When you wean your baby off the bottle and onto cups, they might stop drinking their milk. If your baby is going through a stage where he doesn’t want to drink the white stuff, how do you make sure he’s getting the calcium he needs?

There

are plenty of other sources of calcium, some you might not expect. If you do prepare special foods loaded with calcium, don’t make a big deal out of your toddler eating them. The more pressure they feel from you trying to get them to eat and drink, the less likely they are to do it.

Without further adieu, here are the greatest sources of calcium money can buy:

• Milk
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Beans
• Tofu
• Orange Juice (you can buy this calcium fortified)
• Beans
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Sweet Potatoes
• TurnipGreens
• Tortillas

Use these foods in your prepared meals and you’re on your way to success. Some ideas for meals and snacks loaded with calcium are:

• Fruit smoothies made with milk
• Use milk instead of water in cooked cereal, soups and gravy
• Powdered milk has more calcium than regular milk Use two tablespoons or every cup of flour when you bake to calcium fortify your own cooking.
• Use 1/2 cup and water in every pound of ground beef
• Use two tablespoons in a cup of casserole
• Make a cream sauce for vegetables
• Add 1/3 cup to 2 cups of regular milk to increase calcium by 50%

Add cheese to everything

Mac and cheese
• Lasagna
• Tacos
• Grilled Cheese
• Vegetables
• Burgers

Use leafy green vegetables like spinach in salad, soup and casserole

Make your family’s diet calcium heavy if your baby won’t drink milk. He’ll need every mg he can get.

What secret calcium rich recipes do you make for your family?

Source:  American Academy of Pediatrics

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