Feeding the Future: How Proper Nutrition Shapes a Child’s Health and Success

Children rarely eat the four to five portions of fruit and vegetables recommended every day. It is also well-known that most children are picky eaters and can be very selective about the vegetables they eat.

Children have their own unique nutrient needs, and meeting those needs is vital for a child to grow up big, strong, and healthy. The nutritional needs of children and adolescents are different from those of adults because children are growing and developing.

Proper nutrition is when all essential nutrients are supplied and used in adequate balance to maintain optimal health and well-being. Good nutrition is essential for:

• Growth
• Maintenance
• Normal organ development and function
• Resistance to infection and disease
• Ability to repair bodily damage or injury
• Normal organ development and function.

Food is the fuel of the body. It gives energy, vitamins, minerals, and special compounds or nutrients that keep the body running smoothly.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

The human body requires seven major types of nutrients divided into two groups, namely macronutrients (needed in relatively large quantities) and micronutrients (needed in small quantities).

Macronutrients

• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Proteins
• Non-energy providing
• Fibre
• Water

Micronutrients

• Vitamins
• Minerals

Vitamins must be supplied by the diet or supplements since only Vitamin D can be synthesised by the body. About 16 minerals have been found to be essential in human nutrition, amongst which are calcium, potassium, chloride, sodium, magnesium, zinc, and iron.

HOW DOES INSUFFICIENT NUTRIENT SUPPLY AFFECT CHILDREN?

Early childhood is a period of rapid growth and development and therefore imbalanced nutrient supply will alter body structure and function and will increase the risk of chronic disease in adulthood.

In the long-term micronutrient deficiencies will lead to:

• Tiredness at work or at school
• Irritation, moodiness
• Cuts and injuries might take longer to heal
• Longer recovery times from illnesses such as colds

Even more serious is the fact that not choosing a healthy diet over a prolonged period can result in:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Obesity

DO CHILDREN NEED A MULTIVITAMIN?

Healthy eating remains important, and a healthy, varied and balanced diet is important. Vitamins and minerals do not provide energy, but healthy food does. Supplements assist in food absorption and the conversion of food to energy.

Taking this into consideration, should children take a supplement? Children rarely eat the four to five portions of fruit and vegetables recommended every day. It is also well-known that most children are very picky eaters and can be very selective about the vegetables that they eat, e.g. broccoli. A lot of children mostly eat snack food that tends to contain more fat, sugar, salt, and less fibre.

A daily, good-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement can help fill nutritional gaps. A good quality multivitamin is:

• Balanced and complete with all the vitamins and minerals required to help maintain health; complete from A to Zinc
• Formulated to meet the recommendations of authoritative bodies to ensure that it maintains safe levels
• Complementing dietary patterns and will not lead to overconsumption of vitamins and minerals.

Multivitamins and minerals ensure an adequate, wide spectrum of nutrients to fill the nutrient gaps that will protect a child’s health and help to prevent diseases. A multivitamin will make sure that the child is getting the full range of micronutrients.

As kids approach school age, they should gradually move towards a diet that is lower in fat and higher in fibre. By the age of five, their diet should be low in fat, sugar, and salt, and high in fibre, with five fruit and vegetables a day – just like adults. An adequate supply of nutrients is an important prerequisite for the well-being of children. Optimum nutrition and good feeding of infants and young children are amongst the most important determinants of their health, growth and development.

Ensuring children get the right nutrients doesn’t have to be a daily battle. While a balanced diet is always the goal, the reality of picky eating and busy routines means some support can go a long way. That’s where options like Leona’s Gummy Vitamins and Alfa’s Multivitamin Gummy Bears come in — gentle, kid-friendly ways to help fill the nutritional gaps and support healthy growth, without the fuss.