calcium for kids

i have always seen mothers fret over the calcium kids need to grow strong bones. many i know give calcium tablets everyday! here's a read for them:

Calcium for kids

We all know that calcium is important for our kids. But kids being kids, mothers always have a problem of feeding them. I have often seen mothers running around with a glass of milk …….is milk the only good source of calcium?

In this article we’ll see what the other good sources of calcium are and how to we incorporate them in our child’s meals without running behind them and also why calcium is so important.

First let’s understand why is it so important to incorporate calcium in our diet? We all know that it helps in bone formation. And bones are being formed in childhood. There is a base which forms which cannot be refilled after the growth period is over. It could not just lead to week bones for life but severe deficiency could lead to porous fragile bones, knocked knees, rickets, tooth   many other complex problems.

Besides bone development, it is also needed for blood clotting, absorption of vitamin B12, secretion of insulin hormone. Calcium plays an important role in transmission of nerve impulses

An infant requires 500mg of calcium, while a child between 1-9 yrs. require 400mg, like a normal adult. The requirement increases later going upto 600mg between 10-15 yrs. of age. But can we measure the mineral in a bowl and give that much?????

Let’s see how to take an approximate:

A glass (200ml) of cow’s milk could contain 240mg Ca- which is almost half of their requirement!

A cube of 25g of cheese contains 200mg Ca.

50g of mackerel gives 215mg Ca.

A 10g til laddoo will give 145mg.

2 rotis of ragi (50g) will give 172mg Ca.

Now you get an estimate that a combination of a glass of milk, 2 rotis made with ragi and a til ladoo can easily fulfil a day’s requirement. It is now upto us how we present these ingredients to the child. If milk is too boring, it could be a flavoured lassi or a custard pudding or a kheer or paneer parathas. If a child doesn’t like til ladoos, add till to parathas, or powder it and add it to sabjis to made it thick and tasty, add it to mukhwaas or simply use roasted til to garnish! If ragi roti is a no- no, make ragi porridge or ragi ladoos or cake! And see how the child will lap it up. It’s as simple as that. If a dish is presented interestingly and in an appetising environment, a child doesn’t go to see its ingredients.

It is not so difficult to fulfil our body’s daily requirement of calcium; all we have to do is be a little aware of the food choices we make for our kids.