Are multivitamins necessary?

Is your child a picky eater, vegetarian or only eats white foods? Then you’ve wondered what their diet is missing. Children have a natural instinct to eat just the right amount of calories to grow. Unfortunately, they don’t automatically choose a well-balanced diet. It seems natural to try to fill the gaps in a picky toddler’s diet. Although multivitamins provide many nutrients, all of these are easily consumed in even the worst kid diets. So multivitamins really are completely unnecessary. However, there are a few supplements kids do need. Several good studies have shown that kids don’t benefit at all from adding multivitamin supplements. These same studies found that children on supplements got too much vitamin A, zinc, copper, selenium and folic acid. The effect of vitamin overload is unknown but is potentially toxic However, these studies showed that kids who take multivitamins were still just as deficient in vitamin D as those who don’t take supplements at all. What that means is that kids often need vitamin D supplements, but multivitamins don’t provide a sufficient amount.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is the only substance we get through exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. We can get vitamin D in foods, but not in adequate amounts. Humans evolved to depend on sunlight to produce vitamin D in our skin. And vitamin D, along with calcium, is needed to build strong bone. Now that we avoid sun and use sunscreens, we all have lower vitamin D levels. New research has shown a critical role for vitamin D in many diseases. This is one vitamin that you do want to make sure your child is getting enough of. You can give your child vitamin D fortified milk – they will need 16-24 ounces/day to get enough vitamin D. If they don’t drink that much milk or eat much dairy, you may need to give a vitamin D supplement. Supplements aren’t regulated in the United States, but manufacturers can submit their product for testing to be sure it contains what the label says. The most reliable vitamin D supplements are: Nordic Naturals Baby’s Vitamin D3, Carlson Baby’s Super Daily Vitamin D3, and Mommy’s Bliss Organic Baby Vitamin D. And for adults I recommend: NatureMade Vitamin D3. These are all verified by the US Pharmacopeia in their Verified Products Listing. All breast-fed infants should also be on a vitamin D supplement.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

There is one other nutrient that evolution has made us dependent on and parents should consider supplementing…. omega-3 fatty acids. Humans don’t make omega-3s so they are “essential” nutrients in our diet. Omega-3s are primarily found in fish and are important for brain growth and development. They are required to build cells and help with communication between our body’s cells. Relatively small portions (the size of a business card) of fish like salmon or albacore tuna provide enough omega-3s for 3 days in a growing child. But children often don’t eat this much. So you can encourage other omega-3 rich foods (or hide them in stuff they like): soybeans, avocado, ground flax seed, walnuts and almonds. A typical child’s diet generally provides a good balance of most of the nutrients they need for growth. But kids really don’t make the best food choices. So parents need to offer a variety of nutritious foods to ensure they are getting those nutrients we evolved to depend on.