Kids New Dietary Recommendation and Vitamin D

When it comes to kids' dietary recommendations, you can't be too careful. One thing is for certain, there is a great deal of information out there. Another thing to keep in mind is that every kid is unique. All parents will attest to that. As such, all health information should be checked out with a family doctor because every kid's health is a little different than the next.

When it comes to certain aspects of kids' diets there have always been a lot of foods available. You want to stick to the healthy stuff and avoid the garbage. You want to focus on physical development and strengthening immune systems, especially during flu season.

A recent report from Good Morning America with Dr. Marie Savard had some interesting things to talk about as far as Vitamin D is concerned. Specifically they are talking about doubling the amount of Vitamin D intake for kids from two hundred units to four hundred units. Apparently, according to this study, the body can't get enough Vitamin D, especially in kids. Another point that is brought up is the bone softening disease rickets, has not really disappeared and the original recommendation of 200 units wasn't doing the trick to prevent it.

The belief structure behind the recommendation is that kids are not going outside and getting as much sun as they used to and the sun is the primary source of vitamin D. They also mention that parents have been extremely vigilant with the sunscreen to protect kids from burning. It's like we can't win! If the kids don't wear sunscreen they get burned by the sun but if they do, they are denied essential vitamins. Sometimes I think this stuff is made up by the drug companies, but who am I to complain. As long as the kids come out healthy, that is what is most important.

There is direction now for kids to increase their daily milk intake. This should also be considered for infants because breast milk does not contain enough vitamin D. Since the measurement now is 400 units, that is the equivalent of one quart of milk a day, since it is already supplemented with Vitamin D.

Again, there has been a lot of discussion about milk over the years. I am not sure even if it is what we have been told it is. I know that it didn't hurt me over the years and my little girl loves it, especially chocolate milk. This is the area where you should probably check with your doctor. They will in all likelihood have a good recommendation for supplements for your kids if they are not getting enough vitamin D as well as other great dietary considerations.

Keep the kids healthy and remember there are a lot of other things out there to go along with the milk.