Calcium rich foods for 15 month who refuses dairy? OJ??

[cookiemonster80]

DD2 doesn't have any dairy intolerance, she just refuses milk and cheese and is starting to balk at yogurt- my one stand by to get some calcium in her. She won't eat broccoli, but will eat cottage cheese on occasion. I sneak chia seeds in wherever I can, but she is not getting enough calcium during this crucial period in her development.

Her doc suggested OJ this morning- we aren't a juice family, but it looks like I'll have to give it to her. Are some brands better than other? Is the low sugar stuff worse than the regular variety?

any other ideas to add calcium?

Oh and she won't eat smoothies so can't sneak greens in that way

[Simon]

Would she drink flavored milk? Would you prefer chocolate milk to orange juice? Two of our kids are dairy free so we stick with alternative sources like fortified cereals, fortified plain soy milk, certain brands of crackers have a lot of calcium and for meals things like salmon, beans or tofu.

[lizzywednesday]

I think the reduced sugar OJs have artificial sweeteners in them, so it wouldn't be my first choice to give that to a child. (I can taste artificial sweeteners, so I don't consume them at all. DH thinks I'm weird, but he's not the one tasting the chemical bitterness!) As for brands, well, I find that Tropicana is consistently sweet while other brands can be bitter in the wintertime. Be sure to shake the container before you pour a glass - I've heard that the calcium can settle at the bottom of the container.

Calcium chews may also be an option, but you'd have to check with your pediatrician - too much calcium in supplement form can be constipating.

If all else fails, calcium & vitamin D enriched non-dairy "milk" such as soy, almond, coconut, and rice milks are certainly an option. They come in flavored/unflavored as well as sweetened/unsweetened versions. But you do need to read the labels because their calcium contents vary based on brand & "milk" type.

[marymoo86]

What about vanilla almond or coconut milk?