My ten year old child does not eat dairy products very often and I would like to know how I can ensure that he gets enough calcium, thank you.


A Thank you for your question. The UK Department of Health recommended daily intake of calcium for children aged between 7 – 10 years is 550 mg a day which is about a pint of milk. The following are some ideas of adding calcium to your child’s diet:

• Green vegetable e.g. broccoli and kale, parsley
• Leafy green vegetables e.g. cabbage and spinach
• Dried figs, almonds & brazil nuts
• Fish with soft edible bones e.g. sardines and salmon. Can be offered as fish cakes which children often like.
• Calcium processed tofu
• Pinto beans or any dried beans
• Calcium fortified breakfast cereals with rice milk or fortified Soya milk
• Wholemeal bread
• Oat meal, can be given in porridge
• Calcium fortified citrus juice

When buying food it is a good idea to read the food labels and look for foods that provide 10% or more of the daily value for calcium, most cereal products list the amount of calcium per serving on the box as do other products these days.. It is difficult to get enough calcium without dairy in the diet. It might be a good idea to discuss this with your General Practitioner who can make a referral to a dietitian for advice on your child’s diet and calcium supplements. This way you can get your child’s involvement and cooperation in his/her own health. Encouragement and praise will also help and you can do this by noticing how well he/she does by eating healthy foods and trying to implement the advice given. Comments about lovely skin, bright eyes and general appearance will also help.

health visitor

back to faq's - feeding