SMART NUTRITION

Vitamins and minerals for your children needs

Your growing children need energy. They use a lot of it because their lifestyles are very busy: they go to school, need to do their homework, they take part in extracurricular activities, sports and games. To produce this energy, their young bodies need vitamins and minerals. These substances are found in the foods they eat. Every vitamin and mineral plays a different part in their bodies. Thanks to these vitamins and minerals, the body can work properly so children grow and develop as they should. Ideally, they should be able to get all the vitamins and minerals from a healthy and balanced diet. However, in reality it is not always possible. There are many factors that can cause a vitamin deficiency in children, like being ill, being on a restricted diet or your child being a fussy eater. In these situations, a vitamin supplement can help your children.

Kids need the same vitamins and minerals as adults, but they require smaller amounts. Nutrient needs for kids are dependent on age, sex, size, growth and activity level. Nutrients that help build bones and promote brain development are especially significant in childhood.

Let’s look at some vitamins and minerals that are especially important for kids’ healthy development:

Vitamin A

This vitamin plays a very important role in eyesight, particularly night vision. It also strengthens the immune system and helps your body fight infections. Children are more exposed to diseases because they spend a lot of time in places that can be contagious like school, parks, shopping centres. It is difficult to prevent children from getting sick, due to contact with other children and the fact that their immune system is not mature yet. If you want your children to help maintaining normal eyesight and immune system, don’t forget to add to their diet foods rich in vitamin A.

Food sources of vitamin A: sweet potato, spinach, carrots, peppers, mangos.

Group B vitamins

B12 and other B vitamins especially B6, biotin, niacin and folic acid. These vitamins are important for metabolism, energy and nervous system. This group of vitamins is also involved in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout your body. Choline is a vitamin-like nutrient. It is needed so that the body can generate acetylcholine, which plays an important role in brain functions, such as memory. A multivitamin Supradyn Kids contains choline, which children need for proper development of body and mind in the first years when they have to learn so much.

Food sources of B vitamins: legumes, fish meat, eggs, dairy products, and green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin C

This vitamin is important for keeping body tissues, such as gums, bones, and blood vessels in good shape. Vitamin C is also key to support the normal functioning of the immune system.

Foods rich in vitamin C: red and green pepper, kiwi, broccoli, and strawberry.

Vitamin D

This vitamin you need for strong bones and strong teeth. It also helps the body absorb calcium. Vitamin D is made in your skin if exposed to direct sunlight.

Food sources of vitamin D: fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) and smaller amounts in beef liver and cheese.

Vitamin E

This vitamin helps to protect cells and tissues from oxidative damage.

Food sources of vitamin E: Sunflower seeds, nuts, spinach, and kiwi.

Calcium

This mineral is an essential building block of bones and teeth. The more bone your children builds now, the more reserves they will have when bone loss begins in later years.¹

Foods rich in calcium: dairy products, kale, and Chinese cabbage.

Iron

This mineral is needed in red blood cells and it helps carry oxygen from lungs to different parts of your body. Iron is essential for children growth and development.

Foods sources of iron: oysters, white beans, lentils, spinach, and beef.

Omega-3

This fatty acid is especially beneficial to the brain as it contributes to its structure and thus function. Omega-3 plays many important roles in children’s development as it supports eye and brain. Children who get enough omega-3 in early life show higher intelligence, better social skills, fewer behavioural problems and decreased risk of developmental delay.^2,3

Foods sources of omega-3: fish and seafood (especially fatty fish), nuts and seeds and plant oils.

All of these nutrients children can get if they eat a varied and balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables. You do your best to keep children healthy, but despite your best efforts it is a hard work to get them to eat the right foods at the right time and in the right amounts. When can a multivitamin and mineral supplement can benefit your children?

When a child is food-savvy and does not regularly eat well-balanced foods consisting of whole, fresh products, he or she probably doesn’t get all the nutrients it needs. Kids often choose not-so-healthy things like fast foods, processed foods, snacks with high sugar content but lacking micronutrients.
Children who are on restricted or specialized diets may not be able to consume all the micronutrients they need to have the energy to grow and develop properly.
Child vegetarians or vegans or those who follow dairy-free diet can be at risk of calcium or iron deficiency which can be very dangerous for their growing bodies when not getting those micronutrients via an alternative dietary source.
After suffering an illness. Your child may feel exhausted after a series of colds and viruses and it may be difficult to feed him or her fruits and vegetables and other healthy meals. However, you need to provide them with necessary amounts of vitamins and minerals so they will be able to recover quickly.

Supradyn Kids Multivitamin is the specially devised formula that supports brain development. Vitamins B and C contribute to energy production while choline and omega-3 support healthy brain function. These vitamins and nutrients are crucial for cognitive development as they take part in processes within neural system. Supradyn Kids Multivitamin are a great choice for your kids as they support their mental development and encourage focus and attention.

¹ Stagi, S., Cavalli, L., Iurato, C., Seminara, S., Brandi, M. L., & de Martino, M. (2013). Bone metabolism in children and adolescents: main characteristics of the determinants of peak bone mass. Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism, 10(3), 172–179.

² Stagi, S., Cavalli, L., Iurato, C., Seminara, S., Brandi, M. L., & de Martino, M. (2013). Bone metabolism in children and adolescents: main characteristics of the determinants of peak bone mass. Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism, 10(3), 172–179.

3 Helland, I. B., Smith, L., Saarem, K., Saugstad, O. D., & Drevon, C. A. (2003). Maternal Supplementation With Very-Long-Chain n-3 Fatty Acids During Pregnancy and Lactation Augments Childrens IQ at 4 Years of Age. Pediatrics, 111(1). doi: 10.1542/peds.111.1.e39