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

If you’re trying to lose weight, cut down on your salt or cholesterol intake, or just try to live a healthier lifestyle, you may want to consider the raw vegetable diet. This lifestyle will help you to rid your body of harmful toxins much quicker and you may find that you have more energy and are able to sleep sounder each night. Here are some tips on how to get started.

Adopting a raw food diet for weight loss or other health reasons is definitely a big step in making sure that you avoid conditions like heart disease or high blood pressure in the future. The diet will also help you to correct these problems if you have dealt with them in the past. However, it is best to slowly adopt this lifestyle, so that you won’t relapse. One of the best ways to do this is to simply incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet each day. You can do this by eating a piece of raw fruit for breakfast in addition to your muffin or bagel, or carrying carrot or celery sticks as a snack during the day. Each week, try to add one more raw food to your diet until you become accustomed to eating fruits, vegetables and nuts on a regular basis.

Just because you are not eating foods that are cooked does not mean you shouldn’t feel full at every meal. Goji juice is a favorite among raw vegans and vegetarians, and the goji berry will give you a considerable amount of energy, as well as antioxidant benefits. You may also want to try Noni juice if you want to rid the body of toxins. The juice has also been known to help relieve migraines and menstrual cramps.

If you think you may be interested in trying the raw vegetable diet for your health, you should talk to your doctor about the possible diet adjustments that you will have to make. This may interfere with some medications you are taking, so be sure to check with your physician to make sure you can continue with your regimen. It may also be a good idea to keep a food journal the first few weeks of your raw food diet, so that you can keep up with your energy increase and document how much better your body feels over time. The journal will also help you to pick out your favorite raw foods.

A raw vegetable diet is a great way to lose weight. But it is also a temporary solution because your body needs other nutrients too. At http://www.what-is-the-best-diet-plan-4you.com you can find different diet plans that include raw foods you can hold on to for the rest of your life.