Are you curious about finding high-calcium food sources for toddlers? I have you covered!
As a mom and nutritionist, I like checking my kids get enough calcium, protein, iron, zinc once in a while. (I used the free app called chronometer to record her food intake).
The other day I decided to record everything my toddler ate. she is a vegan toddler aged 21 months. I wanted to measure how much calcium she had over the course of the day.
Read on for all the details on how to increase your vegan toddler’s calcium intake.
High-Calcium Food Sources For Vegan Toddlers
Toddlers need 700mg of calcium daily. Older children will need 1000mg/day and women need 1000mg per day until the age of 50 and then 1300mg after that.
In my nutrition practice, I see too many parents, mothers, and children not meeting their calcium requirements on a vegan diet. This is often due to not using calcium-fortified plant milk.
Using calcium-fortified plant milk or soy milk is a must for children and women on a vegan diet.
Too many people assume they get enough calcium from eating broccoli a few times per week and using a drizzle of tahini in salads. Sadly this is not enough to cover the big demand for calcium for children and women.
The best calcium food sources in a vegan diet are:
- calcium-fortified plant milk (I recommend 2 serves per day to cover half of the required daily)
- Tofu
- calcium-fortified orange juice
- adzuki beans
- tahini and sesame seeds
- almond butter and almonds
- broccoli
- leafy greens
- sultanas
- tempeh
- navy beans
- black strap molasses
- chia seeds
- oats
I shared everything Annabelle ate and she got over 800mg of calcium that day.
She had:
– berry smoothie
– black bean quesadilla
– almond butter toast + soy milk
– tofu, brocoli and rice for dinner. 
I adjusted her intake based on how much she left on her plate.
I am happy that her diet really covers all of her nutrient needs. Over 800mg of calcium when she needs 700mg.
This is only possible by using calcium-fortified soy milk and tofu though.
You can see in the pic that the broccoli itself is only bringing in 12mg so as a toddler there is no way she could eat enough broccoli to cover her calcium needs!
If you liked this type of vegan nutrition post I share more vegan and kids’ nutrition content on my Instagram @healthyfrenchwife and you can also find out more about plant-based nutrition & meal plans in my RESET program.
Check out my post on iodine, omega-3s and the best plant milk for children too.
Leave a Reply