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Calcium For Dairy-free Children

B'sgirl

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B'sgirl Explorer
B'sgirl
Posted

I have just taken my toddler off of dairy foods because he was still having digestive troubles after removing gluten from his diet. How do I make up for the calcium he is not getting from milk? What foods are high in calcium? I have been giving him almond milk but I don't think it has enough in it, and he takes Usana's Usanimal vitamins but they don't have that much calcium either.

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Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted
I have just taken my toddler off of dairy foods because he was still having digestive troubles after removing gluten from his diet. How do I make up for the calcium he is not getting from milk? What foods are high in calcium? I have been giving him almond milk but I don't think it has enough in it, and he takes Usana's Usanimal vitamins but they don't have that much calcium either.

The dairy industry has brainwashed the public to believe we get calcium from dairy, and that we in general, but especially children and lactating mothers, won't get enough calcium without drinking a lot of milk.

The reality is, that because of pasteurization, which kills the enzyme that allows us to use the calcium from dairy, it leaches calcium OUT of our bones, rather than putting it in! Research has shown that North America, which has the highest consumption of dairy in the world has also the highest rate of osteoporosis in the world. I don't believe that is a coincidence.

So, what does have calcium? Green leafy vegetables are the best source of calcium (green vegetation is giving elephants and cows etc. the calcium for their large, heavy bones). If you feel that your child is not eating enough green vegetables, you may want to get a liquid calcium/magnesium supplement.

It is very important that people get enough vitamin D, because without it we can't use the calcium from ANY source. Anybody who doesn't get enough sun (and very few people do) to get the optimal amount of vitamin D needs to take supplements. The easiest and best way to supplement with vitamin D is cod liver oil (Carlson makes the best one, which also doesn't taste bad).

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

Open Original Shared Link

I was looking up dairy-free calcium for myself this morning and came across these. The same company also has a fruit flavor chewable in addition to the one pictured.

Came across this too. Open Original Shared Link

taweavmo3 Enthusiast
taweavmo3
Posted

We are all dairy free, including my four kids. It's been almost a year since taking it out of our diet, and we have been healthier than ever. I hope you see good results as well!

As for calcium, there are alot of other foods that are calcium rich. Check out Open Original Shared Link, they have alot of helpful information. From this site, I printed out a list of calcium rich foods to keep on my fridge. We all drink calcium fortified orange juice, which actually has more calcium (we use Minute Maid Kids) per cup than cow's milk. On the days when I don't feel like the kids are eating as many veggies as usual, I sometimes add Open Original Shared Link to their juice or a fruit smoothie. It tastes good (not great, but it's easily blended into something else) and I know they have their entire calcium requirement for the day. Like Ursa said above, there really is no need to stress about calcium. A varied diet, with veggies, fruit and whole grains (like Quinoa, a real power food filled with good stuff) will have plenty of calcium, with better absorption. Hope that helps!

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

Greens are high in calcium. I get my daughter to eat salad as often as I can. She is 9 now and only just now will eat it. She wouldn't eat much of it when she was younger.

For cooked foods, I add greens whenever I can. For hamburger gravy, I add Swiss chard that has been cut into fine slivers. She will eat it if she doesn't see big chunks of it in there. For meatloaf, I add a handful of spinach that has been chopped in the food processor. Finely chopped greens can be added to soups. I add parsley to mashed potatoes.

I also give her L'il Critter Groovy Calcium Gummy Bears.

confusedks Enthusiast
confusedks
Posted

Ursa Major,

What flavor of Cod Liver Oil do you buy? (Specifically the Carlson brand) Is there a certain kind I should look for? Because I am Vit. D deficient.

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
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