A healthy diet should provide adequate amounts of vitamins and nutrients for most people. In America, with the advent of fast foods and hectic schedules, a healthy diet often goes by the wayside and obtaining good nutrition becomes difficult. In 1997, the government recognized that children, in particular, were not receiving the nutrients they needed and the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. Institute of Medicine recommended raising the daily requirements. In order to meet this requirement, fortifying milk and cereal with vitamins and nutrients became a standard practice.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is now found in most liquid and powered milk products. The Food and Nutrition Board recommends that infants, children and adult males and females up to age 51 get 200 IU, or International Units, per day of vitamin D. For women older than 51, the recommendation is 400 IU per day. For males older than 70, the recommendation is 600 IU per day. According to the University of California, Riverside, vitamin D is one of the most important regulators of calcium metabolism. It stimulates the absorption of calcium across the intestine and incorporates calcium into the bones. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a cup of nonfat, skim milk contains 115 IU of vitamin D. A cup of whole milk contains 124 IU of vitamin D.
Folate
The Office of Dietary Supplements calls the nutrient folate a water soluble B vitamin that is very important in the production of new cells. Folate is particularly important in pregnancy and has been shown to prevent birth defects such as spina bifada in newborns. DNA and RNA need folate. Folate prevents damage to DNA that may lead to cancer. Folate can help to prevent anemia in both children and adults and is essential for the metabolism of homocysteine in the body. The recommended daily allowance for folate in non-pregnant adults age 19 and older is 400 mcg per day. In pregnant females the recommended dose is 600 mcg per day. Many ready-to-eat cereals such as Cheerios, Trix, Cap'n Crunch and Total contain between 500 mcg to 700 mcg of folate per serving.
Other Nutrients
Other nutrients, such as riboflavin, pantothenic acid and niacin are included in cereals. For example, Total cereal has 100 percent of the daily recommended requirements of these nutrients. Riboflavin, or vitamin B-2, is needed for growth and red cell production. Niacin, or vitamin B-3, helps the digestive system, skin and nerves to function. Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B-5, helps to produce antibodies for the immune system. Calcium is also found in cereals. Calcium is important in the strengthening of bones and teeth, blood clotting and muscle contraction. The recommended dose of calcium for adults is 1,200 mg a day. Fortified ready-to-eat cereal does not contain enough calcium to meet daily requirements..
References
- United States Department of Agriculture: Fortified Cereal Can Up Kids' Calcium
- University of California, Riverside: Vitamin D and Milk. Anthony W. Norman. 2000
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22: Vitamin D Content
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Fact Sheet Folate
- Total Cereal: Nutrition
Member Comments