Common Nutrients Missing From A Childs Diet

There are some forms of nutrients that are more common to be missing from a child’s diet than others. The following are some examples of these nutrients:

• Calcium

Many children do not have enough calcium in their diet. The problem with this is the fact that calcium contributed to children developing strong bones. New research also suggests that there are many other benefits from calcium that were previously unknown. For example, it is now believed that calcium can prevent breast cancer as well as other forms of cancer. As well, calcium is not believed to help protect your heart and arteries. With as high of a rate of heart issues and breast cancer as there is we should be doing everything that we can as a parent to help ensure that our children will not have to go through health issues such as these later in life. One way that you can get your child to start consuming more calcium would be to have them eat a bowl of fortified cereal with breakfast. Do not use whole milk for the cereal. Also, you may want to consider sending them to school with yogurt for a snack.

• Vitamin D

Vitamin D is another form of nutrient that is extremely important for the growth of healthy and strong bones. Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin and it provided by sunlight. The thing is that kids seem to be spending less and less time playing outside and more and more time sitting on the couch watching TV. Limit the amount of time that your child can play video games or watch TV each day and this will surely contribute to them getting out in the sun much more often. There are other ways you can get vitamin D other than the sun. A few examples would be rockfish, tuna, or vitamin D fortified milk.

• Potassium

Potassium is a very important part of anyone’s diet, but this is especially true when it comes to the diet of a child. It is a little known fact but a lack of potassium in a diet can result in high blood pressure and other undesired medical issues. You need to make sure that your child is consuming enough potassium because it is extremely important. Potassium can be found in many different types of food. A few examples would include beans, spinach, potatoes and tomatoes. Tasty fruits such as bananas also contain high amounts of potassium.

• Fibre

Many people are not aware of just how important fibre is in their child’s diet. Consuming the proper amounts of fibre on a daily basis is a great way of preventing certain issues such as heart disease and type II diabetes. Fibre is an indigestible part of plants that we eat in our food. It helps digestion and other parts of your health. You can give your child a lot of fruit or vegetables to help them get the right amount of fibre or you can try feeding them nuts or cooked dry beans.

• Vitamin A

Making sure that your child gets enough vitamin A is very important for many different reasons, however many children are still lacking when it comes to the intake of this vitamin. The problem with this is the fact that vitamin A contributes to healthy eyesight. Vitamin A also contributes to a healthy immune system and is also involved with tissue growth. I am sure that you do not want your child to have to wear coke bottle think lenses on their glasses by the time they are in their teens so make sure they are getting enough vitamin A. You can get your child to consume more vitamin A by feeding them food such as sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, as well as dark and bright coloured vegetables.