As students are getting back into school it means our kids’ exposure to more germs increases. We have talked before about a few lifestyle modifications to keep kids healthy as they go back to school, but today’s topic is about a few supplements you can incorporate into your kid’s routine. The addition of these supplements can decrease the likelihood of them getting sick — if they do get sick, it will give them the best chance of recovering quickly.
As any parent knows, kids usually don’t make the best choices when it comes to food. Families are juggling a lot of extracurricular activities and the reality of busy schedules means balanced meals can sometimes take a back seat to snacking, frozen meals, and take-out. Even though this is a part of real life, we can still help kids meet their nutritional needs with supplements.
Below is a list of a few daily foundational supplements for kids to help give them the nutrients they need to stay healthy as they transition back to school.
1. Multivitamin
Ideally, a child would get all the vitamins and nutrients he needs from a nutritious, whole food diet. Unfortunately, this is not the case for most kids, but a quality multivitamin helps fill in the nutrition gaps of picky eaters. According to the USDA, fewer than half of children consume the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables, so most children would benefit from a multivitamin.
Several studies show multivitamin and mineral supplements support brain function, healthy cognition, and mood. We also know how important adequate B-vitamins are for cellular energy, mood, and even good sleep. While most children’s multivitamins are not perfect, we think they are worth adding to a child’s healthy diet for optimal support of health and development.
2. Vitamin D
Even though we are in sunny Florida, most kids are not getting adequate Vitamin D. The 2011 supplement recommendations by the Endocrine Society are 600-1000 IU (15-25 mcg) per day, and more recent recommendations by the Vitamin D Council are 1000 IU (25 mcg) per 25 lbs of body weight per day. Vitamin D helps to maintain adequate blood levels of calcium by increasing the level of absorption from food — which will help kids build strong bones and also plays a critical role in the immune system.
Additionally, Vitamin D supports skin health, brain development, proper neurotransmitter function, and a healthy mood.
3. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are an important nutritional building block that supports healthy brain development, cognition, skin health, immune function, and overall health in a variety of ways. Research suggests adequate Omega 3s are required for proper neurotransmitter function, supporting psychological and behavioral health.
Other studies have shown supplementation with Omega 3 may support learning and memory. A child’s brain works extra hard, especially in school. In addition, the social environment can present many new emotional challenges. Ensuring adequate daily intake of Omega 3s is essential to support optimal cognitive, emotional, and immune health. Most high-quality liquid fish oils do not taste fishy and are well tolerated by kids. If not, the mild lemon or orange-flavored products are easily hidden in foods.
4. Probiotics
Probiotics help improve both digestion and absorption of nutrients by helping kids get the most out of the food they do consume. There is also a strong connection between the gut and the brain called the Gut-Brain-axis. Ensuring your kids have a healthy gut flora is important for overall health and immune system function, as well as brain development. Different products contain different strains of probiotic bacteria, so there is also a benefit to switching things up month to month to promote healthy gut bacteria diversity.
We always recommend a well-balanced, varied, whole-food diet for our kids first. However, when this is not practical, the above supplements can help fill in the gaps and keep your kids healthy during the school year.
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