Many babies, kids and teens need more Vitamin D
Pediatricians and nutritional experts have been getting more and more concerned about Vitamin D and calcium intake in kids and teens. This article from last March in Science Daily says that one in 7 teens is Vitamin D deficient. It is even higher in some groups, such as African Americans, girls, and teens who are overweight. There may be a number of reasons for this, but I think a big reason is that energy drinks, soda, and other sugary drinks are replacing milk in the diets of many teens and adults.
Vitamin D is important not only for maintaining healthy bones, but in adults Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, immune problems, and high blood pressure.
So what should we do?
For babies who are breast feeding exclusively or partially, be sure to give them an infant poly-vitamin drop that contains 400 IU (international units) of Vitamin D. Babies who are eating at least 32 ounces of infant formula a day are getting enough Vitamin D and do not need a supplement.
Older children and teens also need to eat at get at least 400 IU of Vitamin D each day. Dairy products are a good source of Vitamin D, but there are other good food sources as well. The NIH Vitamin D Fact Sheet lists the Vitamin D content of many foods. If your child or teen is not eating enough foods with Vitamin D to get 400 IU each day, you can also give them a multi-vitamin that contains Vitamin D.
If you are reading a food label that has information about Vitamin D, the label will tell you what percent of the daily requirement for Vitamin D is in the food. Since adults and kids and teens all need the same amount (400 IU), you can aim for 100% for your child. If you need to know the number of IUs that are in the food, just multiply the percent number by 4. So a food that has 20% of the daily requirement of Vitamin D has 20 x 4 = 80 IU of Vitamin D.
Lastly, don’t forget that adults need 400 IU of Vitamin D, too! This gives you a chance to show your kids how to eat healthy foods, because the same foods that are healthy for them are healthy for you as well.
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