Iron and Vitamin D: Sourcing Key Nutrients for Toddlers

AN EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDE TO TODDLER NUTRITION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

Healthcare Professionals play an important part in helping parents of toddlers (1-3 years) understand why  certain nutrients are so important, and how to access them.

 KEY LEARNINGS

1. Toddlers have small stomachs relative to their high nutritional needs. Three main meals and two or three healthy snacks is about right. Planned snacks contribute significantly to toddlers’ daily energy and nutrient intake.
2. Toddlers need around 8mg iron per day. The iron requirements of toddlers should be met with iron-rich foods rather than iron supplementation.
3.  Vitamin D is unique. It can be derived from food as well as from the action of sunlight on bare skin. Although sunshine is the main source, direct exposure to sunlight is not recommended for toddlers because of the risk of skin cancer.

 IRON & TODDLERS

• Iron is present in food in one of two forms – haem iron and non-haem iron. Haem iron is the most bioavailable form of iron.
• Haem iron: found in meat, poultry and fish.
• Non-haem iron: found in beans, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified breakfast cereals and milks.

HOW MUCH IRON DOES A TODDLER NEED?

Relative to their size, toddlers need nearly five times more iron than a grown man¹. Toddlers need 8mg iron per day. Ideally, the iron requirements of toddlers should be met with iron-rich foods rather than iron supplementation. Iron rich foods include: red meat, iron fortified cereals and milks, beans, eggs, dark green vegetables (e.g. spinach, broccoli, green peas).

FORMS OF IRON

Iron is present in food in one of two forms – haem iron or non-haem iron. Haem iron is found in meat poultry and fish. Non-haem iron is found in e.g. beans, eggs, dark green vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals and milks. Haem iron is the most bioavailable form of iron and is more efficiently absorbed from the diet (20–30%) than non-haem iron (5–15%) ².

WHAT FACTORS AFFECT THE ABSORPTION OF NON-HAEM IRON?

The most important determinant of dietary iron absorption is the body’s requirement for iron: more is absorbed when the body’s stores are depleted and when needs are greatest (such as you’d find in growing toddlers) and less is absorbed when iron stores are repleted². In a study published in the journal Blood in 1989, the absorption of non-haem iron from a standard meal was nearly tenfold higher, with decreasing serum ferritin concentrations³.

Several dietary factors influence the absorption of non-haem iron. Absorption is increased by the presence of haem iron (i.e. meat, poultry or fish) and by Vitamin C, but decreased by phytic acid (found in cereals and legumes) and by polyphenols (found in tea and coffee)⁴.

 

Good sources of haem Iron
Food (cooked)	Portion Size	Iron Content (mg)
Black pudding Lamb’s liver Minced beef Lamb chop Ham or pork Rasher Sausage (beef) Sausage (pork) Chicken (dark meat only) Chicken (white meat only) Salmon Tinned salmon Mackerel Tinned sardines Tinned tuna	1 slice (30g / 1 oz) 30g (1 oz) 30g (1 oz) 30g (1 oz) 30g (1 oz) 1 (weight of 1 rasher = 23g5) 1 (weight of 1 sausage = 25g5) 1 (weight of 1 sausage = 25g5) 30g (1 oz) 30g (1oz) 30g (1oz) 30g (1oz) 30g (1oz) 30g (1oz) 30g (1oz)	3.7mg6 2.3mg6 0.7mg6 0.7mg6 0.2mg6 0.15mg6 0.45mg4 0.25mg4 0.25mg6 0.1mg6 0.15mg6 0.25mg6 0.35mg6 0.7mg6 0.35mg6
Note: Processed meats such as bacon, ham, black pudding and sausages are high in salt and contain additives such as nitrates and nitrites. The National Pre-School Nutrition Survey found that daily salt intake in toddlers exceeds the recommended 2g of salt per day. The main contributor to salt intake in the diets of one-to-three year olds is processed meat9.

 

QUICK TIP FOR PARENTS

Avoid excessive consumption of processed meats, and be sure to include a variety of fish, poultry and  unprocessed meat in your toddler’s diet.

