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General health

Worried about lack of Calcium...

9 replies

HappyDaddy · 15/04/2005 11:42

My dd, nearly 11 months, usually has 3 meals a day with milk in between. This week, she's started refusing her mid morning milk in favour of something more substantial, i.e. baby rice cakes. I've noticed that she's getting white blobs on her thumbnails and know that this is usually to do with a lack of calcium. Any ideas on how I can replace the calcium that she's no longer getting by missing the milk? I'm seeing HV on tuesday but any help will be greatly received.
Thanks.

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Marina · 15/04/2005 11:43

What about her cheese and yogurt consumption, HappyDaddy? Does she like these?

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HappyDaddy · 15/04/2005 11:45

I haven't tried her with cheese yet, she has excema which we're worried will get aggravated. She does like petit filous, though.

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Frizbe · 15/04/2005 11:48

1 cup of milk = 250mg. Ca.
1 cup yogurt = 250 mg. Ca.
1 cup custard = 250mg. Ca.
1 ounce Swiss or Parmesan cheese = 250mg. Ca.
1/2 cup ricotta cheese = 250mg. Ca.
1 cup cooked collards or dandelion greens = 250 mg. Ca.
1 ounce cheddar or Muenster cheese = 200mg. Ca.
3 ounces canned salmon with bones = 150 mg. Ca.
1 cup cooked spinach = 150 mg. Ca.
1 ounce feta or mozzarella cheese = 150mg. Ca.
1 med. stalk broccoli = 100 mg. Ca.
1 Tbs. blackstrap molasses = 100mg. Ca.
3.5 ounces tofu = 100 mg. Ca.
1 cup cottage cheese = 100mg. Ca.

Found this for you if it helps?
ivillagenutrition

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Marina · 15/04/2005 11:51

Ricotta looks good (as opposed to "hard" cheese perhaps) and Petits Filous are a good way of getting that calcium into her.

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HappyDaddy · 15/04/2005 12:06

Thanks very much, both of you. I'll just have to work out how much will replace her milk.

Thanks again for your help, ladies.

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SamN · 15/04/2005 12:18

The vegan society website is a good reference for non-dairy sources of calcium. We aren't vegan but ds1 has food intolerances so we've been following a dairy-free diet pretty much the whole of his life. I found their info useful.

Things he ate/drank at that age (as far as I can remember):
diluted orange juice with added calcium (Tropicana);
lots of broccoli;
hoummous with pieces of carrot to dip into it;
lots of bread and pasta;
porridge with dried apricots and molasses.

I can't remember when we introduced oily fish into his diet - probably not until later - but salmon and sardines are good because it's easy to just open a tin and spread it on some toast or ricecakes or make a pasta sauce with it.

hth

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HappyDaddy · 15/04/2005 12:20

That's very interesting SamN, as I'm worried about her excema flaring up, too.

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zebraX · 15/04/2005 13:02

It's zinc deficiency that the white marks on fingernails may mean, Happydaddy, rarely to do with Calcium... except that many other vits/minerals interfere with zinc deficiency. Ca may be one of them (I don't know).

You can also get (I think this is most common cause, actually) white marks simply from blows -- if she banged her hand against something in last 2 months or so. Very rarely a fungal infection may explain the spots.

This site says foods high in zinc include
porridge oats
whole grain products
yeast
seafoods
meat
nuts
milk
eggs
cheese.

chicken, vegetables. "In general, animal meat is a better source of bioavailable zinc than vegetables."

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HappyDaddy · 15/04/2005 14:36

I didn't know that, thanks zebraX. Very helpful, aren't you all?

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