MM Vitamins
Vitamins
Like most mums, you probably worry whether your child is getting the right vitamins and, more importantly, the right amounts! Here’s our guide as to what they need and what they don’t…
- as easy as ABC!
Giving your child the vitamins and minerals that they need right from the beginning will bring them untold benefits! Vitamin A is essential for your child’s
healthy skin, but it also acts as an antioxidant, supporting the immune system. The vitamin occurs in two main forms: retinol, which is found in animal products such as liver, meat, cheese and eggs, and beta-carotene, which is found primarily in yellow-orange vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potato and peppers. Fortunately, milk and infant formulas are also excellent sources of vitamin A. Deficiency in vitamin A tends to occur in children with fat malabsorption or who have a very poor diet. B vitamins help kids to make energy
from their food, but they’re also needed for brain function and stress management. There are various types of B vitamins:
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) helps to turn glucose – the brain’s main fuel – into energy. Kids who are low in this vitamin generally have poor concentration and a short attention span.
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), meanwhile, is particularly important for hair, nails and
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eyes. Signs of deficiency include eczema, dermatitis and cracked lips.
• Vitamin B3 (niacin) is crucial to blood sugar balance. Signs of deficiency include low energy, headaches, irritability and skin conditions such as eczema.
• Vitamin B5 (panthothenic acid) is important for both your child’s memory and their stress levels. Kids with inadequate levels of vitamin B5 tend to experience muscle cramps, poor concentration, nausea, low energy and anxiety.
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is needed for hormone production and to make the ‘happy’ neurotransmitter serotonin. Perhaps unsurprisingly, signs of deficiency include depression, irritability and low energy.
• Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) helps the blood to carry oxygen and it is also essential for nerves. Signs of deficiency include poor hair or skin condition, low energy, constipation, tender, sore muscles and pale skin.
The good news is that the level of B vitamins in your child’s system can generally be increased through intake of vitamin B-rich foods. Wholegrains such as oats and barley, and fresh veg such as spinach and watercress are among the best sources. The only exception is vitamin 12, which is only found in foods of animal origin, such as eggs and fish. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and
is, of course, best known for its role in fighting infections, colds and flu. Again, fruit and veg are some of the best sources of vitamin C Vitamin D has been hitting the headlines
recently thanks to the reappearance of rickets, a disease that affects bone development in kids, and which had effectively disappeared during the Victorian era. Current guidelines in Ireland indicate
that babies should be given a vitamin D- only supplement providing 5µg Vitamin D from birth. This is necessary because babies aged between zero and twelve months are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency, due to their rapid growth rates during this period. In the UK, kids aged between one and four years of age should have a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement.
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