Benefits and Importance of Calcium for Kids
As a parent, one of our primary concerns is to keep our children healthy. From the day a woman gets pregnant, she starts paying attention to her diet and exercise for the benefit of the child growing inside. This continues well after the child is born and utmost attention is paid to all aspects of that child’s well being.
One important element in ensuring the health of our children is making sure they get sufficient quantity of Calcium as they grow. Calcium is a must-have mineral for kids and adults alike.
Importance of Calcium for Kids
We all know Calcium is necessary for strong bones but it’s actually essential for our whole body. It directly impacts our thinking capabilities and our bodies’ ability to function since both the cardiovascular system as well as the nervous system utilise Calcium. Interesting, isn’t it?
It not only directly helps us maintain strong bones and teeth but also aids muscle contractions, nerve stimulations and regulating blood pressure. It helps in the prevention of colon cancer and obesity as well.
An important fact to keep in mind is that majority of our adult bone mass is reached by the time we are 16-19 years old. Hence, it is recommended that we start building our bone mass as early as possible – early childhood to teens. This protects against bone loss, osteoporosis, weak teeth & tooth decay as we grow older.
Sources of Calcium for Kids
Although milk and dairy products are known as the most popular sources of Calcium, it is actually available in many other foods too. This is especially beneficial and relevant for kids who can’t consume dairy.
Here are some good sources of Calcium:
- Dairy: Milk, yoghurt, cheese
- Green Leafy vegetables: Broccoli, kale, bok choy, Chinese cabbage and okra
- Seeds: Chia, poppy and sesame seeds
- Almonds: Out of all the nuts, almonds have highest Calcium content
- Beans and lentils
- Fortified foods such as cereal and juices
- Tofu with added calcium sulfate
- Oranges, figs and prunes
- Soybeans
- Eggs
Oral Health with #ColgateDailyCalcium
As part of it’s #ColgateDailyCalcium initiative aimed at spreading awareness around benefits of Calcium for kids, Colgate sent us a calcium-rich hamper. It contains all essential elements needed to ensure that my child receives adequate amount of calcium.
99% of the Calcium in a human body is found in bones and teeth. It plays an instrumental role in keeping our jaw bones strong and healthy in order to keep our teeth in place.
Additionally, Calcium directly impacts our oral health by fortifying our teeth against bacteria. The naturally occurring bacteria in our mouth uses whatever we eat and drink to produce harmful substances that damage the quality of our teeth.
Enamel, which is the durable outer layer of our teeth, tends to weaken over time and hence, allows bacteria to reach the delicate interiors of our teeth leading to tooth decay, cavities and gum disease. That is why, at a very basic level, it is important to inculcate the habit of brushing teeth properly in our kids. Colgate Strong Teeth help repair the damage caused by germs and add natural Calcium to your teeth.
The old age advice of brushing your teeth 2-3 times a day still holds true and is something we should try and encourage our kids to start doing from a young age in addition to making sure they get the recommended amount of Calcium throughout their growing years.
This post is in collaboration with Colgate as part of their #ColgateDailyCalcium initiative. However, the views shared are my own. I will never recommend anything to my readers that I won’t use for myself or my family.
22 Comments
calcium is crucial for teeth and bone density. its always good to use good calcium rich toothpaste.
Calcium is something which is really important for kids health and growth …colgate is our family member since ages as we trust this brand a lot!!
Brush before sleep…this is what I maintain always and I have made this same habit for my kid also. And colgate is something that doesnt need any intro. We sometimes dont even call tooth paste, we ask for Colgate.
Calcium is very important for kids to strengthen their bones and all. I always make sure to add sufficient quantity of greens into my son’s diet.
My location is really important for every kid, and I try giving her different forms of milk as my girl does not like milk..your post is really helpful.
Calcium is very important and especially so for dental and bone development in children. Great to see you have given all the non dairy sources of calcium too. Thank you for sharing
I always make a point to add calcium in my kids daily meal- cheese, milk,curd or fruits. it is very important for strong teeth and bones.
calcium is extremely important as kids grow, and right nutrition surely makes sure of it. its good to see Colgate do its part in this.
You know dear we all need constant reminders and this post is so vital to all of us moms.Thanks
Calcium is important and boss mass is developed by late teens. Developing good eating habits surely helps in the long run
Calcium is most crucial nutrient for the growing years, healthy bones and body. Stronger teeth and much more. This is a great health initiative by Colgate and you.
This was an informative post. Oral care is something on which there still isn’t enough emphasis is what I feel.
This is a very helpful list. My daughter loves yoghurt but I also make sure to add a fair amount of greens in her everyday meals. Thanks for the writeup
Calcium is important for the body at any age and inculcating good eating habits since childhood can help many deal with deficiencies. I loved this initiative from Colgate. Calcium-rich foods are aplenty and we must include them in our daily diet.
You pointed out a good list Subhreet. I rely on millets too, especially ragi. People often stick with dairy products alone for calcium but there so many options
Calcium is very important part of being healthy and happy. Children need calcium for optimal growth.
This campaign is something new I’m hearing of! What a detailed post on oral hygiene and the ways to include calcium in our day to day life! This is worth for sharing and spreading the knowledge you have!
So glad you found it useful! 🙂
Such detailed article on the importance of calcium and oral hygine. I am a big supporter of home made food and with all these components, daily calcium needs can be easily met.
Exactly! Its not just milk and dairy that are good sources of calcium, but other foods too that provide simple. It’s a mix in our house! 🙂
Yes I agree, calcium is a very important requirement of our body. And while we focus mostly on dairy products, other food also contain calcium. The list was good, and I am thinking of picking a few of my son’s favourites. It would also have been nice to have a sense of how much calcium the other foods have. For example how does a glass of milk compare with a bowl of broccoli in terms of the amount of calcium it has. Thanks!
Thats a fair point! Lemme see if i can dig that information out for you and will try and update on blog too! 🙂