Daily Nutritional Requirement by Age

Daily Recommended Intake


 Vitamin D (IU) Iron (mg) Calcium (mg) Protein (g)
0-6 months 400 6 200 13
6-12 months 400 10 260 14
1-3 years 600 10 700 16
4-8 years 600 10 1000 20
9-13 years 600 10 1300 35
14-18 years 600 15 1300 50

Iron Content Examples

Spinach (1 cup) - 3.2 mg Chicken (3.5 oz) - 1.2 mg
Baked Potato - 2.8 mg Egg - 1 mg
Soybeans (1 cup) - 2.3 mg Brown Riice (1 cup) - 1 mg
Oatmeal (½ cup) - 0.8 mg Broccoli (½ cup) - 0.9 mg
Cheerios (1 cup) - 5 mg Raisins (½ cup) - 2 mg
Whole Wheat Bread (1 slice) - 0.7 mg Grapes (1 cup) - 0.4 mg

Calcium Content Examples

Yogurt (1 cup) - 300 mg Calcium-Fortified Cereal (1 cup) - 150 mg
Milk (1 cup) - 300 mg Calcium Fortified Bread (1 slice) - 100 mg
Cheddar Cheese (1 oz) - 200 mg Spinach (1 cup) - 200 mg
American Cheese (1 oz) - 160 mg Snap Beans (1 cup) - 70 mg
Cottage Cheese (12 oz) - 320 mg Broccoli (1 stalk) - 160 mg
Mac and Cheese (½ cup) - 180 mg Dried Apricots (1 cup) - 100 mg
Tofu (½ cup) - 260 mg Orange (1 medium-sized) - 55 mg

Fiber

  • Before starting solid foods, the breast milk or formula provide enough daily fiber for the diet
  • After solid foods are going well, aim for 5 servings of veggies and fruits per day
  • For children 3 years and older, their daily grams of fiber requirement = age (in years) + 5
    • e.g. 4 year olds need 9 daily grams of fiber (years of age + 5)
  • Examples
    • Fiber rich cereal
    • Whole grain bread (wheat, bran, rye, oatmeal)
    • Raw veggies, don’t remove the skin
    • Fresh fruit