Blog Detail

As children grow and develop you want to make sure you are doing everything you can to help keep them happy, healthy and grinning as wide as SpongeBob and Patrick after a Krabby Patty! A healthy, balanced diet is essential to kids’ health, with vitamins and minerals playing an important role in their growth and development. But it can be hard to know what different vitamins do, and which we should be making sure our kids get enough of.

Here to teach us our vitamin A, C, D’s is our expert team of nutritionists, with some simple advice for parents on the best vitamins for kids!

Which vitamins are important for kids?

There are lots of vitamins that are important to kids’ health. But to make things simpler, we’ll focus on a few of the most important ones for now: Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin D.

We’ve chosen to focus on these three vitamins to start with as the Department of Health has recommended that all kids aged 6 months to 5 years are given vitamin supplements containing Vitamins A, C and D every day.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these vitamins and find out what makes them so important!

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a key vitamin for young children, as well as babies, as it strengthens the immune system, helps with vision in dim light, and keeps skin healthy.

Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem worldwide and can lead to serious conditions; even minor Vitamin A deficiency can contribute to kids’ being more vulnerable to infection.

There are actually two forms of Vitamin A: Preformed Vitamin A and Provitamin A. The key differences are - the foods they are found in and the way they are processed by our body.

Preformed Vitamin A is found in food such as liver, whole milk, cheese, butter and many reduced fat spreads. This form of the vitamin is known as the ‘active’ form as it can be used by the body straight away as it is.

Provitamin A can be found in plant-based foods, such as carrots, dark green leafy vegetables and orange-coloured fruits, e.g. mangoes and apricots. It is known as the ‘inactive’ form of Vitamin A that changes into an active form when eaten!

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is another essential vitamin for children. Vitamin C supports the immune system, as well as having antioxidant properties, which potentially protect cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin C also contributes to normal collagen formation that supports the normal function of bones, cartilage, gums and teeth. This means it’s an important nutrient for healing.

A lack of Vitamin C can affect the immune system, while a severe Vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, including symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, aching joints and muscles.

Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits, especially citrus fruits and berries, green vegetables, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes (especially new potatoes).

Vitamin D

Finally, we have Vitamin D, which supports normal bones, teeth and muscle function as well as the regular function of the immune system.

Vitamin D is especially important for growing kids as deficiency during periods of bone growth in children can lead to rickets, which causes bone pain, poor growth and deformities of the skeleton. Kids with rickets are also more likely to fracture their bones.

Vitamin D deficiency and rickets in kids used to be commonplace in the UK, but health policies implemented after the Second World War made it a disease of the past. However, in recent years more cases are being reported in the UK.

Unlike vitamins A and C we actually get most of our Vitamin D from sunlight on our skin during the summer months. The strength of the sun in the UK means that the skin can only make Vitamin D between 11am and 3pm during the months of April to October. There are however some foods that contain significant amounts of Vitamin D such as, oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals, meat and fat spreads.

Summary

Vitamins A, C and D are some of the most important vitamins for kids with essential roles to play in healthy growth and development. We hope that this blog helps you understand what these vitamins do, where they’re found and how they can help your child’s nutrition.

Keep an eye out for more blogs from our knowledgeable team of nutritionists coming soon!

Now you know a bit more about vitamins, don’t forget to check out our full SpongeBob SquarePants vitamin range and select the best fit for your child.