Most people get their calcium from dairy products. What people forget or do not know is that dairy is not the only source of calcium. Dark, leafy greens contain as much absorbable calcium as milk does without all the stuff you don’t need – fat, cholesterol, and harmful additives. Even Dr. Spock, in his newly controversial American favorite, Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care, states that dairy is just not necessary for children.

Despite all the evidence – and even warnings – from experts, the specter of trying to feed finicky toddlers their greens is enough to turn any parent off the anti-dairy campaign. So it helps to know that there are many other sources of calcium should you decide to drop dairy from your baby’s diet or not introduce it at all. But before we get to that, you may be wondering why on earth you ought to consider it in the first place. Milk does the job well enough, right?

Most of us grew up learning and believing that milk is an essential part of any healthy diet. After all, dairy has its own food group. Keep in mind, however, that there are people all over the world who consume little or no dairy and still get the calcium they need. The myth of the necessity of cow’s milk in the human diet is largely a Western concept, one that is perpetuated by the American dairy industry. There is ample evidence that the consumption of dairy is linked to numerous health problems, including but not limited to heart disease, allergies, digestive problems, anemia, eczema, congestion, and ear infections. Dr Frank Oski, the author of Don’t Drink Your Milk and Director of the Department of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, warns that early signs of arteriosclerosis (plaque lining the arteries) may already be present in children only two or three years old, and dairy consumption plays a large role in that.

I will be the first to admit that even knowing all these things does not make changing a lifetime of eating habits easy. If you still choose to eat dairy products and drink milk, at least choose one of the organic brands that are popping up nowadays in many grocery stores around the country. So what are the alternatives to dairy for obtaining calcium? Cows get all their calcium from grains and grass, so there is no reason to believe that we cannot.

Before children begin to consume solid foods, rest assured that their calcium needs are met by breast milk and/or formula. Once weaned, you will need to make sure your child gets enough calcium from foods and drinks. It is worth mentioning here that breastfeeding past a year does offer nutritional benefits to toddlers, contrary to common belief. Continued nursing is one surefire way to ease your mind about the erratic eating behavior of many toddlers.

Following are some non-dairy sources of calcium to include in your child’s diet:

© Melanie Wilson 2003 This article originally appeared in May/June 1999 issue of Vegetarian Baby and Toddler. It has since been revised.