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Iron is another mineral that is important for your child's growth. Having a diet with foods that are high in iron to meet daily requirements is necessary for the development of strong muscles and production of blood.

Adolescents require about 12 (males) to 15 (females) mg of iron each day.

Younger children require about 10 mg of iron each day.

See the table below for the iron content of common foods and check the nutrition label to choose foods high in iron when you prepare your families diet. Also choose foods that are fortified with iron (cereals, bread, rice, and pasta).

In general, the absorption of iron from meat, chicken and fish (heme iron) is much higher, around 15-30%, than other sources (non heme iron), which have absorption rates of only about 5%. This means that even though one serving of meat and one serving of baked beans both have 3 mg or iron, your child will get much more iron into his body by eating the meat serving. However, eating both of these foods at the same time will increase the absorption of iron, as will eating foods high in Vitamin C.

The following tables suggest dietary sources of heme and nonheme iron. As the table indicates, meat, poultry, fish and seafood are good sources of heme iron and beans are good sources of nonheme iron. In addition, many foods are fortified with iron. Some foods, such as cereals, may be fortified with 100% of the Daily Value (DV)* for iron.

Remember that heme iron is absorbed very efficiently by your body, and that nonheme iron is not as well absorbed as heme iron, and that meat proteins and vitamin C will improve the absorption of nonheme iron though. Also, calcium, like from cow's milk, can decrease the absorption of iron,which is one of the reasons that drinking too much milk can contribute to a child developing iron deficiency.

Important disclaimer: The information on keepkidshealthy.com is for educational purposes only and should not be considered to be medical advice. It is not meant to replace the advice of the physician who cares for your child. All medical advice and information should be considered to be incomplete without a physical exam, which is not possible without a visit to your doctor.