Multi Vitamins

Teaching your kids about vitamins and nutrition is as important as teaching them to read and write. Just as life-long skills such as reading and writing can lead to a successful career, understanding the importance of vitamins and nutrition early on encourages a healthy relationship with food.

Got questions about multivitamins for kids? Parents often ask us what to look for when shopping for a kids' multivitamin. The first place to start is to choose one that is specifically formulated for children. The best multivitamin for kids will be in a chewable, easy-to-swallow form with an age-appropriate vitamin content listed and a child proof lid.

Vitamins and minerals have come a long way in ingredients, texture and flavour. However, a recent review of the vitamin aisle reminded me that not all supplements are created equal. Read below to see what you should be on the look-out for when supplement shopping for your family.

Good nutrition for all ages starts with offering a wide variety of whole, fresh foods as much as possible. Fruits and vegetables, high fibre grains, omega 3 rich fish and good sources of calcium are important when trying to get kids to “eat right”. However, research shows us that our on the go, crunched for time eating habits are not ideal and we are bringing up a generation who prefer to get their fruit from a roll-up.

We all want out children to have good eating habits and grow up to be healthy and strong. Ensuring a balanced intake of food is always key but special mention should be made to a few key nutrients as we teach our kids about healthy balanced eating.

Do you have a 4 year old who wants a second helping of broccoli at dinner? Will your 5 year old eat all of the strawberries for dessert? Does your 7 year old gobble up the spinach salad you put in their school lunch? If you are the parent of one of these children you are probably breathing a sigh of relief - your kids are good fruit and vegetable eaters who easily reach their serving recommendations. Would they still need a vitamin supplement?

In a perfect world your children would eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, prefer whole grains, enjoy lots of omega 3 rich fish, have a glass of milk with each meal and delight in balanced, healthy snacks. In reality, we all have some days that are better than others when trying to eat healthy. When you add up the obstacles that can prevent kids from getting enough nutrients -- picky eating, low food intake, illness, food allergies, special diets, hectic schedules . . .