Should you be uneasy over how much caffeine your child consumes? It depends. Used judiciously, caffeine improves concentration because it acts as a mild stimulant to the central nervous system. However, even moderate consumption can lead to undesirable side effects such as nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness, and rapid heart rate. Caffeine also leads to increased urination because it is a diuretic. This can cause problems with bedwetting in younger children, and it can also lead to problems with dehydration in children who are active and using caffeine-containing beverages to rehydrate.
Foods and beverages with high amounts of caffeine, such as coffee, cola, tea, chocolate, and over-the-counter medications, can also make it more difficult for your child to fall asleep. Caffeine-associated headaches and fatigue secondary to sleeplessness may lead to poor school performance.
Given all this, keep caffeine in mind when shopping and keep it out of the refrigerator. Opt instead to stock up on healthy caffeine-free beverages like skim and low-fat milk, fruit juice, and especially water. Also, encourage older children to choose caffeine-free alternatives like decaf espresso drinks and herbal teas when visiting cafes with friends.
During periods of growth, children, and especially teenagers, need additional nutrients. This means your growing kids require more calories and more essential vitamins and minerals. One of the most important minerals that your children need more of during periods of rapid growth is calcium. However, according to the USDA, fewer than 35% of boys and fewer than 15% of girls take in the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium.
Taking in and utilizing enough calcium helps your children attain maximal bone densities, which is one of the best defenses against developing osteoporosis later in life. Calcium is also an important intracellular molecule that is responsible for muscle contraction and chemical signaling.
Because close to half of your children's bone mass is developed during adolescence, teenagers need about 25% to 40% more calcium in their diets than do people of other ages. This translates into between 1,200 and 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day! Though that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that a cup of yogurt has almost 200 milligrams of calcium, or 15% of what your adolescent needs in a day, and a glass of milk has over 400 milligrams, or 30%.
