Mean daily intakes of many vitamins and minerals relative to dietary standards differ greatly by age and gender. Females ages 14 to 18 have the lowest mean intakes of vitamins and minerals. In addition, a large proportion of children have calcium intakes well below the AI level. Particularly large proportions of children have low intakes of several of these nutrients. For example, fewer than half of all children meet the reference standards for folate and calcium and between half and two-thirds meet the standards for vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc.
Teenage girls are at especially high risk of having low vitamin and mineral intakes.
Half or just over half of these teenage girls meet the reference standards for vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Females ages 9 to 13 also tend to have low intakes of the same set of vitamins and minerals as teenage girls. Most children take fewer than the recommended number of servings of the five major food groups, especially in relation to their energy requirements. Only 2 percent of children meet Food Guide Pyramid servings recommendations for all five major food groups. Girls ages 14 to 18 have especially low intakes of fruits and dairy products, and this is consistent with their low mean nutrient intakes.