Ms. Mary Silva
Specializing in feeding and nutrition.
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 Ask Mary Silva
Ways to Get Around a Non-Milk Drinker | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Ms. Silva,
Our child does not drink a lot of milk. We try to feed him other calcium-rich foods such as spinach and yogurt. How big a problem is the non-milk-drinking and should we look at other supplements?— Milkman | | | ANSWER |
October 11, 2000 | | | Dear Milkman,
Disliking milk is not a big problem. Milk is a good and convenient source of calcium, protein, Vitamin D, riboflavin, and calories, but it isn't the only source of these nutrients.
Depending on their ages, most children need three or four servings of calcium-rich foods a day. It's good that you're already giving your son yogurt, and be sure to look for a brand that is Vitamin D-fortified and has live and active cultures for maximum benefit. Cheese and tofu are other good sources of calcium, as are vegetables like beans, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, and oranges, as well as fruit such as oranges.
Even if your son dislikes drinking milk, you can still use it to prepare foods such as macaroni and cheese, pancakes, muffins, pudding, mashed potatoes, and soups. You also might experiment using undiluted evaporated milk in some of your recipes; it's twice as concentrated as regular milk, so the same amount of liquid will provide double the nutrients. Calcium-fortified cereals, along with muffins made with these cereals, are other good products to try. Cereals often have an extra bonus--even a child who turns up his nose at a glass of milk often won't mind adding a good helping to his cereal bowl.
— by Mary Silva, M.S., R.D. |
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