Calcium-Rich Milk Alternatives

For the milk-allergic child, one of the easiest and most nutritious ways to obtain calcium is by substituting fortified soy products, which have similar or sometimes superior nutritional profiles to dairy products. For example, a cup of Silk enhanced soy milk, a fortified refrigerated soy milk, contains 35 percent of the daily value for calcium and 30 percent of the daily value for vitamin D (important for calcium absorption). It's also a good choice for other reasons: it packs in seven grams of protein, five grams of fat (with only 1⁄2 gram saturated fat), six grams of sugar, no cholesterol, plus iron and vitamin C. In contrast, whole cow's milk contains 30 percent of the daily value for calcium, 25 percent of the daily value for vitamin D, 8 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat (5 of which are saturated), 12 grams of sugar, 25 milligrams of cholesterol and no iron or vitamin C.

As you can see, soy milk is a great choice, even if your child is not allergic to cow's milk! Fortified soy yogurt is also a superb calcium source, although soy cheese typically is not. Some other great sources of non-dairy calcium include leafy green vegetables (particularly kale, collard greens and Chinese greens), nuts (especially almonds), beans (particularly black-eyed peas and white beans), sesame seeds, soybeans, figs, calcium-fortified orange juice and some fortified breakfast cereals.