A diet rich in all the necessary microelements is essential for healthy and correct growth. And, in some cases, you can resort to the use of ad hoc supplements.
Vitamins are essential micronutrients for growth, essential for the health of the body: they strengthen the nervous system, increase resistance to infections, protect against the action of free radicals and help develop cognitive abilities.
Introducing them with food is of fundamental importance, because these molecules cannot be synthesized by the body. However, children’s diet is often poor in fruits and vegetables, but also fish and meat, which are the most important food sources of vitamins.
These incorrect eating habits have serious repercussions on both the development and future health of the child, as they predispose to nutritional deficiencies and increase the likelihood of becoming obese and suffering, as adults, from dyslipidemia, hypertension and glucose intolerance.
War on vitamin deficiency
Precisely in the country of the Mediterranean diet, universally recognized as the healthiest model of nutrition able to provide a balanced vitamin intake, children do not eat enough vegetables.
The percentage of the Italian population between 7 and 10 years of age overweight is too high, especially in the Central and Southern regions, where nutritional errors are more widespread than in the North.
The wide consumption of pasta, bread, potatoes and meat does not leave enough room for fruit, vegetables and fish, essential to ensure the correct vitamin intake. Unfortunately, sometimes mothers do not know much about nutrition and indulge the tastes of their children, without insisting on an adequate consumption of fruit and vegetables.
Instead, it is precisely from parents that the counterattack must start: promoting a varied diet, rich not only in vitamins, but also in the minerals necessary for a harmonious development of the body is the best strategy for healthy growth.
An apple a day and…
For proper nutrition, nutrition experts advise children to consume 1.5 servings of vegetables and 1.4 servings of fruits daily. If there are nutritional deficiencies ascertained by medical checks, or in the period of greatest demand, it is necessary to correct the eating style and, possibly, resort to the use of specific vitamin supplements for children.
Unfortunately, however, the use of vitamin supplements is not always carried out, even when there would be a need. This problem does not seem to depend solely on socio-economic factors. Often, in fact, the state of malnutrition is not recognized and not only in families in economic difficulty or with malnutrition problems.
Child-friendly vitamins
The most important elements for physical development are calcium and vitamin D. Their need increases a lot during the growth of the bone apparatus. In fact, both guarantee the correct development of bones preventing, already during childhood and adolescence, the development of osteoporosis in adulthood.
B vitamins should not be missing either. These elements are important to ensure the conversion of sugars, fats and proteins into energy. This allows the child to face the day in the best possible way and to develop memory, concentration and cognitive skills.
Vitamins A, C and E, on the other hand, have important antioxidant properties that help fight the so-called seasonal ills, strengthening the body’s defense systems. Especially during winter, seasonal changes and periods of convalescence, vitamin supplementation can help the body get back in shape, also stimulating the recovery of appetite.
To meet the need for all these important micronutrients with food, it is important to introduce certain foods into the diet. Let’s see what they are.
| Micronutrients | Food sources |
|---|---|
| Calcium | Milk and dairy products, blue fish, cabbage, artichokes, broccoli, legumes, oilseeds, fresh and dried fruit, water |
| Vitamin D | North Sea fish, pork liver, milk and dairy products, eggs |
| B vitamins | Pork and turkey meat, entrails, ham, milk and dairy products, brewer’s yeast, green leafy vegetables |
| Vitamin A | Milk, cheese, butter, eggs, liver, fatty fish from the North Seas, eels, fish oils |
| Vitamin C | Citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberries, black currants, dark leafy vegetables (broccoli, watercress, spinach, cabbage), tomatoes, peppers, potatoes |
| Vitamin E | Vegetable oils (for example, of groundnut, sunflower seed, wheat germ, olive), whole wheat, some types of dried fruit (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts). |
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.