Five Nutrients Your Child May Be Missing

America's children are missing out on five essential nutrients critical to their growth and good health. Coming up short are calcium, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, and potassium, according to the latest "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" from the U.S. government.

Are your kids getting enough of these vital nutrients? Read on to find out which nutrients your child may lack, why, and how to get these five essential nutrients back into your child's diet.

Calcium: A Bone-Building Essential Nutrient

Calcium is best known for optimizing bone growth and contributing to a fracture-free skeleton during childhood and decades later. The majority of calcium is found in bone tissue, but calcium also circulates in the blood stream.

Blood calcium serves a vital role, participating in normal heart rhythm, blood clotting, and muscle function. The body relies on bone calcium to keep blood calcium concentrations up to par.

Getting enough calcium bolsters your child's bones by balancing the withdrawals with deposits from the diet.

A child's daily calcium needs vary with age, says the Institute of Medicine, the group of experts that set nutrient quotas.

• 1- through 3-year-olds need 500 milligrams
• 4- through 8-year-olds need 800 milligrams
• 9- to 19-year-olds need 1,300 milligrams

(For reference, 8 ounces of milk serves up 300 milligrams of calcium.)

Many American children, especially teens, are way off the mark when it comes to calcium intake.

"Soft drinks, such as soda and fruit beverages, have infiltrated kids' diets, causing milk to take a back seat," says Jodie Shield, MEd, RD, co-author of the American Dietetic Association's Guide to Healthy Eating for Kids, and mother of three.

What's worse, calcium needs increase dramatically at a time in life when kids, especially girls, get far less than the suggested amount. One study found adolescent girls averaged 814 milligrams a day vs. the recommended 1,300.

Experts say that calcium gap is significant. Females run a greater risk for osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease that shows up as bone fractures, sometimes decades down the road.

"Just before the teen years, and all throughout adolescence, children must get enough calcium to provide the foundation for strong bones," says Shield. "During this time, the body lays down nearly half of all the bone mass it will ever have."

Increasing Calcium: Shield suggests offering children low-fat or flavored milks instead of other beverages that offer little more than calories. Including dairy at every meal also insures that children meet their calcium goals.

Eight ounces of any type of milk (including lactose-free); 8 ounces of yogurt; and 1.5 ounces of hard cheese, such as cheddar, each contain about the same amount of calcium. As a bonus, milk and certain yogurts are fortified with vitamin D, necessary for calcium to do its job.

Orange juice with added calcium and vitamin D is another calcium-rich, but dairy-free, option; added vitamin D makes it all the better. Children who don't consume enough dairy or fortified choices may need a calcium supplement.