A Short Intro To Children’s Vitamins
September 13, 2010 by Lily Cain
Filed under Supplements
Parents are concerned about the foods their children are consuming, as it isn’t always the healthiest food available. Children, as you may know, can be selective with their diet. For example, your child may develop a liking for fried chicken, and subsequently refuse to eat anything except fried chicken, or have difficulty eating other foods or taking a shine to them.
This is where children’s vitamins come in – they are recommended for parents who wish to make sure their children have the proper nutrients to grow up healthy and active. And even if their kids are eating right, there are many parents who include vitamin supplements in their kids’ diet. Foods these days are often low on nutrients due to the environment and other factors, including the processing of food – that’s why vitamin supplements play a large role in a child’s diet.
Children’s vitamins are marketed in such a way that a child would find them attractive. To appeal to kids, vitamin capsules have fun shapes and colorful designs. There are children’s vitamins that come in new and interesting designs, such as gum ball designs or gummy bears. This is why you need to be vigilant about your child’s intake and keep these vitamins in a safe place – they can pass for ordinary candies! Better safe than sorry – if your child has taken extra vitamins, take them to a pediatrician or a poison control center.
Sometimes, your child’s pediatrician may recommend or prescribe vitamins for them. See your child’s pediatrician as well if they are suffering from diseases or sicknesses related to vitamin deficiency so they could prescribe the right supplement for your kids. In most cases where a child is eating a balanced diet, the child’s pediatrician may not need to prescribe vitamin supplements at all. The very popular Food Pyramid is used by pediatricians to determine if children are eating right or if they need extra supplements. Don’t let your kids take vitamins not recommended by their pediatrician.
Take note – vitamins are not supposed to be a substitute to eating. Do not make the mistake of letting children’s vitamins take the place of regular food. Support your children and encourage them to eat the required foods, and don’t make it sound like a chore to them. You can find ways to make otherwise unpleasant foods like vegetables more pleasant to eat for a young child’s taste buds. Orange juice is a good milk alternative, as this also contains a lot of calcium that makes your children’s bones stronger. You can also try other techniques like buying a pizza and replacing some or all of the meat with vegetable slices. If your child doesn’t like eating healthy, these are techniques to help them get started on that.
Get the scoop on protein list and food to avoid here.