DD virtually vegan, lack of calcuim

[Lottie4]

DD decided to go vegetarian seven months ago and she also stopped drinking cows milk. She's never really liked cheese and yogurts I've realised she's stopped having cheese in sandwiches, saying she doesn't like pizza, is adding much less on top of pasta etc. She refuses to take a calcium supplement and I'm concerned about the long term impact of this.

Any ideas how we can incorporate more protein into her diet please?

Yesterday she had two slices seeded brown toast, hot chocolate (made with soya milk), a salad of quinoa, tomato, lettuce and pepper, seeded wrap with hummus and pepper, potatoes, broccoli, a frozen vegetable bake which did contain a little cheese and mixed nuts.

Today two slices seeded brown toast, fried egg, an apricot, wrap with hummus and cucumber and fruit later. Tonight I'm making a veggie pasta bake which will have a cheesy breadcrumb topping (I've told her I'll accommodate veggie meals but not cut out dairy products from cooking). If she's hungry she's likely to choose fruit, nuts, hot chocolate (made with soya milk) or plain chocolate.

She doesn't like with us term time and I suspect she's making vegan choices and I know she's not having hot chocolate. I do give her nuts and plain chocolate to take with her for extra snacks, she won't tea biscuits or cake.

Any ideas on how to incorporate more calcium please?

[Scotinoz]

She sounds like she doesn't do too badly to be honest 🙂

Seeds, legumes, leafy greens, quinoa, dairy alternative milks etc are all forms of calcium. And proteins.

UK breads are all fortified with calcium too.

I'm not vegan (I like dairy too much), but cook a lot of vegetarian food (which would be vegan if I laid off the cheese), and it all works as family food.

Other options are lentils, a bit of tofu, tempeh, a good vegan burger etc

[ragged]

From what I'm reading, only white flour is fortified with calcium (in UK), not wholemeal. Leafy greens & seaweed are supposed to be go-to places for calcium sources for vegans (I thought).

[RoboJesus]

She sounds like she's getting plenty ...

[remine]

Sorry, probably a little late, but she sounds like she is eating great from my POV! Did she used to eat junk food or is this a sudden change in her diet? If it's a recent change, do keep an eye on it - many eating issues can begin with restricting more and more food from your diet, have you heard of orthorexia? Don't unnecessarily interrogate her about it as it could just make her more paranoid if she has such a strict mindset towards food already, and if she is doing fine there is no point in worrying her or yourself. With vegetarianism, anaemia is much more likely to be an issue. Keep an eye on her weight, but nutritionally it sounds like she is doing great - I wish mine ate that well!

[cariadlet]

Adult animals don't need milk: breastmilk is designed for human babies and cows' milk is designed for calves.

Some studies suggest that milk isn't a particularly good source of calcium. There's plenty in it, but it isn't easily absorbed (I think it's because of the amount of protein, but can't quite remember). Societies like China and Japan which have traditionally used little or no dairy have always had low rates of osteoporosis.

One study conducted in Sweden (quoted in the BMJ) suggests that high milk consumption could actually increase the risk of fracture because of the amount of lactose and galactose absorbed by the body.

Your dd sounds like she's having a healthy balanced diet.

Good vegan sources of protein include quinoa, pulses (eg lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans, baked beans - and foods containing these such as hummus and peanut butter), nuts, seeds, tofu, chia seeds (2g of protein in just one tablespoon), buckwheat, oats, brown rice, wild rice and some vegetables (eg asparagus, avocado, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, caulilower, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, spinach and sweetcorn).

Good vegan sources of calcium include soya milk (choose one that is calcium fortified), tofu, tahini, some pulses (eg kidney beans, baked beans), some fruit and veg (eg dried figs, French beans, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, watercress, dried apricots, curly kale), some nuts and seeds (eg sesame seeds, brazil nuts, almonds). Some breads are fortified with calcium, but you need to check the label.

[Hizz]

Her diet sounds pretty good to me. Milk substitutes often have calcium added as do breakfast cereals. Good advice on NHS website.

I think iron is more difficult and worth ensuring that she maximises her iron intake and has vitamin C alongside it to aid absorption.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Another one who thinks she’s doing ok, I’m DF as I have an allergy and she’s eating plenty of foods with calcium. One suggestion the Dietician gave me was dried figs which you might get her to try.

If you are worried about her bones, is she getting plenty of weight bearing exercise?

[Fairylea]

Soya milk - certain brands have added calcium and vitamins. (Sorry if I’ve missed someone saying this- I’m reading this whilst ds is up to mischief! )

[Fairylea]

Just re read and see she’s having soya milk. She’s doing well really! I don’t think you need to worry.

[Branleuse]

I dont see whats lacking in her diet tbh. Sounds great to me

[IsTheRainEverComingBack]

@cariadlet the China Study has been debunked, the links postulated between higher and lower dairy consuming nations is correlation not causation, and ignores all the other differences in diet and lifestyle between those countries.

Saying that, OP your DDs diet looks fine. We don’t need dairy for calcium or protein.

There’s protein in everything but the main sources she’s eating - the bread, quinoa, seeded wrap, humous, nut.
There’s calcium in humous (Tahini/sesame seeds are a good source as are beans) the soya milk will be fortified and you don’t need much to get your daily allowance. Beans and leafy greens are the best sources though so encourage her to up those, as well as dairy free alternatives fortified with calcium like milks and yogurts.

She should be taking a b12 supplement though, we really all should.