Nutrition

What a growing body needs to eat: enough energy, protein, and the vitamins and minerals the growth plate depends on, what each one does for growth, and where more stops helping.

What the growth plate needs from food: energy a little above maintenance, protein, calcium and vitamin D for bone, zinc for growing cells, iodine for thyroid hormone, vitamin A for retinoic acid and vitamin C for collagen. Energyabove maintenanceProteinbuilds tissue, IGF-1Calciummineral for boneVitamin Dhelps absorb calciumZinccells growIodinethyroid hormoneVitamin Aretinoic acidVitamin CcollagenGrowth plate

What a growing body needs to eat: enough energy, protein, and the vitamins and minerals the growth plate depends on, what each one does for growth, and where more stops helping.

In this article

  • Protein
  • Dairy
  • Calcium and vitamin D
  • Zinc
  • Iron
  • Iodine and selenium
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin B12 and plant-based diets
  • Diet patterns
  • Summary

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Educational content, not medical advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to take or stop taking anything — talk to a doctor about your own situation.