Just like your car needs the right fuel to keep moving, your child’s body needs the right minerals and vitamins to enable proper development and disease prevention.
Nutritional deficiencies can cause a wide range of health issues in children, including rickets, iron deficiency anaemia, obesity, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis later in life. The good news is that these minerals and vitamins, known as micronutrients, can be found in a diet that is rich in fresh and wholesome foods.
We discuss four of the most common nutritional deficits in children and offer suggestions for how you may ensure your child gets enough of these nutrients in their daily diet.
Calcium
Calcium is one of the most prevalent nutritional deficits in children under the age of five. Calcium is essential for bone mineralisation and the preservation of growing bones in youngsters. Toddlers require 700mg calcium per day, while older children require between 1000 and 1300mg calcium per day, depending on age.
Calcium absorption varies by individual, and dietary factors such as protein and phosphorus intake, as well as vitamin D status, can all influence calcium absorption. The increase in the likelihood of calcium shortages may be attributable to dairy dietary limitations or the introduction of unfortified non-dairy milk. If your child is unable to consume regular dairy products, make sure the non-dairy substitute you choose is calcium-fortified.
Top calcium-rich foods
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Sardines
- Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, turnips, and collard greens
- Fortified cereals
- Fortified orange juice
- Soybeans
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption, so make sure your child gets enough Vit D, as it can affect bone mineralisation, tooth health, muscular contraction, and joint health. It also helps to avoid chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
The biggest concern of vitamin D deficiency is hypocalcaemia rickets (rickets caused by low calcium levels). However, too much vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, muscle and joint problems, confusion, exhaustion, or renal damage. As such, supplementation should be reviewed with your child’s healthcare professional at all times.
Top Vitamin D-rich foods
- Oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- Red meat
- Liver
- Egg yolks
- Fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
Iron
Iron is a nutrient that is found in trace amounts in all cells of the body. It is found in red blood cells as well as muscle cells. These molecules exist to transport oxygen. Children aged one to three years are at the greatest risk of iron deficiency anaemia due to their rapid growth. Iron deficiency decreases the amount of oxygen received by each cell, including that of the brain, negatively altering brain development in an irreversible way.
Toddlers require about 7mg of iron per day, while older children require 8 to 15mg per day, depending on their age. Possible signs that your child may have an iron deficiency include :
- Spoon-shaped nails (koilonychia) that are dull and lack lustre, or that may have poor perfusion (when pressed they remain white for a prolonged period before turning pink again)
- The tongue may be pale, turn magenta, and become inflamed, or it may become smooth and sticky.
Iron insufficiency is treatable by diet and supplements.
Top Iron-rich foods
- Red meat, pork and poultry
- Seafood
- Beans
- Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
- Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
- Iron-fortified cereals, bread and pasta
- Peas
Zinc
Zinc boosts the activity of over 100 enzymes, aids in wound healing, preserves your sense of smell and taste, aids in DNA synthesis, and promotes proper growth and development. Zinc deficiency in children can cause:
- Growth failure
- Poor appetite
- Decreased or distorted sense of smell and taste
- Poor wound healing
- Dermatitis
- Thin or sparse hair
The daily zinc need for toddlers is 3mg per day, and the required for older children ranges from 5 to 11mg per day, depending on their age. If you suspect your kid has a zinc deficiency, get medical treatment from your healthcare provider, who may do a full medical, physical, and lifestyle examination to help determine the origin of the symptoms your child is experiencing.
Top Zinc-rich foods
- Red Meat
- Poultry
- Oysters
- Tofu
- Nuts and Seeds
- Beans and Legumes
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Cheeses
- Whole Grains
