Good nutrition and healthy eating habits can make or break your child’s health in their teen and adult years. While most parents have a basic knowledge of what their child should be eating for a strong, growing body, there are still chances that you may be missing out on some important nutrients. If you want to make sure all your bases are covered, you’ll want to make sure the following nutrients are in your child’s life.

Magnesium is one nutrient that many young children aren’t getting enough of. This nutrient is important for your child because it has the ability to maintain and develop a child’s heart and nerve function, maintain muscle, boost the immune system, increase energy production and build healthy bones. We tend to think of calcium when it comes to a child’s bones but did you know that half of the magnesium is inside the bone? It’s true. For young children, ages 1-3, it is recommended that a child gets 80 mg a day. Children ages 4-8 need up to 130 mg a day. To increase your child’s magnesium intake, start including more pumpkin seeds, dark green veggies, beans (navy, white and black) and whole grains.

Potassium as a nutrient is often associated with bananas. In terms of your child’s health, this nutrient plays a huge role in maintaining energy production, normal muscle and heart function, promoting strong bones and can even keep your child from becoming prone to high blood pressure as an adult. Young children aged 1-3 need up to 3,000 mg a day while 4-8 year olds need 3,800 mg a day. Boost your child’s potassium intake by keeping fruit and veggies a part of their daily diet. Adding a balance of seafood, dairy and meat will allow your child to get plenty of potassium.

Fiber is typically a nutrient thought to be important for adults but it matters a lot to a child’s health as well. Fiber not only helps with bowel movements and warding off constipation, it can help prevent type 2 diabetes, keep kids from becoming prone to heart disease and high blood cholesterol and may even help with maintaining a healthy weight. The thing with fiber when it comes to your child is that the amount needed daily depends on your child’s age. It is best to talk to your pediatrician to find out just how much your child needs to consume. In order to add more fiber to your child’s daily diet start adding more lentils, white beans and other legumes, as well as more whole grain pastas and cereals.

Vitamin E is yet another nutrient your child may be missing out on. This antioxidant is known for fighting free radicals but it is capable of a lot more, such as building a strong immune system and maintaining good metabolism. Lack of vitamin E in a child’s daily diet can prevent healthy fat from playing its role in his/her development. Because vitamin E is commonly found in fatty foods, parents naturally eliminate it from their child’s eating regimen in order to keep them from becoming overweight. But that can cause more harm than good. To make sure you have the right amount of vitamin E for your child include more dark green leafy veggies, wheat germ, vegetable oils and nuts like sunflower seeds. It doesn’t take a whole lot to meet the daily requirements, either. Often just a handful of sunflower seeds, one ounce of almonds, or a portion of spinach are more than enough to suffice.

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