Growing Kids Need Calcium

During periods of growth, children, and especially teenagers, need additional nutrients. This means your growing kids require more calories and more essential vitamins and minerals. One of the most important minerals that your children need more of during periods of rapid growth is calcium. However, according to the USDA, fewer than 35% of boys and fewer than 15% of girls take in the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium.

Taking in and utilizing enough calcium helps your children attain maximal bone densities, which is one of the best defenses against developing osteoporosis later in life. Calcium is also an important intracellular molecule that is responsible for muscle contraction and chemical signaling.

Because close to half of your children's bone mass is developed during adolescence, teenagers need about 25% to 40% more calcium in their diets than do people of other ages. This translates into between 1,200 and 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day! Though that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that a cup of yogurt has almost 200 milligrams of calcium, or 15% of what your adolescent needs in a day, and a glass of milk has over 400 milligrams, or 30%.

More on: Healthy Meals for Families

Excerpted from:

From Raising Healthy Eaters: 100 Tips for Parents by Henry Legere, M.D. Copyright © 2004. Used by arrangement with The Perseus Books Group.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.