The June 2001 issue of Pediatrics featured a study showing that iron deficient children had lower standardized math scores than those children who had normal iron status.

Actually, iron deficient children had more than twice the risk of scoring below average in math. And, low levels of iron can lead to anemia, which can cause even more developmental problems.

So how much iron do kids need? Well, it varies by age and by sex. According to the Nutrition Almanac 4th Ed., here are the guidelines:

Infants 0 – 6 months 6 milligrams
Infants 6 – 10 years 10 milligrams
Males 11 – 18 years 12 milligrams
Males 19+ 10 milligrams
Females 11 – 50 12 milligrams
Females – Pregnant 30 milligrams
Females – Nursing 15 milligrams

Sources of iron are: liver, oysters, lean meat, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, dried fruit, legumes, molasses, green peas, chicken, strawberries, pumpkin, salmon, Brussels sprouts, almonds, avocados, beets, egg yolks and wheat bran.