Nutrients Your Child Needs

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

Helping your child make healthy food choices is a delicate balancing act - you have to consider calories, nutrients, serving sizes, and many other issues, all at the same time. Three important nutrients you need to make sure your child gets in adequate amounts are calcium, iron, and fiber. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of these nutrients to your child's health.

Calcium Counts

It's important that school-age children get adequate amounts of dietary calcium to ensure strong, healthy bones. Children ages 4 to 8 require 800 milligrams of calcium daily, whereas children ages 9 to 18 require 1,300 milligrams daily. You can meet these requirements by offering your children calcium-rich foods.

The preteen and teen years are the time to prevent the bone disease osteoporosis, which involves a reduction in the amount of bone mass. This is true because peak bone mass and calcium content of the skeleton is reached during the teen years.

Calcium is the major mineral that strengthens bones. Bone calcium begins to decrease in young adulthood and progressive loss of bone calcium occurs as we age, particularly in women. Teens, especially girls, whose diets don't provide the nutrients to build bones to maximum potential are at greater risk for developing weakened bones and having disabling injuries later in life.

Children older than 10 years should get 1,300 milligrams of calcium each day. In order to meet that requirement, try the following tips.

• Provide low-fat and nonfat versions of dairy favorites, such as cheeses, yogurt, and milk.
• Encourage your teen to eat dairy foods, because teens tend to drink less milk than younger children do. Explain that these foods provide the highest-quality calcium in a form the body can absorb quickly.
• Encourage your teen to choose low-fat or nonfat milk instead of sodas and sugary fruit drinks that contain very little or no nutrition.
• Talk to your daughter about osteoporosis and the importance of dairy products in a healthy diet. Girls often begin to diet at this age and forgo dairy foods they think will make them fat. Offer low-fat and nonfat dairy products as a healthy alternative.
• Act as a role model and consume dairy products - you could probably use the calcium too!

Some people lack the intestinal enzyme (lactase) that helps digest the sugar (lactose) in dairy products. People with this problem, called lactose intolerance, may have cramps or diarrhea after drinking milk or eating dairy products. Fortunately, there are low-lactose and lactose-free dairy products, as well as lactase drops that can be added to dairy products and tablets that can be taken so that those with lactose intolerance can enjoy dairy products and benefit from the calcium.

Can a dairy-free diet supply enough calcium? There are other sources of calcium, but to get enough calcium in the diet from vegetables only is extremely difficult. Alternative sources of calcium include antacid tablets with calcium or calcium supplements. Discuss the advisability of calcium supplements with your child's doctor if your teen isn't getting enough calcium in her diet.

There are other foods that are sources of calcium, such as calcium-fortified juices, leafy green vegetables, and canned fish with bones (sardines and salmon), that can be added to your teen's diet. Also, don't forget to motivate your child to be involved in physical activities and exercise. If your child is an athlete, weight-bearing exercises such as jogging and walking can also help develop and maintain strong bones.