Basic Essential Vitamins and Minerals for your Kids

While we need a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, we only need a small amount of each type. So generally, your kids can get all the vitamins and minerals they need with a healthy, balanced diet suitable for their age and activity levels. A healthy, balanced diet includes vegetables, fruit, cereal foods such as bread, pasta and rice (preferably whole grains), protein-rich foods (such as lean meat, fish and legumes), and dairy foods.





Below here is listed basic needs for children from 1 - 18 years of age

 In the alphabet soup of vitamins and minerals, a few stand out as critical for growing kids.

Vitamin A: Plays an important role in vision and bone growth; helps protect the body from infections; promotes the health and growth of cells and tissues in the body, including the hair, nails, and skin.

Vitamin B. The family of B vitamins -- B2, B3, B6, and B12 -- aid metabolism, energy production, and healthy circulatory and nervous systems. Good sources include meat, chicken, fish, nuts, eggs, milk, cheese, beans, and soybeans.

Vitamin C: Helps form and repair red blood cells, bones, and tissues; helps keep your child's gums healthy and strengthens blood vessels, minimizing bruising; assists with healing, boosts the immune system, and keeps infections at bay. Also helps the body absorb iron from iron rich 

Vitamin D: Helps the body absorb minerals like calcium and builds strong teeth and bones. Essential for reaching growth potential and peak bone mass. Also functions as a hormone with roles in immune system health, insulin production, and regulation of cell growth.

Vitamin E: Limits the production of free radicals, which can damage cells. Important for immunity, DNA repair, and other metabolic processes.

Calcium: helps build strong bones as a child grows. Good sources include milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu, and calcium-fortified orange juice. Calcium: Builds strong bones and teeth, promotes healthy nerve and muscle function, helps blood clot, and helps the body convert food into energy.

Iron: builds muscle and is essential to healthy red blood cells. Iron deficiency is a risk in adolescence, especially for girls once they begin to menstruate. Good sources include beef and other red meats, turkey, pork, spinach, beans, and prunes.

Megavitamins -- large doses of vitamins -- aren't a good idea for children. The fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) can be toxic if kids overdose on excessive amounts. Ditto with iron. Your kids can get too much of a good thing.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs): Help build cells, regulate the nervous system, strengthen the cardiovascular system, build immunity, and help the body absorb nutrients. Necessary for healthy brain function and vision.

Magnesium: Keeps bones strong and the heart rhythm steady, supports the immune system, and helps maintain muscle and nerve function.

Potassium: Works with sodium to control the body's water balance, which helps maintain blood pressure. Assists with muscle function and heart rhythm and, in later years, may reduce the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis. Zinc: Needed by more than 70 enzymes that aid digestion and metabolism, and essential for growth.

Kids should get their vitamins from a balanced, healthy diet that includes:
Milk and dairy products like cheese and yogurt (preferably low-fat products for kids over age 3)
Plenty of fresh fruits and leafy, green vegetables Protein like chicken, fish, meat, and eggs Whole grains like steel-cut oats and brown rice.

Do Healthy kids Need Supplements?

You can put it on their plates, but you can’t make them eat it. Let’s face it, we can’t tell exactly what our kids are eating. Even as a Nutritionist, I can’t be sure what my toddler’s actually consuming; particularly since in the end her plate looks like a second world war disaster with everything mixed together and a bite out of this and that. Nor, can we as parents guarantee if the dog ate the brussels sprouts off your eight year old’s plate – what does got tossed on the floor when you’re not looking? One way to ensure your child gets the minimum required amounts of the nutrients they need is to use a quality children’s multivitamin. Top vitamins and Minerals for your kids.

 

Which Kids Need Vitamin Supplements? 

Given the reality of time-crunched parents, those well-rounded, home-cooked meals aren't always possible. That's why pediatricians may recommend a daily multivitamin or mineral supplement for: Kids who aren't eating regular, well-balanced meals made from fresh, whole foods

Finicky eaters who simply aren't eating enough Kids with chronic medical conditions such as asthma or digestive problems, especially if they're taking medications (be sure to talk with

your child's doctor first before starting a supplement if your child is on medication)

Particularly active kids who play physically demanding sports Kids eating a lot of fast foods, convenience foods, and processed foods Kids on a vegetarian diet (they may need an iron supplement), a dairy-free diet (they may need a calcium supplement), or other restricted diet. Kids who drink a lot of carbonated sodas, which can leach vitamins and minerals from their bodies.



Are vitamin supplements necessary? 

If your child is eating a healthy, well-balanced diet appropriate for their age and activity levels, it’s unlikely they’ll need supplements. The best way to get your vitamins and minerals is from a healthy, well-balanced diet, because we absorb vitamins and minerals better when eaten as part of our usual diet. Nutritional supplements are just that – they’re only necessary to supplement (‘add to’) an existing healthy, eating plan if you need help with something that’s missing. Generally, supplements are only required if your doctor, pharmacist or accredited practicing dietitian suggests it’s necessary for your child. For example, some parents may be concerned that their children are low on important vitamins and minerals either because they’re unable to eat certain foods (e.g. due to medical conditions like coeliac disease), are vegetarian or vegan, or are particularly picky eaters. In those cases, a supplement may be appropriate – for example, a calcium supplement for children who can’t have dairy products or an iron supplement if a blood test shows your child is low in iron. However, if you add a supplement when it’s not necessary, you run the risk of having too much of certain vitamins or minerals in their body that can be bad for them – eg. too much vitamin C or zinc can lead to nausea, diarrhoea and stomach cramps, and too much vitamin A can cause skin problems and damage your liver. So before you give any vitamin or mineral supplements to your child, always check with your doctor, pharmacist or accredited practicing dietitian to make sure it’s appropriate for your kids and doesn’t interact with any medications they may already be taking. Healthy eating tips for your children For a number of reasons some children may not get enough vitamins and minerals. In these cases, you may need to help make sure they get what they need. 

Conclusion

 

Some parents ask me about a multivitamin for their kids. There are many on the market for kids in all shapes, characters and flavors – I choose to use one that contains very little added sugar or colours. Taking a closer look at your children’s diet is a great start. Do they eat a wide variety of colours and food groups? Are they a picky eater? Does your lifestyle include foods that fill (instead of foods that nourish) as you’re on-the-go a lot?
On the research front, there is some suggestion that multivitamins may be a good idea for certain children. Researchers have found that many young children don’t get enough key nutrients (particularly iron, zinc, calcium), including children in daycare settings. There have been studies showing that multivitamins can have positive effects on children – one study out of the United Kingdom investigated if a multivitamin could help improve cognitive function and mood in healthy children. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study had 81 children (ages 8-14) take a multivitamin for three months. The children who took the vitamin/mineral supplement preformed more accurately on some of the battery of cognitive tasks they were asked to do.
Does your child need supplements?  They may,
and they may not. Kids need nutrients to grow…something they are always doing, right Moms…”Hey, didn’t we just buy you new shoes… how come your toes are at the end already?!” Take a look at what they are actually consuming. Try making a list for 2-3 days of what they swallow and see if you can find a variety of colors and food groups in there. For more specific help, talk to a qualified health or nutrition professional for some one-on-one help. From this parent to another – good luck! May your kids grow each day in a healthy and happy way.


For More Information

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