Supplements Even the Healthiest Kids May Still Need, in Addition to a Solid Diet

Here in North America, we’re fortunate to have the ability to meet standard dietary recommendations quite easily. We’re blessed to have the array and supply of nutrition choices that we do, and most of us don’t take that for granted. Those of you with children are likely correct in your assumption that your young ones are getting their necessary intake of vitamins and minerals via their diet if you’re ascribing to the famous dietary pyramid that most of us have seen on posters since we ourselves were kids.

There is a fairly predominant belief that if you do follow those guidelines that you won’t need to have them taking a multivitamin regularly. That’s true for the most part, but there are 4 particular vitamins and nutrients that they can still be deficient in if relying on the sufficiency of their dietary intake alone.

Today we’ll have a look at each of them and assess why people often don’t meet their needs with them via their diet and then recommendations on the quantity / dosages you should be providing for your kids each day, as provided by Myra Watterson, a pediatric dietary consultant who has most recently been working with YesWellness.

Vitamin D

The first one and likely the most pressing of the 4 is Vitamin D, which has been heralded for years as one of the most far-reaching of the vitamins with the way it works to prevent so many degenerative body and mind conditions. They include everything from cancer and diabetes to heart disease and mental health conditions like depression and bipolar disease.

The most natural way for humans of all ages to intake Vitamin D is via exposure to natural sunlight. The problem for many of us here is that we live too far north to get enough sun for 8 months of the year. Yes, kids and teens are fortunate in that they’re much more likely to be outdoors than their parents, but quite often their exposure is still insufficient. Keep in mind as well that as advisable as it is to wear sunscreen (and we’re not suggesting you don’t) that skin protection also inhibits the intake of Vitamin D.

Read this also : Health benefits of vitamin D and best vitamin D foods

There are good food sources of Vitamin D – milk, orange juice, fatty fish, mushrooms, and more, and you can also get plenty of it from cod liver oil (or fish oil tablets if the oil isn’t to your kids’ liking).

Daily recommendation: For children from newborn to 1 year of age, 400 IU (international units). Ages 2 to 12 – 800 IU. Teens – 1000 IU

Calcium

The primary reason why calcium is so important for children is in their development of strong, healthy bones. Parents who believe they’re supplying a healthy volume of calcium via dairy foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese are correct, but where it becomes a more pressing issue is for females between the ages of 10 and 13. These are the critical years for calcium intake for young women so that they don’t run any risk of developing osteoporosis later in life.

Ensuring your preteen girls get plenty of it via the dairy food sources listed above, as well as from spinach, kale, okra, collard greens, white beans, and fish like sardines, salmon and trout is most beneficial when it’s supplemented with additional calcium.

Daily recommendations: For children from 1 to 3 years of age – 700mg per day. Ages 4 to 8 – 1000mg per day, children ages 9 to 18 (females in particular) – 1300mg per day

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

These fats are essential for brain development and neurological function, and that importance is obviously magnified when the brain is still growing and developing along with the body. What’s noteworthy about omega-3s in comparison to the two listed above is that it’s actually fairly easy to have a deficit in recommended intake from the average ‘nutritious’ diet parents will feed their children.

The best source of them is from fish, but it would appear that unless your young ones are eating a full 2 servings of fish per week they may not be getting the amount of omega-3s they need. It’s hard to enough omega-3s from diet alone.

Asides from fish, good food sources of omega 3s include walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, egg yolks, hemp seeds, and natto.

Daily recommendations: For newborn children up to 1 year – 0.5g per day. Ages 1 to 3 – 0.7g per day. Ages 4 to 8 – 0.9g per day. Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1.2g per day. Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1g per day

Fibre

Similarly, don’t assume that fruits,vegetables, whole wheat bread and bran muffins are providing your children with sufficient fibre through their diet alone. It’s reported that as much as 50 percent of children don’t get enough fibre. Yes, the previously listed foods are great sources, but quite often young people simply aren’t eating enough of them in their diets.

Fibre is integral in allowing the body’s waste elimination process to function effectively, and so without it kids are prone to constipation. While it’s more of a nuisance than a major health concern, it’s definitely advisable to see to it your kids get enough fibre. Supplementing with a soluble fibre source in water or a flavoured beverage works well.

In conclusion, keep on doing what you’re doing with feeding them a nutritious, balanced diet and limiting junk food choices, but you may also be increasing their overall health by supplementing with what we’ve detailed above. You’re invested in giving them the best start in life, and nutrition is a big part of that.