Report: Kids, Especially Minorities Need More Vitamin D

It's the fourth letter of the alphabet, but tops when it comes to your child's nutritional needs. Vitamin D -- available in milk, oily fish, sunlight and other sources -- helps build bones and prevent serious diseases, including infections and diabetes. But a new study published in the November issue of Pediatrics says that one in five U.S. kids aged 1- 11 don't get nearly enough of the important nutrient, a number that climbs to almost 90 percent when considering black children in that age group and 80 percent of Hispanic children.

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines on the amount of vitamin D that all children, newborns through age 18 receive on a daily basis.

The report, Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents, said that all children should receive 400 international units (IU), of Vitamin D, or the equivalent of drinking four 8-ounce glasses of fortified milk every day.

That sounds like a lot but there are ways to increase the amount of vitamin D in your child's diet without too much fuss.

How much vitamin D does your preschooler get?

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