Skip to content
Kids Health - Dealing with Fussy Eaters
Many children are picky eaters, often kids insist on a diet of chicken nuggets and fish & chips (well in australia its more down the raod of fish and chips as opposed to mac and cheese). This can make meeting the nutrient needs of their growing bodies a challenge. A multivitamin can fill nutritional gaps and ease the minds of worried parents.
- The Standard Australian Diet (SAD) is higher in ultra-processed foods and lower in real whole foods – only 5% of Aussie kids eat the recommended 5 servings of veggies per day.
- Kids are exposed to an increased amount of environmental toxins and chemicals and their bodies require more nutrients in order to detoxify these properly.
- Kids are under more stress, depleting their bodies nutrient stores and further increasing their needs.
- The soil that our crops are grown in has become depleted of nutrients thanks to over-farming and the use of pesticides and other agrochemicals – even if kids were eating the recommended 5 servings of veggies per say, they still may not be getting sufficient nutrition.
Basically, kids are requiring more nutrients these days as they grow, and with their heavily processed diet, they are getting less of them.
For generally healthy kids, that eat a nourishing, well balanced diet, and lead a healthy active lifestyle, a multivitamin every couple of days is a good insurance policy to top up on some key nutrients to achieve their optimal level.
This tends to help parents relax more when it comes to feeding their kids, if they know they’ve got this support whilst they work on improving the variety in their child’s diet.
- Zinc – it’s important for growth and development, immune function, gut and digestive health, and brain health. A lot of kids are deficient in zinc, which can contribute to other common health issues, so this is certainty to ensure that kids grow and develop naturally.
- Iron – it’s important for energy and brain function. Not all kids need that much – unless they are consuming a vegan or vegetarian diet – so iron doesn’t need to be present in a large dose. Teenage girls as they start their menstration may often need Iron supplements, particularly if they suffer large bleeding.
- Magnesium – it’s the fourth most common mineral in the body, and one that most kids are deficient in. It helps to calm the stress response, ease anxiety, boost mood, support healthy bones, nerve function, and restorative sleep. It can be hard to get enough through the diet as it’s often depleted in the soils. Children that are the most prone to magnesium deficiencies are the ‘picky eaters’ and those who consume a low fibre, low vegetable or highly processed diet.
- Iodine – it’s one most kids struggle to get enough of, unless they consume seaweed and seafood regularly. It’s essential for brain development and thyroid function.
- Vitamin D – it’s essential for healthy immune function, and helping bones and teeth absorb calcium. Despite living in a sun-drenched country, most kids could do with a little extra vitamin D.
- B Vitamins – a good dose of B12 is particular important for kids on a vegan or vegetarian diet, as it’s only found in animal products. They need B12 to make red blood cells, and carry oxygen through the body.
So there you have it our much loved picky eaters (most of us have at least 1 fussy eater lol) you more than likely need multivitamins to help keep them robust and strong.
Leave a comment