Is your teen fussy about drinking milk? Are you worried your fast-growing teenager might not be getting a sufficient amount of calcium and dairy intake? Being a mom of 2 picky eaters, I feel your struggle.

Keeping tabs on ways to squeeze more dairy into your child’s diet with every meal is as challenging as hiding that elusive nutrient in their meal. I initially started to rely more on store-bought instant fixes for dairy intake. Also, I increased their consumption of packaged food like flavored yogurt and processed cheese. But with the high sodium and sugar quantities found in most processed dairy options, I knew making that healthy choice needed more than just awareness. I could sense I was feeding empty calories to my kids in the name of dairy products.

If you’re one of those parents who face a real challenge making milk/dairy interesting for their kid, you are not alone. According to the 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines, Americans have failed to meet the recommended nutrition needs since 1980. This has led to a subsequent increase in diet-related diseases, including cardiovascular problems and type 2 diabetes, in adults and kids alike.

The same research reveals some shocking data; almost 90% of US citizens do not meet their required dairy intake. Even for those who consume dairy regularly, consumption is mainly in low nutritional options like:

• processed cheese (high in sodium)
• flavored or sweetened milk/yogurt (has added sugar)
• sour cream or cream cheese (heavy on trans fats)

Why do you need to improve your teen’s dairy intake?

When I dug deeper, figures reveal appalling data for our kids, especially the teens, as they fall in the age bracket where the body grows and changes fast. The role of milk and dairy milk products in the growth of a child cannot be understated. It is essential to fuel their body’s nutritional demands with the right amount of balanced diet and dairy intake.

• As per the US dietary guidelines, the average consumption of dairy/milk for kids ranging from 9-18 years is 2 cups or less against the recommended 3 cups per day.
• Only 34% of adolescents drink milk every day, missing out on the benefits of dairy products in children.
• 41% of kids in the US are overweight or obese. Yet, most of them fall short in meeting essential nutrients like calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B, etc.
• Teen girls are even more likely to be calcium-deficient than boys, even though their nutritional needs are the same with regards to calcium.
• Meeting the recommended dairy intake is crucial, especially in kids and teens, as most of the bone mass development happens by the age of 14-15 years.
• Switching to unhealthy substitutes high in sodium, sugar, and trans-fat values is a significant factor that causes an increased number of type 2 diabetes cases in children.
• Developing an early habit of providing a healthy diet and clean eating dairy will help build a stronger bone mass and help prevent early-onset osteoporosis and other bone-related chronic diseases.

How you can get your child to consume more milk and dairy products

Age-appropriate diet is the core factor in improving the overall nutritional intake for kids and teens. As adolescents start making their food choices independently, it is all the more important to make healthy diet choices an early habit. You might be trying to include a variety of dairy products in your teens’ menu, but chances are most of them are filling your child with empty calories or low nutrition benefits.

Some of the ways that work for my family and me is to tweak the daily dairy consumption and make it more effective and nutrition-dense:

• Always go for fresh milk, yogurt, or cheese over packed or processed ones.
• It would be best if you opt for low-fat or fat-free options to avoid excess fat intake.
• Avoid using cream, sour cream, or cream cheese to cover your teen’s dairy consumption as these are high in fat and low in calcium.
• When buying cheese for your family, make sure you choose fresh cheese such as mozzarella, ricotta, or goat cheese as the processed ones are high in sodium and fat and leaner in calcium and lactose.

Recipes to increase the dairy intake for teens

I am sharing some of my go-to recipes with my family. These are dairy rich, nutritionally balanced, and do not ask for an expert culinary skill to turn around. To ease your mommy troubles of feeding your teens a balanced and nutrition-rich diet, here’s a sample meal plan with recipe options rich in calcium and dairy.

• All the recipes are easy and quick to fix with nutrient-dense and straightforward ingredients, so you don’t have to serve your dish with a side of guilt.
• Recipes are full of fresh vegetables, fruits, healthy protein, and carbohydrate ingredients to make sure it ticks all the nutrition boxes.
• You can prepare most of the dishes in advance, which means you don’t have to rush to the kitchen every time your teen screams from hunger.
• If you or your kids are vegetarian, replace chicken with tempeh or cottage cheese.

Essential points to keep in mind:

• You can replace milk and milk products in these recipes with fortified soy products such as soy milk or soy yogurt. Ensure you are using the fortified substitutes/products that guarantee the nutrition won’t get compromised in the replacement.
• Replacing with any other plant-based milk such as almond milk or oat milk does not guarantee the same nutrition and core elements.
• Lactose intolerant children can opt for lactose-free beverage choices.

Breakfast

Mornings are the real stress test for any family. The last thing you want to add would be the task of planning, cooking, and packing breakfast for each one of you. Here is a power-packed breakfast you can whip up in few minutes the night before that will fuel your mornings without stuffing your teen with empty calories.

Yogurt and granola sundae

This is a wonderful breakfast-on-the-go option for a rushed and busy family.

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• ¾ cup yogurt
• ¼ cup milk/soy milk
• ½ Tbsp chia/flax seeds
• 2 Tbsps oats
• 1 Tbsp granola
• 1 Tbsp fresh cut fruits of choice
• nuts or seed mix optional
• honey optional

Instructions

• Mix yogurt and milk and add chia seeds and oats.
• Take a clean jar and layer yogurt mix, granola, and cut fruits.
• Sprinkle seeds, nuts, and drizzle some honey between each layer, and seal the jar.
• Place it in the refrigerator overnight, and your calcium-rich, power fueled breakfast is ready.
• Slip it in your rushed teen's backpack, and your (and his) mornings are sorted.

