How much calcium do I need?
Infants up to 12mths.......525mg.....................three quarters pint of milk
Young children..............350-550mg................half to three quarters pint of milk
Adolescents.................800-1000mg...............one and a third to one and a half pints of milk
Adults........................700mg.....................one pint of milk
Breastfeeding women......1250mg....................one and a half pints of milk
But rather than getting all your calcium from milk you can also source it from common foods:
Milk, all types...............200ml.......................240mg
Cheddar.....................1oz/25g.....................180mg
Edam........................1oz/25g.....................190mg
Cottage cheese (plain).....small tub 125g.............110mg
Yoghurt......................small pot 150g.............150mg
Greek yoghurt...............small pot 150g.............150mg
Sardines......................half small tin 100g........500mg
Salmon........................half small tin 100g.......95mg
White bread..................1 large slice...............35mg*
Wholemeal bread............1 large slice...............20mg
Baked beans/other beans...1 small can 200g.........110mg
Brocolli........................small portion 2oz/50g...30mg
Cabbage......................small portion 2oz/50g....25mg
Spring greens................small portion 2oz/50g....45mg
Oranges......................1 whole orange............75mg
Eggs, cooked.................2 eggs......................60mg
Ice cream, non-dairy........2oz/50g....................60mg
* Not sure how old the factsheet is but must be pre-Best of Both bread, which says two slices provides the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk.
So, cereal with milk for breakfast, beans on toast with grated cheese for lunch, a yoghurt or two, plus a healthy tea easily provides enough. Hope that's reassuring for anyone with LOs who don't like milk, it certainly helped me not worry
