Vitamins and Supplements for Kids
There are an endless number of commercials on television and other ads that claim that every child needs a daily vitamin of some sort. However, this may not be true. Experts generally agree that kids should get there by commence from a healthy, balanced diet. A healthy, balanced diet for children generally includes milking dairy products such as cheese or yogurt (low-fat for children over the age of three), a variety of fresh fruit and leafy green vegetables (oh yes, this means the spinach and broccoli that your children hate to eat), proteins such as chicken, meat, eggs, fish as well as whole grains such as brown rice and oatmeal.
If you think that your children have well-rounded, balanced diet and chances are they will not need a vitamin supplement. However, given the reality of the world we live in, everybody is always pressed for time. This means that the wholesome, home cooked meals that you grew up with may not always be possible for your children. Generally, this is the reason why your child’s pediatrician may recommend daily multivitamin or mineral supplements. To find out for sure whether your kids really do need a vitamin or mineral supplement, all you need to do is look at your child’s activity level, medical conditions, and their general diet.
Children who do not eat regularly or do not eat well-balanced meals that are made from whole, fresh foods may need a vitamin supplement. If your children are very finicky eaters simply are not eating enough food, or if you have a child with a chronic medical conditions such as asthma, digestive issues or other medical problem that they suffer from or are taking medication for you may want to consider talking with your child’s nutrition before you start them on a vitamin or supplement to ensure their safety. If you have children that are extremely active who play sports, particularly physically demanding ones, they may need a vitamin or mineral supplement because they are losing so much in their physical activity.
Also, children who eat a wide variety of fast food, convenient food, and overly processed foods such as McDonald’s, Kraft dinner, things like that they may need a vitamin. Alternatively, if your children are on a vegetarian or vegan diet, they may need an iron supplement, or is there other dairy free diet for her either medical or personal reasons they may need a costume supplement. If your child has any other restrictions in their diet, they may need a vitamin or supplement to help replace what they are losing from not getting those vitamins and minerals in their food. Any child who drinks a lot of carbonated soda will likely need a vitamin and mineral supplement because carbonated sodas leech all of these from their bodies.
There are so many different vitamins to choose from, it can be hard to know which is best for your child. Therefore, what you are going to want to look for is a vitamin that contains vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium and iron. Vitamin A is important because it promotes normal growth and development of tissues, bones, skin, eyes and immunity. Excellent sources of vitamin A include dairy, yellow, and orange vegetables such as carrots and squashes. The entire family of B vitamins, B2, B3, B6 and B12, all aid in metabolic production, healthy circulatory and nervous systems as well. Sources of the B vitamins include meat, nuts, cheese, eggs and beans. Vitamin C assists to promote healthy muscles connective tissues as well as get. Sources of vitamin C include citrus, tomatoes and broccoli. Vitamin D is paramount for proper bone and tooth formation as well as assisting the body absorbing calcium the best sources of calcium are yogurt, calcium fortified orange juice, cheese, and yogurt. Iron is essential to muscle and red blood cell manufacturing within the body. Children tend to be more at risk for iron deficiency when they reach adolescence. Good natural sources of iron include pork, spinach, prunes, red meats, and beans. It is important to note that a large dose of vitamins can be toxic to your children.
Therefore, if you feel like your children are not getting the proper nutrition from their diet, you may want to consider giving them a multivitamin supplement that is specifically formulated for children.
