Should Children Take Dietary Supplements?


Are your children getting all of the nutrition they need from their diets? Or, like many of us, children included, are there some things that are missing? There are many reasons why a lot of children are not getting all of the nutrients they need in their diets, including:

• Being fussy eaters (millions of kids refuse to eat certain foods, especially vegetables)

• They have health conditions that cause them to have nutrient deficiencies

• They don’t have time to eat a proper breakfast before catching the bus to school

Sometimes, when kids aren’t getting all of the nutrients they are supposed to be getting, it can be beneficial to give them dietary supplements. We have actually been giving our kids supplements for decades, in the form of vitamin pills. But it is important to know which supplements are good for children and which ones they should not be using.

Many Children Take Supplements

Did you know that nearly one third of all young people are using dietary supplements on a regular basis? Of course, most of these supplements are just vitamins, but there are others who are using other supplements, including protein supplements. Often, these youth have health issues and must have these supplements in their diets in order to maintain the best health possible in their situations. Often, if children have certain diseases, such as diabetes, they need supplements, because they will have restricted diets that may not always give them everything they need.

Some companies that make dietary supplements may advertise the fact that their supplements are excellent in the treatment of many childhood diseases. This can often be true but it is not always the case. If you are giving your children dietary supplements to help treat certain conditions, make sure that you do your research first, so you know exactly what you are giving them, how it will benefit them and that it is not going to hurt them in any way.

If you are considering giving your children dietary supplements to make up for what they are not getting in their diets, it is important to first speak with your family physician, or your children’s pediatrician, to make sure that you are going to be giving them exactly what they need and not something that may actually do more harm than good. Your children’s health is important and the first step to healthy children is to make sure that they are getting all of the vitamins and nutrients that they need. The doctor will be able to tell you the best supplements to use based on your children’s diet, health, and activity level.

Written by Joesph Jackson of Ultimate Fitness Gear, your best source for the Insanity Workout on the web.

2 comments:

  1. I think the first goal must be to work on getting your kids to obtain their nutrition naturally, but with some children this is a lot more complicated than it sounds. I'm a fan of incorporating veggies in to the main meal (even if it mean chopping or pureing it to a consistency you can disguise in foods your child likes). But even this will not work with every kid, at which point i do think you need to accept defeat and begin supplementing. But I think it's important to continue to try to encourage eating new foods (including veggies) or you'll end up with a very unhealthy teenager.

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  2. Indeed, a sound advice. I agree with your point that we have to always try our best to give our children their nutrition naturally. Nothing beats natural.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

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