High-Calcium Food Sources For Vegan Toddlers

vegan toddler calcium needs

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.

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Read on for all the details on how to increase your vegan toddler’s calcium intake. 

calcium food sources in a vegan diet

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!

calcium intake for a vegan toddler

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.

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