A child’s growth is a very crucial developmental stage, and as such, they need to get proper nutrition. Essential vitamins also contribute to their growth process, honing their physical and mental well-being through their bone maturity, energy levels, and brain function.
Providing the right food at their age is important, but then again, there aren’t enough nutrients packed in meal kits, so with that in mind, we believe it’s important to know and understand the top vitamins every child needs.
Today’s article lists down the essential vitamins crucial for a growing child, and hopefully, you will be able to formulate a well-balanced meal plan that’s full of nutrient-rich food sources for your child.
What are the essential vitamins and minerals ideal for growing children?
Compared to adults, growing children need a whole lot more nutrients since most of their bodily functions are not fully developed. Apart from that, you also need to strengthen their current state, boosting their immunity levels, which you can do by letting them take some of the best kids’ vitamins. It helps to a certain extent, but it’s best to know which vitamins and nutrients they need along with their natural sources.
Vitamin A. This vitamin is in charge of boosting growth, immunity, and clear vision. Apart from that, vitamin A also helps cell growth and keeps the skin healthy, so a deficiency of this vitamin can lead to impaired growth and poor vision. You can find an abundance of vitamin A in leafy greens, sweet potatoes, eggs, and fatty fish like tuna or salmon.
B Vitamins. This set of vitamins has eight different kinds aligned with their respective functions. In a nutshell, B vitamins aid in brain function, red blood cell production, and energy metabolism. Lack of these vitamins in a child’s body can cause tiredness, anemia, and impaired cognitive function. To avoid deficiencies, it’s best to let your child eat whole grains, eggs, and a variety of nuts and seeds, as well as lean meat and poultry.
Vitamin C. For the immune system, vitamin C serves as a boost while also doubling as an antioxidant. Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency usually manifest in the form of impaired wound healing, fatigue, and susceptibility to infections. If you want to boost your child’s vitamin C intake naturally, then you could introduce more citrus fruits into his diet and include other vegetables like broccoli and tomatoes.
Vitamin D. If you want to focus on the improvement of your child’s bone growth and immunity system, you should try increasing their vitamin D intake. This vitamin is crucial for the development of strong bones and teeth, and a lack of vitamin D usually leads to children being more susceptible to sickness and infection. Vitamin D is usually found in fatty fish, fortified milk, cereals, and even standing under the morning sun for a few minutes each day.
Vitamin E. Similar to vitamin C, vitamin E works as an antioxidant and also doubles as cell protection from damage. Deficiency of this vitamin leads to impaired immune function, though cases of children suffering from vitamin E deficiency are pretty rare. Still, prevention is better than cure, so make sure your kids eat their fair share of leafy green vegetables, nuts, and avocadoes to make sure they have enough of this vitamin in their bodies.
Vitamin K. We cannot stress enough how children’s bone growth is important during their childhood, and luckily, there are a lot of vitamins that aid this, including vitamin K. Apart from bone health, it also aids in blood clotting, and although it’s pretty rare for healthy kids to suffer from vitamin K deficiency, some children could suffer impaired bone growth from this.
Additional helpful tips for a well-balanced diet.
Now that you know the basic vitamins and nutrients and how they affect your children’s growth, you can start creating a well-balanced diet from the aforementioned foods, but just to be sure, here are a few more tips you should consider.
Mix it up. Children can be pretty picky eaters, so the best you could do to get their appetites going is to offer them a variety of combinations; in that way, you could also see which ones they like and do more of that.
Limit processed foods. It’s also important that you put a cap on their sugar intake, as well as their consumption of processed foods and unhealthy snacks; opt for a healthier version like fruits instead.
Consult with your local pediatrician. Lastly, make sure you consult with your local pediatrician first if you have any concerns regarding your child’s nutritional intake. They can assess your child and recommend dietary adjustments to ensure their growth and development.