The importance of meeting calcium needs for children

The age of children is an ideal period for their growth and development. In order for optimal body development, children need adequate nutritional intake, one of which is by meeting daily calcium needs. How much daily calcium is needed for children and should they take calcium supplements apart from food?

What are the benefits of calcium for children?

Calcium is a mineral that is needed at all ages, including for children during their growing period.

Identical calcium is beneficial for bone health. But apart from that, calcium also helps the nervous system, muscles, and heart health work.

For children themselves who are still growing and developing, bones are developing very rapidly.

Bone development in childhood will continue until the end of adolescence.

That is why it is important to support optimal bone growth during childhood to adolescence, one of which is by fulfilling children's calcium needs.

This supports the development of bones so that the child grows tall so that it does not cause the child's body to be short.

Launching from the Kids Health page, the benefits of calcium are good for preventing children from experiencing bone loss in the future.

Adequate calcium intake along with vitamin D also helps prevent children from rickets.

Rickets is a disease in which a child's leg bones become bent and weaken the muscles, thus stunting growth.

Not only that, the benefits of calcium for children also support tooth growth, help blood clotting processes, and activate enzymes needed to convert nutrients into energy.

Where can children get the source of calcium?

Seeing the benefits and role of calcium is very important in supporting children's growth and development, you need to help optimize their daily calcium intake.

Usually, children get calcium intake from milk that is drunk at breakfast, brought as school supplies for children, or mixed with healthy snacks for children.

In one glass of milk (250 ml) generally contains approximately 300 mg of calcium.

So, if a child drinks 3 glasses of milk a day, the nutritional needs of the child in the form of calcium are actually sufficient.

Apart from milk, daily calcium needs for children can also be met from other food and drink sources, such as:

Soy milk
Yogurt
Cheese
Salmon
Kale
Broccoli
Cabbage
Sawi
Spinach
Almond nut
Edamame

In fact, given the important role of this mineral, calcium is often fortified or added to various types of food.

Healthy foods for children fortified with calcium include cereal, bread, juice, and more.

However, you can also provide calcium supplements as a source to meet children's calcium needs.

How much calcium a child needs in a day?

Based on the 2019 Nutritional Adequacy Rate (RDA), during the development period of children 6-9 years old, calcium intake is around 1000 milligrams (mg) per day.

When children are 10-18 years old or in adolescent development, their daily calcium needs increase to 1200 mg a day.

Although previously explained that adequate milk intake can help meet children's calcium needs, it is also possible that calcium intake from food and drink is still lacking.

This is the reason parents often provide calcium supplements for children.

Is it necessary to provide calcium supplements for children?

Actually, children don't need calcium supplements because there are so many foods that can provide this one mineral source.

For example, if a child does not like milk, there are still many choices of other food and drink sources to help meet the child's calcium needs.

However, if you think your child's calcium intake is very far from what is recommended, there is nothing wrong with giving calcium supplements to children.

It's just that, make sure you pay attention to the dosage content in the calcium supplement before giving it to children.

According to Texas Children's Hospital, a dose of 200-500 mg in a calcium supplement is actually sufficient depending on the child's age and food intake.

Meanwhile, calcium supplements for children that contain high doses, for example 1000 mg, will usually be too much and are not really needed.

Therefore, you should consider carefully whether your little one needs calcium supplements or not.

If in case it is needed, try to pay attention to the approximate dose of calcium supplements your child needs.

Adjust the dose of taking calcium supplements for children with their daily food intake.

However, before making this decision, you should first consult with your doctor in order to get the best advice.

The doctor can help determine whether or not a child should be given calcium supplements along with the appropriate dosage recommendations.

Is there a danger if calcium intake is too much?

Before deciding whether to give your child a calcium supplement or not, you should first consider it carefully.

Pay attention to the daily intake of children, have children consumed lots of food sources that contain calcium?

If the child's calcium intake is very little, giving calcium supplements may be a solution.

However, if your child's calcium intake is only slightly less than their daily needs, you should add more calcium intake from milk, cheese, yogurt, green vegetables, and others.

This is because, if you add a calcium supplement, it is feared that the child's intake will actually be excessive.

This excess calcium intake can have adverse effects on children's health.

In addition, too much calcium in the body can also cause constipation.

Worse yet, excessive consumption of calcium supplements can increase a child's risk of developing kidney stones.

What affects calcium absorption for children?

The absorption of calcium in the child's body can be disturbed and pushed more smoothly for various reasons.

Things that interfere with the child's calcium absorption

Even though the child has consumed a lot of foods and drinks that contain calcium, also pay attention to whether the child's body is absorbing calcium properly.

Because sometimes, what children eat cannot be fully absorbed by the body because there are several things that interfere with the absorption of these nutrients.

Some things that interfere with the calcium absorption process for children include:

1. Eat lots of foods that are high in sodium

The content of sodium in food can inhibit the absorption of calcium in the child's body.

Foods with a high sodium content include potato chips, hamburgers, pizza, soft drinks, and junk food.

Apart from calcium, foods with a high fat content can also interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium.

So, if your child is consuming enough food and drink sources of calcium but also eating a lot junk food, this can be a waste.

2. Eat lots of foods high in phytic acid

Foods with phytic acid content such as brown rice and wheat are also considered to inhibit the absorption of calcium in the child's body.

This is because phytic acid binds calcium and other minerals so that it is difficult to dissolve and be absorbed by the intestines. As a result, calcium comes out of the child's body again.

The solution, you can provide bread or whole grain cereals that have been fortified by calcium.

It increases the child's calcium absorption

Apart from foods that interfere with calcium absorption, there are also nutrients that can increase calcium absorption. Calcium absorption can be increased with the help of vitamin D.

Children can get vitamin D intake from food and also from sunlight. Sunlight can help synthesize vitamin D in the body.

Doing lots of activities outside the home can help children get vitamin D from the sun as well as support the development of children's bones.