Contents:
- Medical Video: Superfoods for Growing Children
- What are the benefits of calcium for children?
- What happens if calcium intake for children is not met
- The ideal daily calcium intake is consumed by children
- The best source of calcium for children
Medical Video: Superfoods for Growing Children
Calcium intake for children is very important for growth and development, especially for the health of the bones and teeth of children. However, there are a number of things you need to know before giving food or drinks that contain calcium for your child. Anything? See the full review in this article.
What are the benefits of calcium for children?
From childhood to adolescence, the body uses calcium minerals to form strong bones and teeth. Not only that, calcium also plays an important role in releasing hormones and enzymes, as well as maintaining muscle and nerve function.
Bone calcium levels begin to decline when children begin to grow up and gradually disappear with age, especially in women. That is why, someone who gets enough calcium and physical activity, during childhood and adolescence, will tend to have strong bones as adults. While people who don't get enough calcium early on are at high risk of experiencing various bone problems later in life, such as bone loss or osteoporosis.
What happens if calcium intake for children is not met
Teenagers, especially women, who do not get enough nutrients for optimal bone formation will be at greater risk of osteoporosis which causes bones to become brittle and prone to fracture.
Meanwhile, children and infants who do not get enough calcium and vitamin D (which helps the process of calcium absorption) are at risk of developing rickets. Rakhitis itself is a bone softening disease that causes deformities in the bones such as hunchback, poor bone growth, and sometimes causes muscle pain and weakness.
The ideal daily calcium intake is consumed by children
To prevent all the things mentioned above, it is important for you to make sure if your child gets enough calcium intake. Based on the nutritional adequacy figures issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 2013, calcium requirements for each person will differ depending on age group, gender, and the activities they do. Even so in general calcium requirements for children that must be consumed per day amount to:
- Ages 0-6 months 200 milligrams (mg) per day
- Age 7-11 months 250 milligrams (mg) per day
- Usua 1-3 years: 650 milligrams (mg) per day
- Age 4 years and above: 1,000 milligrams mg per day
Children are not required to fulfill the recommended amount of calcium every day. However, make the range an average amount of calcium for a few days or a week.
The best source of calcium for children
Dairy products such as pure milk, yogurt, and cheese are some of the best sources of calcium. However, it turns out you can also find various other sources of calcium. Here are some foods that are rich in calcium:
- Sardines
- Anchovy
- Egg
- Edamame
- Lettuce
- Almond nut
- Dark green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, bokcoy, and others.
- Soybeans and preparations, such as tofu and tempeh
The amount of calcium in each food will actually vary depending on the size of fruit or vegetables, brands, and so on. Children can consume the above types of food with less or more doses, depending on their age and taste. That is why, always estimate the right nutritional content in each food that your child will consume.
Calcium levels are not affected by fat, but fat in dairy products plays an important role in the development of children. Children under 2 years need half calories from fat for healthy brain growth and development, so that fat intake from dairy products is needed. Even so, your doctor may also recommend the opposite, where children over 2 years are given fewer calories from fat, so they must consume low-fat or nonfat dairy products to maintain a healthy weight.
It's important to remember, if a child likes to drink milk, make sure he doesn't get too much extra calories from milk, but from other healthy foods too. Because too much calcium can cause children to become constipated.