 

Good sources of non-haem Iron
Food (cooked)	Portion Size	Iron Content (mg)
Wholegrain cereal Breakfast cereals – fortified Green lentils Boiled egg Wholemeal bread – fortified* White bread – fortified* Hummus Raisins Baked beans in tomato sauce Boiled frozen peas Mushy peas Spinach Broccoli Toddler milk	1 biscuit (19g5) 20g 30g (1 oz) 1 (weight = 50g5) 1 slice (weight = 38g5) 1 slice (weight = 38g5) 30g (1 oz) 1 mini box (14g5) 1 tablespoon (40g5) 1 tablespoon (30g5) 1 tablespoon (30g5) 30g (1 oz) 30g (1 oz) 100ml	2.2mg6 1.6 – 2.7mg6 1mg6 1mg6 0.9mg6 0.55mg6 0.55mg6 0.5mg6 0.55mg6 0.5mg6 0.4mg6 0.5mg6 0.2mg6 1.2mg
*The flour used to make bread is sometimes fortified with iron. If iron has been added to the flour, iron will be included in the list of ingredients on the bread’s packaging.

 

VITAMIN D & TODDLERS

• Sunshine is the main source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is manufactured when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun’s rays. However in countries above a latitude of 40 degrees north – such as Ireland – Vitamin D cannot be made in the skin from October to March because UV light of the wavelength able to promote Vitamin D synthesis cannot penetrate the atmosphere during this time.⁷ As a result, Vitamin D stores typically do not last throughout the winter season.⁷
• Direct exposure of sunlight is not recommended for toddlers because of the risk of skin cancer. During the summer months, application of sunscreen blocks the synthesis of Vitamin D. A sunscreen with a SPF of 15, used appropriately , can reduce the skin’s synthesis of Vitamin D by more than 98%.⁷
• Only a few natural foods (oily fish and eggs are two) contain significant amounts of Vitamin D.

 

ARE TODDLERS GETTING ENOUGH VITAMIN D?

The National Pre-School Nutrition Survey showed that toddlers’ intakes of Vitamin D were quite low: 70 – 84% of those aged between one and four year consume less than 5 µg, and 17–25% of these had intakes of less than 1 µg⁹. This is unsurprising given that there are limited natural dietary sources of Vitamin D. However there is no guidance available regarding Vitamin D supplementation in this age group. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has highlighted the need for recommendations to improve the Vitamin D status of toddlers living in Ireland. If parents are concerned about their toddlers’ Vitamin D intake it is perfectly safe for toddlers to continue with the 5ug/day supplement as recommended from birth-12 months, and to include foods rich in vitamin D (including oily fish, eggs, Vitamin D fortified cereals and milks) in their toddler’s diet.

 

FOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN D

Only a few natural foods such as oily fish and eggs contain significant amounts of Vitamin D. Growing up milks are fortified with Vitamin D, but standard cow’s milk is not. A few foods are fortified with small amounts of Vitamin D, such as some breakfast cereals and margarines. Fortified cow’s milk is available to purchase in supermarkets, and the level of Vitamin D depends on the brand.

Good sources of Vitamin D
Food (cooked)	Portion Size	Vit. D Content (µg)
Tinned sardines Salmon Tinned pink salmon Mackerel Eggs Breakfast cereals – fortified Fortified cow’s milk* Toddler milk Margarine / Spread	30g (1oz) 30g (1oz) 30g (1oz) 30g (1oz) 1 (weight = 50g) 20g 100ml 100ml 1 teaspoon (5g5)	1.0 µg6 2.2 µg6 4.0 µg6 2.5 µg6 1.6 µg6 0 – 0.9 µg6 1.0 – 2.0 µg * 1.7 – 3.1 µg ** 0.25 – 0.35 µg ***
*Vitamin D content of fortified cow’s milk depends on the brand of milk. (Toddlers should continue on full fat milk up until their second birthday, after which time low fat milk may be introduced if they are eating well. Skimmed milk should not be given to children under five years old). ** Vitamin D content of Toddler milk depends on brand. *** Vitamin D content of fortified margarine / spread depends on brand.

 

VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION IN IRELAND

• Since 2010, national policy in Ireland has been to give all infants from birth to 12 months a daily vitamin D supplement of 5 µg¹⁰. This should be provided by a supplement containing Vitamin D exclusively.
• The FSAI published scientific recommendations for healthy eating guidelines in Ireland in 2011. These guidelines apply to children over the age of five years and adults. A key recommendation is that everyone aged between five and fifty should take a daily Vitamin D supplement of 5 µg per day¹¹.
• The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that all children including adolescents receive a Vitamin D supplement if dietary intake from fortified milks and fortified foods is inadequate¹².
• The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) have stated that recommendations to improve Vitamin D status in toddlers and pre-school children should be established.⁷

 

QUICK TIP FOR PARENTS

Toddlers need to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Planned snacks, evenly spaced between meals, contribute significantly to their energy and nutrient intake.

Suitable articles for parents on this topic are available at www.toddlebox.ie/nutrition

 

Show References