Episode 20: 5 Calcium-rich Foods for Vegan Kids
Karla Moreno-Bryce: Hey there, welcome to the vegan kids nutrition podcast. A place for vegan parents and caregivers to feel confident in feeding their vegan kids at each stage of growth.
This episode is a highlight of a newsletter article I sent to those subscribed to my email list. My monthly newsletter, called PLANTiful, is where I share more personal stories about my own vegan feeding journey and exclusive nutritional tips of challenges we all may be facing in our vegan feeding journey.
So, today, you’ll hear the topic of this newsletter that was published in October 2023. And if you find it helpful, I’d love for you to join us so you can get these helpful tips into your inbox. You can sign up with the link in the show notes.
Alright, so we’re going to talk about a nutrient that many vegan parents and caregivers like yourself find it challenging to meet for their kids. It’s a nutrient that is incredibly important to support their growth yet with kids having a variable intake, showing sighs of picky eating behaviors, and have specific food preferences, it’s challenging for kids to eat foods rich in this nutrient.
And that nutrient is calcium. I’ve talked about calcium needs for vegan kids in the past and I’ll link a blog post in the show notes for you to get more insight about this nutrient. It’s also something I’m continuously researching because our calcium intake during childhood does have long-term effects. So, I want to ensure that I’m not only doing the right thing for my own daughters but also share this information with you.
Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body; however, sometimes we feel stuck or unsure about how to actually meet our kids' daily calcium requirements. Can you relate to that?
I’d like to share a story with you from a past client because their story is so common among vegan parents I've worked with. Then, I'll also share some of my favorite plant-based foods and practical ways to incorporate these foods in your child's meals to meet their calcium needs.
A few years ago, I worked with a vegan parent who we'll call her, Nina.
Nina was a first time parent to a 2 year old who felt extremely worried she wasn't meeting her son's calcium needs.
Nina knew the importance of calcium. She knew it was a nutrient that supported strong bones and teeth. But after doing some research on her own about how much her 2 year old son needed, which if you’re curious the recommended daily intake for a toddler is 700 milligrams, she just had no idea how to meet that exact amount.
She had the information but she was unsure of how to apply it to her meals. What plant foods should she use? How much should she offer?
These were questions that left Nina overwhelmed and kept her up at night thinking about how to meet her son's calcium needs. And for the record, I know as parents and caregivers there are a lot of things that keep us up at night about our kids. I know I’ve experienced this many, many times about my own daughters.
To help ease her anxiety, Nina tried calculating the amount of calcium in each food her son ate so she could have a better idea of how much he was actually taking. She thought that if she just calculated how much calcium he was taking in everyday, she'd have a better idea of where his intake was, making her feel more at ease.
I admire that Nina was so dedicated to meeting her son’s calcium needs. It was very important to her and it showed with the actions she was taking.
However, this approach only fueled her anxiety. It didn't give her peace of mind; it made her more worried. It left her feeling more overwhelmed. Have you ever experienced something similar?
So, during our time working together, Nina agreed to try a different approach to ensure she was providing adequate calcium to meet her son's needs. Instead of calculating every amount her son ate, we focused on including calcium-rich foods throughout the day—specifically fortified soy milk.
When Nina discovered that if her son drank 6 - 8oz of fortified soy milk, that would help cover roughly almost 40% of his calcium needs. Just one cup of calcium-fortified soy milk can meet almost 40% of his calcium needs.
This single practice brought an overwhelming relief to her. By including fortified soy milk along with other calcium-rich foods in her son's diet, she no longer stressed about calculating...anything.
She shifted her approach knowing that as long as she focused on including calcium-rich foods throughout the day, every food/item would help add up to meeting her son's calcium requirements.
All she needed to do was believe in herself.
If you're concerned about meeting your child's calcium needs on a vegan diet, know that IT IS possible to support bone growth with plant-based foods.
I’d like to share with you a few of my top calcium-rich foods for growing kids to meet their calcium needs (you may already have them in your pantry too):
Unsweetened fortified soy milk (or other alternative like pea-based or oat):
One cup of fortified plant milk can provide 30-40% of calcium needs for a toddler who is between 1-3 years of age—making it an excellent option for little ones. I want to be transparent that the actual amount will vary based on the brand.Tofu: depending on the brand and firmness of the tofu, calcium content can range anywhere between 130 - 250 milligrams of calcium per half cup serving. That’s a pretty decent amount for young children. When you select a tofu, make sure to read the list of ingredients and that it’s calcium-set. It should include 'calcium sulfate' or 'calcium chloride'. I know in some countries tofu isn’t fortified so just be sure to check the label.
Chia seeds: these little seeds are a great addition to just about anything for a boost of calcium content. One tablespoon can provide roughly 75 milligrams of calcium. One of my favorite ways to use chia seeds is by making chia pudding for my family. My daughters really enjoy it as a breakfast item with some cereal for crunch and fruit to add some sweetness.
Tahini: is a very versatile ingredient that you can use in many baked items or even drizzled on roasted veggies. 1 tablespoon can provide about 63 milligrams of calcium. Here's a recipe for a dressing/dip that my family has enjoyed over the years.
Almond butter: nuts can be a source of helping meet calcium needs. For little ones, it can be challenging to incorporate nuts in their diet if they're unable to chew them just yet. Incorporating even just 1 tablespoon of almond butter in their diet can provide roughly 55 milligrams of calcium.
So, there you have it, my top five plant-based foods to help vegan kids meet their calcium requirements. If you found this helpful, come join the Vegan Kids Nutrition online community by subscribing to my email list which includes more than eight thousand vegan parents and caregivers. You’ll receive exclusive nutritional tips to help you further in your vegan feeding journey without having to spend time searching online. I’ll leave the link in the show notes.
And if you’d like support just like Nina did with her meal planning, schedule a coaching session with me so that you can go from feeling unsure and overwhelmed to feeling confident as a vegan parent. Thanks for tuning in. I’ll talk to you in the next episode. Bye for now.