Kids Deficient in Vitamin D

    The “Sunshine Vitamin” or Vitamin D plays an important role in a child’s growth as it helps bones and teeth become healthier and stronger. Also, Vitamin D assists in absorbing and depositing both calcium and phosphorus into the child’s bones.

    Exposure to sunlight is an effective way to ensure a child gets Vitamin D while playing outside. Another great way to make sure a child is getting enough Vitamin D is Vitamin D fortified milk. This is why people tell children to “Drink your milk to help you get strong bones” because of the fortification of that Vitamin. It is rare for children to become deficient in Vitamin D but kids drinking soda and juice frequently and not going outside could put them at risk of developing a deficiency. 

    Any kid over one year needs at least 600 IU of Vitamin D per day. Some good foods that contain a good amount of Vitamin D are salmon, tuna, mackerel, fortified breakfast cereal, and egg yolks. By far fortified milk is one of the best ways for a child to get an adequate amount of Vitamin D as a glass of 1% milk contains around 100 IU of Vitamin D.

    It is important to talk to your healthcare provider for your children to make sure that they are getting enough Vitamin D or if they need to use a supplement to help them get to their correct amount. It would be helpful to go to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration’s website for information on serving fish to your kids.

Source: https://www.eatright.org/health/essential-nutrients/vitamins/vitamin-d-deficiency-in-kids