Children's growth and development are a great challenge for every parent. We generally consider children to be healthy if they aren't facing any health issues or have the right BMI for their age.
But do we ever check if they are receiving adequate nutrients for proper growth? Do we try to ensure their future wellness even if they aren't suffering today? If you have always thought your children are healthy, check out whether they really are, or if they need extra supplements.
What are nutritional supplements?
Children of all ages need sufficient nutrients, vitamins and minerals to help promote good development. Though your regular family’s diet may seem balanced, the food groups and calorific values of strict diets like vegetarian or vegan may not suffice children's needs.
Supplements, nutrient-packed tablets, and syrups can help compensate for this dearth in their nutrition.
You can find calcium tablets for better bone growth, vitamin B tonics for developing immunisation, multi-vitamin gummies for strength, and iron tonics for blood purification. These tablets, syrups, or candies are kid-friendly and flavoured using organic fruit and berries extracts to help kids consume them without any nagging.
Signs showing that healthy kids also need supplements
1. Have food intolerances
Many kids are dairy, gluten, or lactose intolerant and have several food allergies that cut out these food groups from their diet. It restricts them from having the essential vitamins, proteins, omega fatty acids, and micronutrients essential for their growth.
2. Are picky eaters
Does your child pick out the veggies? Does your child hate eating fresh fruits and nuts? You should consider giving supplements along with diet if your child hates homemade food or doesn't eat enough due to mealtime distractions. It can ensure their intake of adequate micronutrients.
3. Gorge on fast foods
Chips, cold drinks, and candies are definitely every kids' favourite. Many replace their meals with these snack boxes, which minimises the nutrients in their diet. Eventually, kids might look fit and healthy, but they could grow obese and fall prey to chronic diseases like diabetes and anxiety at a young age. They might need vitamins, proteins, and mineral supplements as packaged food lacks them.
4. Don't follow proper meal timings
Don't you feel your busy schedule affects your child's meals too? As a busy adult, you may not have sufficient time to plan meals or check the quantities and nutritional values of the food your child eats. If your children don't have distributed meal timings and improperly binge on instant food or junk, they might be eating the wrong food as required for a balanced diet.
5. Have natural diseases and genetic issues
All kids don't have similar growth patterns or upbringing. Kids' genetics, living conditions, dietary intake, and environment affect their health and body nature. Many kids have early-onset asthma, diabetes, by-birth organ issues, or sensitive body problems that restrict their diet to fewer food groups due to which supplements are essential.
6. They have hidden deficiency signs
Nutrient deficiency doesn't always show up as weight loss or any disease but sparks hidden signs. Your child might need multivitamin supplements if he/she tires fast, needs spectacles from a young age, gets terrible mood swings, has pale skin, is very sensitive to small changes, or doesn't recover quickly.
Don't you feel your busy schedule affects your child's meals too? As a busy adult, you may not have sufficient time to plan meals or check the quantities and nutritional values of the food your child eats. If your children don't have distributed meal timings and improperly binge on instant food or junk, they might be eating the wrong food as required for a balanced diet.
What type of supplements should parents choose?
It is important to consult your dietician and paediatrician before beginning with any supplements. You should look for multivitamins for boosting metabolism and internal functioning, calcium for bone strength, and iron for blood purification. However, as large dosages are adversely toxic, you should emphasise a natural balanced diet to ensure all the nutrients.
Conclusion
Supplements are generally not essential if children can get all the required nutrients through their daily diet. If your child is a picky eater or your family follows a restricted diet, they may need supplements to fulfil their needs.
You should always look for potential deficiencies and consult the paediatrician before choosing any supplements. Additionally, you must look for plant-based natural supplements like Chewwies nutritional gummies, which are suitable for different age groups to avoid any side effects.