Vitamin Supplements And Your Child
By Jeff Matson

In a perfect world, your children would eat a balanced dietwith the right amount of fruits and vegetables recommended bynutritional standards. However, we all know that rarelyhappens. Many children do not like and sometimes refuse to eatsome kinds of fruits and vegetables. This makes it difficult toensure they are receiving a well-balanced diet that provides allthe vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy life. There arethings you can do as a parent to ensure your child is receivingadequate amounts of vitamins and minerals in their diet.
Using vitamin and mineral supplements to ensure a well-balanceddiet can begin during pregnancy. It is very important forpregnant mothers to obtain the recommended dose of folate andvitamin B-6, since it is an essential component in theformation of genetic material and hemoglobin in red bloodcells. Lack of folic acid can cause the mother to become anemicand increases the risk of miscarriage. Folic acid deficiency mayalso cause the child to be born with a deformity or disability.If you are pregnant and you feel you cannot obtain the adequateamounts of vitamin B-6 on your own, it may be a good idea tolook into a vitamin supplement for the duration of yourpregnancy and talk to your Doctor.
Once your child is born there are more steps you can take inthe first 2 years of their lives, which may increase theirvitamin intake and provide a healthier lifestyle. Babies whoare breastfed often lack vitamin D. This is not as necessary ifthe mother is eating a well-balanced diet, however breast milkalone does not give the baby the recommended daily amount ofvitamin D. Formula fed babies do not need any vitaminsupplementation. Medically approved, commercial iron-fortifiedformulas provide babies with the recommended amount of vitaminsthey need, so babies require no additional supplements. Givingvitamin supplements to a baby who is already receiving thedaily recommendation can be harmful and potentially become verydangerous for your child.
When your child reaches the age of about 2 (and older) and iseating solid foods from all food groups, vitamin supplementsare usually not necessary. Try and provide the adequate amountof vitamins and minerals to your children through the foodsthey eat regularly. Sometimes this can be an impossible taskand if you think your child is lacking the sufficient amountsof vitamins, the best thing to do is to contact their doctorwho will recommend whether or not vitamin supplements arenecessary. It is important to remember that vitamin supplementsare meant to accompany food and are in no way meant as areplacement for a healthy diet.
Health-related information changes frequently, and while everyattempt has been made to ensure the content in this article isup to date and accurate, you should always check with a doctoror nutritional expert before undertaking any substantial changein diet or lifestyle.
About the Author: Jeff Matson is an avid health enthusiast whoowned and operated his own natural health food store. Nowretired, Jeff spends his time keeping fit, walking marathonsand writing articles as a contributing editor forhttp://www.vitamin-insight.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com