Vitamins for children: where to get and how to use

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We will figure out how to use vitamins correctly, what symptoms signal a lack of them, and from what products you need to make up a children's diet if there are not enough important substances.

All the best is for children, and vitamins are good. Without vitamins, the body cannot work, which is why we need them.

Vitamins are low molecular weight organic compounds of various chemical nature, necessary in small quantities for the normal metabolism and vital activity of living organisms.

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Although some vitamins are synthesized by the intestinal microflora or formed under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, we mainly get them from food or from pharmaceutical preparations.

What you need to know to always have enough vitamins

• Vitamins are best obtained from food, rather than from bubbles and jars. It’s not at all because everything is “natural” in the products, but in the preparations there is “chemistry”. It's just that everyone needs a balanced diet at all and always.
• Vitamin supplements are needed when the child has increased stress (training, intense study, stress) or when the child is often sick.
• Pharmacy supplements are needed when there is a real risk of disease. For example, in our country it makes sense to drink vitamin D in autumn and winter. We get too little sun when almost all our skin is covered with clothes and the sky is covered with clouds.
• You can do without exotic fruits and vegetables. The same cabbage is not inferior in usefulness to lemons.
• The less processed the product, the more vitamins it contains.
• Vitamins do not accumulate in the body for a long time. Fat-soluble ones are eliminated more slowly, water-soluble ones - faster. It is useless to eat more berries in summer to “stock up on vitamins”. You should always eat well.

Do I need to eat everything at once

The interaction between trace elements is a complex system. One substance can enhance or the effect of another.

The most famous examples relate to B vitamins. B12 should be taken separately from B1, so as not to provoke allergic reactions, and separately from B6 and C, so that their influence on each other does not destroy trace elements. B6 and B1 are also not the best choice for simultaneous use.

In order for the body to assimilate the maximum usefulness, products containing antagonist vitamins should be eaten with a break of several hours, that is, they should be distributed for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Vitamins also interact with minerals. B6 works well with magnesium, while B9 interferes with zinc absorption. So if the pediatrician advises taking vitamin and mineral complexes, then buy those in which the compatibility has already been taken into account. And do not try to eat all healthy foods in one meal, make a menu for the day.

What and when to eat

Serious cases of vitamin deficiency, when diseases develop due to a lack of vitamins, are rare. A small deficiency - more often. But this shortage is successfully disguised under a variety of diseases and conditions.

The child is often sick

We have a widespread belief that more vitamin C is needed to "strengthen immunity."

Try making carrot bread. If the child does not like carrots, it does not matter, all orange vegetables are rich in vitamin A and carotene.

Products with vitamin A and carotene: liver, oil, sea buckthorn, rose hips, peppers, pumpkin, tomatoes, parsley.

The child gets tired quickly and does not absorb information well

One of the culprits of this condition is vitamin B1, or rather, its lack. If a child's gums bleed while brushing their teeth, then this may indicate a lack of vitamin C. As we have already mentioned, there is a lot of it in cabbage and citrus fruits.

Foods with vitamin B1: peas, nuts, oatmeal, grain bread.

Foods with vitamin C: rose hips, sorrel, lemon, gooseberries, parsley, radishes, currants.

The child is irritable and sleepy

Disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system in general are often associated with a lack of B vitamins. I want to sleep and swear because of a lack of B6, if at the same time the appetite disappears, then B12 also needs to be added to the diet.

Foods with vitamin B6: nuts, cereals, tomatoes, grain bread, red bell peppers.

Foods with vitamin B12: liver, meat, milk, fish, eggs, cheese.

The skin is peeling and the lips are constantly chapped

Such symptoms suggest that you need to lean on vitamin B2, that is, meat, eggs, green leafy vegetables.

Foods with vitamin B2: liver, milk, eggs, spinach, Brussels sprouts, fish.

Pallor, weakness and anemia, the child's nails are exfoliated, hair is dull

A possible cause of these symptoms is a lack of folic acid (aka vitamin B9). It is found in green leafy vegetables and orange juice.

Foods with vitamin B9: spinach, nuts, cabbage, cereals, eggplants, green onions, oranges, apples.

Slow growth, sweating, stoop, muscle weakness

Such signs may indicate a lack of vitamin D. Do not talk about the signs of rickets in babies - in theory, if they are present, the doctor should notice them at a regular examination. But it's not just babies who need vitamin D.

The best way to get vitamin D is by walking in the sun. Naturally, not in direct hot rays, so as not to cause a burn. Are you wondering how to take your child away from the computer and send him out into the street? Think of the games that made you reluctant to go home until late at night.

Dermatitis, digestive disorders

Redness on the skin, which is combined with difficulties in digestion, as well as lethargy and lethargy, may indicate a lack of vitamin PP (aka B3, aka niacin). More nuts! But more often a lack of vitamin PP occurs due to disturbances in the work of the intestines. Do not forget about yogurt, which contains probiotics: they not only affect digestion, but also contribute to the production of vitamin K.