Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Tips for Children

Ideally, kids acquire all the nutritional fuel they need from a healthy, balanced, organic, and GMO-free diet. But even with such a diet, there can still be nutrient deficiencies due to exposure to environmental toxins, illness, or poor health habits and lifestyle choices. Or, if your child is following a special diet or is vegan, they may be missing essential nutrients that come from a more varied diet.

Just like adults, children can benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements. However, children’s metabolism and their immune, digestive, and central nervous systems are still maturing, so the effects and side effects of supplements can differ from those seen in adults. This is especially true for infants and young children. When considering nutritional supplements for youngsters, it’s important to seek a trusted source to increase the likelihood that the product has been properly formulated, labeled, and has gone through quality assurance testing.

A basic supplement regimen for children includes:
Multivitamin/mineral: Look for one derived from whole foods, or a high quality formula with the most bio-available forms of all the B vitamins and most absorbable forms of calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc . Check labels to be sure the product is free from fillers, toxins, and added sugar.
 
Omega 3s: Look for omega-3 fish oil supplements that have been independently tested for heavy metals and PCB.
 
Probiotics: Ideally contain 10 billion, multi-strain organisms.
 
Vitamin D: Current guidelines suggest 800 IU.

Based on individual health needs, there may be times when a specific supplement regimen or higher amounts of a supplement may be needed—a decision best made with your naturopathic physician.

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