🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop
- 🌈 Sensory Exploration — Experiencing the tastes, textures, smells, and colors of different foods expands sensory tolerance and — over many exposures — is the most evidence-based pathway to accepting previously rejected foods.
- 🧪 Science Literacy — Understanding where food comes from, how cooking changes its properties, and what nutrients do in the body connects food experiences to biology, chemistry, and the broader scientific understanding of the natural world.
- 🤝 Family & Cultural Connection — Sharing meals and preparing traditional family foods connects children to family history, cultural identity, and the social bonds that family mealtimes — one of the strongest protective factors in child development — provide.
- 🌿 Where Food Comes From — Understanding that food grows from seeds, is harvested, and travels to the table connects children to the natural systems that sustain all human life — and measurably increases willingness to eat vegetables children have grown.
Dairy foods are a rich source of calcium, protein, vitamin D, and other nutrients. The recommendation is for preschoolers to eat or drink 2 cups of milk or milk products each day. But some preschoolers may not drink milk. A milk allergy, lactose intolerance, family preference, or a simple preschooler dislike of dairy foods all mean that you will need to find other foods to replace the important nutrients found in dairy products.
Calcium will be the hardest nutrient to meet for the preschooler who doesn’t eat dairy products. Preschoolers need 500-800 mg of calcium each day to support optimal bone health. While two cups of milk provide this much calcium, non-dairy foods aren’t as rich in calcium. And the absorption of calcium from non-dairy foods is generally lower than from dairy products. Therefore, it might be necessary to choose calcium fortified foods or use calcium supplements to meet your preschooler's calcium needs.
With careful planning, you can meet the nutritional needs of a preschooler who doesn't drink milk or eat milk products. Be extra careful to plan meals so that your preschooler gets adequate calcium.
Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium
Orange Juice fortified with calcium, 1 cup - 350 mg
Soy Milk fortified with calcium, 1 cup - 300 mg
Tofu (nigari), 1/2 cup - 253 mg
Salmon, canned with bone, 3 oz - 181 mg
Collards, cooked, 1/2 cup - 178 mg
Spinach, cooked, 1/2 cup - 146 mg
Soybeans, cooked, 1/2 cup - 130 mg
Almonds, 1 oz - 70 mg
Almond butter, 1 Tablespoon - 43 mg
Broccoli, raw, 1 cup - 43 mg
Non-Dairy Sources of Vitamin D
Orange Juice fortified with Vitamin D
Soy Milk fortified with Vitamin D
Fish - Salmon, Herring, Catfish, Halibut, Tuna, Mackerel
Eggs
Cereals fortified with Vitamin D
Non-Dairy Sources of Protein
Beans, Soybeans, and Tofu
Meat, Fish, Poultry
Nuts, Seeds, and Nut/Seed Butters
Sources
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page, http://www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata
Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board, Dietary Reference Intakes.
by Kati Chevaux
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The USDA recommends 2–2.5 cups of dairy per day for ages 2–8. This can include: cow's milk, plant-based milk (check for calcium fortification), yogurt, and cheese. Whole milk until age 2; 2% or low-fat is appropriate from age 2 onward. Calcium needs for preschoolers are 700–1000 mg/day — most children meet this through regular dairy consumption and fortified foods. Calcium-rich non-dairy options: fortified plant milks, canned fish with bones (salmon, sardines), edamame, and tofu.
Plant sources of iron (non-heme iron) are less bioavailable than meat iron, but absorption increases significantly when consumed with vitamin C. Best plant iron sources: lentils (most iron-rich legume), tofu and edamame, fortified cereals, pumpkin seeds, white beans, chickpeas, and dark leafy greens. Pair them with vitamin C-rich foods: orange juice, bell peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, and broccoli. Avoid pairing iron-rich plant foods with calcium-rich foods at the same meal — calcium inhibits iron absorption.
