Don’t forget the Kids

Children´s nutrition made simple.

Don’t forget the Kids

Over the last 50 years, children’s eating patterns have changed dramatically – the number of biscuits they eat has risen four fold, sweets and chocolates have increased twenty-five times, while consumption of soft drinks has multiplied over 34 times.

As a result, children’s intakes of wholesome foods such as milk, bread, green vegetables and red meat have fallen so that, on average, children now only eat 2 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Many eat less – one study of the diet and nutrition of 4 to 18 year olds found that up to 75% had not eaten any citrus fruits or leafy green vegetables in the previous week. This can lead to lack of important vitamins and minerals – even though the diet supplies excesses in other areas. Obtaining too many calories and taking too little exercise has meant more children are classed as obese. Some have even developed Type 2 diabetes as a result.

A recent survey of 556 children’s school lunchboxes, conducted by the UK Food Standards Agency and published in September 2003 revealed that 9 out of 10 lunchboxes contained too much saturated fat, salt and sugar. In fact, only one in five packed lunches met the minimum standards set for primary school meals, which state that school meals must offer at least:

The national diet and nutrition survey of young people (4-18 years) published in June 2000 showed that many children had low intakes of vitamin A. Up to a fifth of older girls and 12% of older boys had vitamin A intakes below the lower reference nutrient intake (LRNI). In addition, a fifth of older girls had intakes of riboflavin (vitamin B2) below the LRNI. Among younger children, average intakes of zinc were below the reference nutrient intake (RNI), while in older children, intakes of zinc, potassium, magnesium and calcium were low in some groups. Worryingly, significant numbers of children had intakes for some minerals that were below the LRNI for zinc, potassium, magnesium and iron. When body levels of nutrients were checked, rather than just reported food intakes, some children had a poor nutritional status for iron, vitamin D, vitamin C, folate, riboflavin and thiamin. Further analysis showed that for 4 to 6 year olds, 3% of boys and 8% of girls were anaemic. Among older children, as many as 13% of boys and 27% of girls had low iron stores which might lead to anaemia.

Childhood and adolescence are times of rapid growth and development. It is vital that children receive all the vitamins and minerals they need at this time. Unfortunately, poor nutrition means many children are deficient in micronutrients.

Multivitamins and minerals

If you are not sure that your child is eating a healthy diet - including plenty of fruit and vegetables - a multivitamin supplement especially designed for kids will act as a general safety net. Government guidelines agree. These suggest all breast-fed infants receive supplements containing vitamins A, C and D unless the mother’s diet is known to be good in these, in which case they can be delayed until aged 6 months (formula-fed babies obtain these vitamins from their bottles). All young children should then receive supplements supplying vitamins A, C and D from the age of 1 year, when it is difficult to be certain their diet provides a reliable source. These should usually be continued to the age of 5 years unless the child eats a healthy, varied diet. This is especially important for those following a vegetarian diet who may have low intakes of vitamins D, B12, iron, calcium and zinc.

A variety of supplements are now available aimed at kids, most of which are designed to be tasty, chewable and acceptable to young palates. If you prefer your children to avoid certain products such as the artificial sweetener, aspartame, then check labels carefully. I prefer to give my kids supplements that are aspartame free – not an easy thing to find these days. I would rather they had supplements containing small amounts of sugar rather than aspartame; this is easily overcome by giving them their vitamin supplements immediately after breakfast - just before they would be cleaning their teeth anyway.

Cod Liver Oil

Fish oils are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) which are derived from the plankton on which the fish feed. Cod liver oil (extracted from the liver of cod, rather than the flesh of oily fish such as salmon) also contains vitamins A and D which have a beneficial effect on growing bones. The UK nutritional survey of children found that most had low vitamin A intakes while a significant proportion (13%) of 11 to 18 year olds had poor levels of vitamin D. A fish oil supplement containing vitamins A and D therefore seems to be a good idea for kids – especially during winter when less vitamin D is made in the skin.

Another benefit of omega-3 fish oils is that they help to balance the action of omega-6 oils which are mostly derived from vegetable sources. Most of us get too many of these in our diet, and children are no exception – omega-6 oils are found in a wide range of products from biscuits and cakes to crisps and ready-meals. As a result, the modern diet contains more than 5 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3s. Omega-3 fats have a powerful inflammatory action in the body and may even help to protect kids against inflammatory diseases such as eczema and asthma. DHA, an omega-3 oil found in fish, is also important for the optimal development of a child’s eyes and brain, helping to speed the transmission of nerve signals between brain cells, and improving the speed of problem solving.

If your kids hate the taste of fish, Healthspan´s St Clements Cod Liver Oil has had all the fish flavour removed, and just tastes of natural citrus extracts. You would never know it had been anywhere near a fish – let alone a fish liver. My 7-year old son actually looks forward to taking it!

Article issued: 1 August 2005

Related FAQs

• Are there side-effects to my child taking Omega 3?
• Do you have to take Omega 3 with food?
• How old does my child have to be to take Omega 3?
• My child is a vegetarian. How can they get their daily intake of Omega 3?
• What are Omega 3 fatty acids?

Article by
Dr Sarah Brewer
Sarah Brewer's first love is medicine and her major passion is writing. She graduated as a doctor from Cambridge University in 1983.   She was a full-time GP for five years and now works in hospital medicine.  She writes widely on all aspects of health including complementary medicine.  Dr Brewer is the author of 40 popular books as well as contributing numerous articles for magazines and national newspapers. She also regularly appears on TV and radio