Supplements For Healthy Kids

It can be difficult to maintain a proper healthy diet for our children where they are consuming the all important nutrients which help their growth.  Specialised children's supplements can have a role here and as a trusted online pharmacy, O'Connor's have a great range to choose from.

Dieticians recommend a similar diet for children as that of adults, i.e. a healthy mixture of whole foods and liquids. They suggest avoiding processed foods as much as possible. This means having foods rich in naturals nutrients and low in salt and sugar content. It is important to include healthy fats, proteins, and complex carbohydrates such as oats, brown rice and pasta. It is also important to monitor dietary intake during different stages of growth in children:  

• Toddlers should be given more vegetables, fruits and healthy fats as their growth is extremely rapid and the right intake of food can have significant effects on your child.  

• Primary school kids should be offered more carbohydrates as energy sources. These kids have high levels of energy and an increased activity level. This should be supported by energy efficient foods.  

• Children entering their teenage years should be offered foods rich in calcium, Vitamin D, magnesium and phosphorous as these children are growing through a rapid growth and building their bone density at this stage. Make sure to include Iron rich foods for your girls to prevent anaemia in girls as this stage is generally the beginning of menstrual cycle.  

Children tend to learn a lot of things with observation. If they see their parents eating healthy foods, they will learn to eat these foods automatically and vice versa if they see you consuming more of processed foods. For the fussy eaters, you can try hiding these vegetables and fruits in a different looking meal just to make it interesting for your children. For example - cut apples in the shape of fries, puree vegetables and mix them into a pasta sauce. It is all about innovation.   

It is very important to introduce different kinds of natural foods at an early age for children because this builds the foundation of what they eat as adults. Think about when you were young, most of us still don’t eat foods that we quit as children. Thus, it important to introduce these tastes for our children at an early age.  

Try to get your children to join the meal preparation. This way they will not only learn about the healthy foods, but you can also explain the importance of eating healthy during this time and there is a high chance that your child would like to try foods that they helped prepare.  

Always keep healthy snacks at your hand when travelling with your children as it will help avoid consumption of processed foods when they are hungry.  

Water and milk are the best liquid intakes for children as sugary drinks can easily cause tooth decay. Even juices are not recommended as these contain high levels of fructose without the fibre of the fruit.  

If your children are fussy in their eating habits and you are finding it difficult to provide the right nutrients in the their diet, you can consider supplementing them. Supplements with Vitamin D and fish oils are useful for children as it can be difficult to find in sufficient quantities in food.  To support extremely fussy eaters, you should consider children’s multivitamins. These can protect against any gaps in their diet and ultimately support their growth an development.