Vitamin Facts for Kids
Vitamins are organic molecules that the body needs to maintain normal growth and activity. Many vitamins are necessary cofactors or coenzymes in metabolic functions. Without vitamins, many body processes could not occur. Fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and dairy products are just some foods that contain important vitamins. Children are especially vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies because of their rapid growth and development. Children can be given vitamins in a pill form or through fortified foods, like breakfast cereals and juices. However, providing your child with a varied diet of whole grain, natural foods is the best alternative to ensuring they get all the vitamins they need for optimal health.
Other People Are Reading
-
Types
-
Some vitamins can be stored by the body to be used whenever they are needed. Other vitamins have to be eaten often because the body cannot hold onto them. Vitamins that can be stored in the body are called fat soluble vitamins. These vitamins stay inside the fat cells of the body. When the body needs the fat soluble vitamins, it breaks down the fat cell and uses the stored vitamins. Two fat soluble vitamins are Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body. Instead, they are carried around in the bloodstream. If the body does not use up the water soluble vitamins, they are excreted from the body. The body has to keep getting a new supply of water soluble vitamins. This is one reason why it is important to eat a balanced diet everyday. Two water soluble vitamins are Vitamin B and Vitamin C.
Sources
-
Vitamins are best absorbed by the body when they come from whole and natural food sources. Vitamin supplements are helpful but not a good substitute for your child's balanced diet. The USDA recommends a diet centered on fruits and vegetables with whole grains, lean meats and dairy products to serve your child's nutritional needs. Some good sources of Vitamins A through K are: milk, cheese, eggs, whole wheat, oatmeal, spinach, legumes, kale, meat, fish, citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, peaches, cantaloupe and mangoes.
-
Recommendations
-
The USDA's recommended dietary allowances of vitamins for children are dependent on age, sex and activity level. If the recommended daily allowance cannot be determined, an adequate intake is given. The most recent dietary intake recommendations were formed in 2005 (Find a link in References). The next dietary guidelines will be available in 2010.
Expert Insight
-
Vitamin D deficiency is a growing problem among children in the U.S. A 2009 study performed at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University estimated that 70 percent of U.S. children have vitamin D deficiencies. This can lead children to other health problems like heart disease, rickets and high blood pressure. Vitamin D helps the body retain and use calcium, a mineral that is necessary to bone formation and muscle activity. Vitamin D is created by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Children need 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure, without sunscreen, for the body to make vitamin D. Darker skinned children, who have higher levels of the ultraviolet blocking pigment called melanin, and children who live in northern areas where the sun is weaker, are at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Sun exposure is not sufficient to produce enough vitamin D. The study's researchers recommend that parents give their children a combination of supplements, sun exposure and a diet full of foods like milk, cheese, eggs and fish.
Considerations
-
Vitamins and minerals go hand in hand. Minerals are inorganic substances that are also a requirement for a healthy diet. Minerals, like some vitamins, act as essential cofactors in the metabolic functions of the body. Iron, for example, is a mineral that aids in delivering oxygen throughout the body. Specifically, it enables hemoglobin to form and function as the oxygen binding pigment in red blood cells. Mineral deficiencies, like vitamin deficiencies, are common in children and levels should be monitored by your child's physician.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Assorted fruit, photo source: http://www.sxu.hu
