To supplement or not to supplement?

Written by Admin

According to a recent poll on winnipegwomen.net, about 83 per cent of respondents gave their children vitamins on a daily basis, 8 per cent did not and 8 per cent did so only occasionally. We spoke to Rashin Rezvani, Vita Health Fresh Market’s in-house Naturopath to discuss supplements for children:

A balanced daily diet is crucial for children’s healthy growth. If your child isn’t consuming the following items regularly, consider supplements such as vitamin D, Essential fatty acid, greens and probiotics to maintain good health.

Vitamin D is an important supplement for having strong bones. Vitamin D defi ciency can lead to bone pathologies such as, Rickets (bones that don’t mineralize properly, causing weak bones), delayed teething, brittle bones and fractures. Supplementation is important because most children will not get enough vitamin D through diet alone.

Minerals such as calcium are also very important for maintaining strong bones. Good sources of minerals are found in green leafy vegetables. There are many quality supplement powders you can disguise in their foods or beverage to supplement.

Essential fatty acids are essential for the development of brain, eyes and central nervous system during infancy and childhood. A good source of essential fatty acids can be found in fi sh such as salmon, sardine and anchovy.

Probiotics is another important supplement during childhood development. Probiotics are the good bacteria that promote a healthy digestive system. They can improve children’s digestion and give their immune system a boost and prevent childhood allergies, eczema caused by food allergies and can treat colic and other problems related to the digestive tract. It can also replenish intestinal fl ora after a course of antibiotics. Probiotics come in all forms, including a powder that can be mixed right into bottles or placed on the nipples if breastfeeding.

Most children cannot achieve enough of the essential nutrients through diet alone. Before supplementing, you should consult with your health care practitioner or your Naturopath Doctor.