Teens need plenty of fruits and vegetables to ensure they meet their vitamin requirements.
In a fast-food, eat-on-the-run world, making sure teens get all the nutrients they need can be a major job for a parent. Teens are still growing and developing, which means their vitamin needs are just as important as they were in the days when you could make sure they took their baby vitamins and ate what you served. Nutrition in the teen years can set the stage for health or disease as your teens get older.
About Vitamins
Vitamins fall into two major categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble. The body stores vitamins A, D, E and K -- the fat-soluble vitamins -- for long periods of time. Fat-soluble vitamins are not destroyed by heating or cooking. Water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B complex vitamins, are readily washed out of the body, so your teen should consume foods with these vitamins every day. Water-soluble vitamins are heat-sensitive. Cooking tends to decrease the vitamin content of the foods in which they are found.
Vitamin Benefits and Sources
Each vitamin has one or more benefits. Vitamin A helps strengthen the immune system and prevent vision problems. Vitamin D helps strengthen bones by promoting the absorption of calcium. Most vitamins are found in a variety of foods, according to staff writers on the KidsHealth.org website. Vitamin C is found in vegetables and fruits such as citrus and tomatoes. Vitamin B12 is found only in protein sources such as meat, eggs and milk. Milk, eggs, liver and darkly colored orange and green vegetables contain vitamin A. Although vitamin K is found in leafy dark green vegetables, it is also manufactured by the human body.
Sex and Vitamin Requirements
Your teen's sex affects daily vitamin requirements. In most cases, boys need more vitamins than girls, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Boys, for example, need 900 micrograms of vitamin A, while girls need 700 micrograms. Both boys and girls need 400 micrograms of folate, however. Girls between the ages of 9 and 18 were found to be deficient in vitamin D, according to a November 2010 article in "Scientific American," which is a matter of concern, since teen girls were also more likely to be deficient in calcium. Both calcium and vitamin D are necessary for healthy bones.
Vitamin Dosages
Vitamin dosage is measured in milligrams and micrograms; 1,000 micrograms equals 1 milligram. Of the water-soluble vitamins, teen guys need 75 milligrams and girls need 65 milligrams of vitamin C a day, according to KidsHealth. Boys also need 1.3 milligrams of vitamin B6, 1.2 micrograms of thiamine, 16 milligrams of niacin and 1.3 milligrams of riboflavin daily. Teen girl requirements are 1.2 milligrams of vitamin B6, 1 microgram of thiamine, 14 milligrams of niacin and 1 milligram of riboflavin. Boys and girls each need 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily. Teens also need 15 milligrams of vitamin E and 15 micrograms (600 IU) of vitamin D every day.
Special Concerns
Teens who eat a well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of protein, vegetables, whole grains and fruit are unlikely to be vitamin-deficient, according to KidsHealth. If your teen chooses vegetarianism, she might have some special vitamin needs. Vitamin B12, for example, is found only in foods of animal origin, according to Colorado State University Extension, and strict vegetarians who eat no animal products are more likely to develop vitamin B12 deficiencies. Low-fat diets might not provide adequate amounts of vitamin E, according to a study reported in the April 2004 "Journal of the American College of Nutrition."
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