According to HealthyChildren.org, two in three teenage boys and three in four teenage girls do not consume adequate amounts of zinc. Zinc is a mineral that children of all ages require for proper growth and development. Ensuring that your child consumes the recommended amount of zinc will help promote her good health and may also help prevent deficiencies as she gets older.
Importance
Zinc takes part in supporting your child's immunity. If your child has a strong immune system, she will be less likely to get sick. Your child also requires sufficient intake of zinc to help promote proper wound healing. Additionally, zinc encourages proper cell division and DNA synthesis, the National Institutes of Health reports. Ensuring that your child consumes adequate amounts of zinc will also encourage all aspects of her growth, including the ability to taste and smell.
Deficiency Symptoms
If your child does not get enough zinc as part of his daily diet, he may experience a loss of appetite, growth retardation and a lowered resistance to colds and infections. Long-term zinc deficiency can be more serious and may cause symptoms such as hair loss, delayed sexual maturation, eye and skin lesions, diarrhea, weight loss, inability to taste foods properly, lethargy and delayed wound healing. If your child has any of these symptoms, make an appointment with his doctor to determine whether he needs to take a zinc supplement to bring his levels back to normal.
Recommended Intake
Children ages 0 to 6 months require 2 mg of zinc per day, but breast milk or formula will supply this amount. Children ages 7 to 12 months need 3 mg of zinc per day. Once your child reaches her first birthday, and until she turns 3, she also needs 3 mg of zinc each day. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 need 5 mg of zinc, and children between the ages of 9 and 13 need 8 mg. Adolescent boys between the ages of 14 and 18 require 11 mg, and adolescent girls in the same age range require 9 mg.
Sources
Meats, including beef, pork, chicken, fish, crab and lobster are nutritious sources of zinc. Oysters are one of the top sources, though many children do not enjoy the taste or texture. Offer your child beans, fortified breakfast cereals, cashews and almonds. Yogurt, cheese, peas, lentils, peanuts, eggs, oatmeal, wheat germ, milk and seeds are additional food sources of zinc.
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