Notes

If you wish to whip up a bigger batch for the whole family, double the portions in the same ratio. Alternatively, you can repeat the same recipe and make smaller and individual jars for everyone.

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Banana, walnut, and berries smoothie

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 tsp chia/flax seeds
• 2 Tbsps rolled oats
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 banana
• 4 walnuts
• 1 cup yogurt
• ½ cup mixed berries fresh or frozen
• honey optional
• ice

Instructions

• Soak chia seeds and oats in milk or water for 15-20 minutes.
• Throw everything in the blender jar and whirl it for a couple of minutes until you get a smooth and thick consistency.
• Pour in a glass and devour.

Notes

• You can puree the berries in advance and soak chia and oats in that puree to get a richer taste.
• If you wish to prepare this smoothie in advance, make a bigger batch and freeze it in ice cubes. Whenever your kid needs an energy recharge, throw in some ice cubes and a dash of milk in the blender, and the smoothie will be ready in no time.

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Lunch

Chicken parmesan wrap

Yields: 2 wraps

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 tomato finely chopped
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsps crushed black pepper
• 2 tsps cumin powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup assorted vegetables diced
• 100 gms grilled chicken shredded
• 2 whole wheat tortilla
• ½ cup parmesan shavings
• cilantro chopped
• 2 tsps butter

Instructions

• Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and saute'.
• When onions start to cook and become translucent, add chopped tomato and stir.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes are cooked and soft. Add spices (cayenne pepper, crushed black pepper, and cumin powder) and cook for another 2-3 minutes. You can adjust pepper according to your taste and spice tolerance.
• Add just a little amount of salt. Since we are using parmesan, which is salty in nature and taste, we can cut down on the dish's overall salt content by reducing the added salt.
• Add diced vegetables of your (kid's) choice such as carrots, celery, beans, corns, broccoli, etc. Stir in well to coat all the veggies well with spices.
• Add a splash of water. Cover and cook until vegetables are 80% cooked.
• You can leave the veggies raw if your kid prefers a certain level of crunch in his wrap.
• Add grilled and shredded chicken. Mix well and ensure spices coat the chicken evenly.
• Cook for another couple of minutes and then remove from the flame.
• Take a tortilla sheet, place half of the chicken filling on it.
• Add parmesan shavings and cilantro and wrap the sheet to close all ends. Prepare both sheets the same way and keep them aside.
• Heat another pan and add butter to it.
• Place the closed wraps on the pan and cook on both sides.
• This will seal the open ends to prevent filling from spilling out and add a delicious nutty and smoky flavor to it.
• Remove from heat once wraps are cooked evenly on both sides
• Pack it for the lunchboxes, and I guarantee your teenager will wolf it down in minutes.
• These wraps can be frozen and stored in the deep freeze for up to 6 weeks.

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Caprese sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 3 chunked slices fresh mozzarella cheese approximately 40 gms
• 1 fresh tomato sliced
• fresh basil a handful
• butter to toast
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp honey

Instructions

• Take the bread slices and spread pesto on both pieces.
• Place mozzarella slices, tomato slices, and basil on a portion of bread and cover it with the other one.
• Heat butter in a sandwich grill or pan.
• Place sandwich on it and let it grill.
• Flip it and let it get a nice golden-brown finish on the other side as well.
• Heat balsamic vinegar and honey in a pan and let it reduce to half.
• Drizzle on the sandwich if consuming immediately or pack in a separate container and sprinkle over the sandwich right before digging into it.

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After school snacks

There can be a lot of overlapping in the breakfast and after-school snack sections of a menu. A smoothie bowl and fruit and yogurt smoothie would go perfectly well both in the mornings and as an after-school snack. If you’re looking for something beyond the regulars, here are some healthy between-the-meal snacks for an after-school or 4 pm hunger call.

Parmesan chips

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated parmesan cheese
• Italian seasonings as per taste

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven at 220°C.
• Scoop one tablespoon grated cheese in a small circular shape on an oven-proof dish at a gap 2-inch space in between.
• Shower a pinch of seasoning on each portion and put in the oven for 5-8 minutes.
• Keep checking the oven as it can quickly get overcooked or worse, burned.
• Once it acquires nice golden color, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
• You can make these ahead and store them in an airtight box.

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Fig and ricotta toast

Yields: 2 toasts

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 2 Tbsps fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 fresh fig
• 3-4 mint leaves
• honey

Instructions

• Toast the bread slices in a toaster.
• Spread ricotta cheese on it and place sliced figs.
• Garnish with mint, drizzle some honey over it and watch it disappear right away.

Notes

You can replace fresh figs with dried figs, cranberries, dates, or sweeter fruit options like berries or peaches.

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Dinner

Roasted vegetables with cheese

Ingredients

• 3 cups Diced vegetables cauliflower, broccoli, beans, carrot, mushroom, and spinach
• 2 Tbsps butter/olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese grated
• ½ cup parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

• Line the vegetables in a baking tray and apply oil and seasonings to them. Don't put too much salt as Parmesan is salty.
• Roast vegetables in a pre-heated oven at 220°C for 10-12 minutes or until 70% done. Make sure not to cook vegetables 100% as you will be baking them again with cheese. When overcooked, vegetables lose their structure and crunch.
• Remove from the oven and transfer the veggies to a smaller oven-proof dish.
• Sprinkle both the cheeses on vegetables.
• Bake again for another 5-7 minutes until cheese melts.
• Broil for 2 minutes to get a perfect golden-brown crust.
• Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
• Serve it along with a bowl of pasta or rice.

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