Many parents will admit that they find it challenging to get enough dairy into their kid’s diets each day. The daily recommended dairy intake is three servings which can definitely be a challenge. Recent studies have shown that children are consuming larger amounts of sugary drinks including juice and sports drinks. As a result, they are drinking less milk which raises health concerns about kids not getting the calcium they need for the development of strong bones and teeth.
What makes three serves of dairy?
A serving of dairy could be any of these:
1 glass/small carton of plain/flavoured milk (250ml) or 1 bowl of fortified breakfast cereal served with milk
2 slices/sticks or 4 cubes of cheese (40g)
1 small tub of yogurt (200g)
While this list might not look especiallyunattainable, parents of fussy eaters know just how challenging it can be to entice their little ones to finish a spoon of yoghurt let alone a glass of milk.
Here are our top tips on sneaking more dairy into your diet:
Dairy foods are easier to squeeze into your child’s diet than vegetables are as you can hide them in sauces, smoothies and baked goods.
Make dairy products suitable to be eaten on the go. Buy small yoghurt packs and disposable spoons as well as small portions of cheese and crackers. If your children drink milk, make sure you keep it icy cold which makes it more enjoyable to drink and perfect for cereal and smoothies.
If you are one of the many parents who find themselves having to disguise dairy in their child’s meals, give the following a go:
- Cheese
- Savoury muffins
- Pasta bakes
- Yoghurt
- Frozen yoghurt popsicles
- Homemade strawberry frozen yoghurt
- Milk
- Fruit smoothie
- Rice pudding
- Pancakes
- Spaghetti carbonara
- Sour cream and onion dip with carrot sticks
Read more: The importance of calcium
