Do healthy children need vitamins and minerals?

Added 13.05.2011

Does your child's lifestyle and diet today play a role in his/her physical, mental and emotional health tomorrow? There is strong evidence that they do.


While we cannot guarantee perfect health for our children throughout their lifetime, we can give them a good head start. Encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle and proper nutrition will get them a long way. But, what is proper nutrition? Surely if children are eating healthy foods, they are getting all the nutrients they need for growth, development and a strong immune system...or are they?

Do healthy children really need vitamins and minerals?

A question many parents ask themselves is: if my child is healthy and eating a balanced diet, why would he/she need to take a vitamin and a mineral supplement? A very reasonable question at first glance and most probably a few decades ago this would have been very true. But, here is why today even healthy children need high quality vitamin and mineral supplements:

• Our modern, hectic lifestyle means our children are not getting wholesome, home-cooked meals on a regular basis.
• Today, most children eat less fruits and vegetables and more fast and processed food.
• When they do eat a balanced diet, the amount of nutrients in fruits and vegetables today is virtually depleted due to our agricultural processes. The consequence is that children would have to eat on average six times as many fruits and vegetables compared to just 10 years ago to get an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals.
• Today's polluted environment increases children's need for nutrients to counteract free radicals.
• Active children who engage in sports activites need even more nutrients.
• Are you raising your child as a vegetarian or vegan? If so, then your child could also benefit from extra vitamins and minerals.
• For kids with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, an adequate supply of nutrients is vital.

The conclusion? Even if your child appears healthy and you do everything possible to ensure a healthy lifestyle, diet alone cannot deliver all the nutrients children need to day for:

• Bone and tooth development
• IQ, learning, memory and concentration
• Immune function
• Social behaviour
• Preventing chronic disease in adulthood

The important thing to keep in mind is that high quality vitamin and mineral supplements are not a substitute for healthy food - they are a complement.

When should children start to take vitamins and minerals?

Studies say for the optimal growth and development of children and for the best protection against illness, high quality vitamin and mineral supplements should be taken at an early age (preferably at the age of three) and continued throughout life.

Doctor's Natural high quality vitamins and minerals for children

Make sure your child is getting all the essential vitamins and minerals in effective dosages with our especially formulated high quality vitamins and minerals for children (ages 3 to 11).

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