Adding Kids Vitamins to a Balanced Diet

If you’re like many parents, you’ve probably wondered if you should add kids vitamins to your child’s daily routine. The addition of a supplement can be a smart decision, particularly if you have a picky eater or a child who has been diagnosed with failure to thrive. Making sure that children get enough vitamins and minerals is important to their long-term well-being, and a kids supplement can definitely help.

Of course, foods are the best sources of nutrients. And, regular meals and healthy snacks can certainly provide the bulk of what any healthy, growing school age child should require. However, many children don’t eat well and fall short of the recommended daily vitamin and mineral intake. This problem is particularly true for picky eaters, slow growers, and for children from families that are struggling financially and unable to provide nutritious meals.

Kids Vitamins Can Help
In a 2009 study conducted at UC Davis, nearly 25 percent of adolescents were found to be deficient in vitamin D. Deficiency of this important mineral can lead to a host of conditions including rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis. Because there has been a recent rise in rickets in children in the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new vitamin D requirements for infants, children, and adolescents. The recommendation has been raised from 200 IU to 400 IU per day. While sun does help the body make its own vitamin D, most children still require supplementation to reach the daily recommended amount.

Iron deficiency is another common problem in children. In fact, a whopping 60 percent of children age five years or younger were deemed to be deficient in the same UC Davis study. For girls, this percentage remains high throughout childhood. Because iron is so important for the production of blood cells, a deficiency can be serious. Iron deficiency, also called anemia, can cause a variety of symptoms including weakness, fatigue, and cognition difficulties. For toddlers, iron deficiency can even lead to permanent impaired mental and psycho-motor development.

Interestingly, there has also been an increase in malnourished children who are also overweight or even obese. This is caused by the consumption of high-caloric food that is low in nutritional value. Thus, it isn’t safe to think that a child is receiving enough nutrients by simply looking at them. A close evaluation of their diet is necessary to determine the need for kids supplements.

Quick tips for Introducing Kids Vitamins
Rounding out a child’s diet with kids supplements is a way to supplement the vitamins and minerals that are not being consumed in food. To do this, it’s always a good idea to choose one that a child actually enjoys and to make it an everyday habit.

However, don’t rely solely on kids vitamins. Children definitely need a healthy, balanced diet that includes digestible proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber to provide all of the nutrients required to support their growth and development. And, this needs to go hand-in-hand with regular exercise and ample rest to ensure their health during their growing years.

At Natures Plus, we offer a full range of kids supplements – from sugar-free, liquid vitamins for infants and toddlers to a variety of chewable multi-vitamins, nutritional shakes, and other supplements for older children.