yogurt even if milk is a problem. Lactose-free milk products are now available in most stores, and there are pills and drops you can add to milk and dairy products that make them easier to digest.
Be sure to include plenty of foods with calcium in the meals and snacks you plan for your kids. Almonds, calcium-fortified orange juice, tortillas, fortified cereals, soy beverages, and broccoli with dip are a few great choices. While it's best to get calcium from food, calcium supplements can also be helpful.
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How to read a food label for calcium
The food label, called Nutrition Facts, shows you how much one serving of that food contributes to the total amount of calcium, as well as other nutrients, you need every day. This is expressed as a percent of the daily value (%DV) of calcium that is recommended. For labeling purposes, this is based on the daily calcium recommendation of 1,000 milligrams for people aged 19-50. Since children and teens aged 9-18 require more calcium, their %DV target is higher, as indicated below:
| Age |
Recommended calcium intake |
%DV target |
| 9-18 |
1,300 mg |
130%DV |
| 19-50 |
1,000 mg |
100%DV |
Here is an easy rule of thumb for evaluating the calcium content of a food: 20%DV or more is high for calcium. That means it is a high calcium food and contributes a lot of calcium to the diet. A food with a 5%DV or lower for calcium contributes little calcium to the diet and is a low source.
If you want to convert the %DV for calcium into milligrams, you can multiply by 10. For example, if a single-serve container of yogurt lists 30%DV for calcium, it contains 300 mg of calcium (30% times 10).
Getting plenty of high-calcium foods every day is important. To meet their calcium needs, children aged 9-18 need about 4 servings of foods with a 30%DV for calcium (300 mg each) or 6-7 servings of foods with a 20%DV for calcium (200 mg each) every day. Foods with a lower %DV for calcium are also important to fill gaps and help ensure that your children get all the calcium they need.
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My daughter is constantly dieting. Should I be concerned?
Maintaining proper weight is important to overall health, but so is good nutrition. If your daughter is avoiding all milk and dairy products and severely restricting her food intake, she is probably not getting enough calcium. She needs a more balanced diet that includes low-fat milk products and other calcium-rich foods. Calcium supplements may also be helpful to ensure that she gets enough of this essential nutrient.
You should discuss your concerns with your daughter's doctor. If your daughter is one of the almost 5 percent of American girls and young women with eating disorders, the problem is even more serious. Eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa, can lead to missed or irregular menstrual periods or the complete absence of periods, known as amenorrhea. These are signs of low estrogen, a hormone that is essential for developing bone density and optimal peak bone mass. Girls with anorexia nervosa will often have fractures as a first sign of the disease. Furthermore, reduction in estrogen production in adolescence will increase your daughter's risk of osteoporosis and fracture later in life. In severe cases, girls with eating disorders may even develop osteoporosis as early as their 20s. In severe cases, the damage to their bones cannot be reversed later in life.
Look for the following signs and see your daughter's physician if you think your daughter has, or is at risk of developing, an eating disorder.
- Missed menstrual periods after having had them regularly for at least several months
- Extreme and/or unhealthy-looking thinness
- Extreme or rapid weight loss
- Frequent dieting practices such as
- Eating very little
- Not eating in front of others
- Trips to the bathroom following meals
- Preoccupation with thinness
- Focus on low-calorie and diet foods
- Overtraining or excessive exercise
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