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Pill Of Health
Are nutritional supplements really necessary?
It’s no surprise that many a toddler will choose fries over rice any time. But is giving junior a nutritional supplement the answer to ensuring that your mini muncher gets all the essential vitamins and minerals he needs to grow? Christina Ching chews on the issue.
Supplements are a “nutritional insurance” for children prone to poor eating habits.
If your child is eating a varied diet and growing well, he’s unlikely to suffer from a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
A basic dietary supplement programme for children comprises a general multi-vitamin, plus an omega 3 essential fatty acid supplement to meet any nutritional shortfall.
Aim to feed your child a wholesome and varied diet, since vitamin tablets can never replace or reproduce all the different nutrients that you get from food.
“Good nutrition is crucial for young ones because it lays the foundation for future health and healthy eating habits. Supplements are not a magic bullet; we certainly cannot feed our kids takeaways and junk food, thinking that a pill will fix it in no time.” |
Things were much simpler when we were young. The only dietary supplements I remember taking ― a daily spoonful of cod liver oil and an orange-flavoured chewable vitamin C tablet. These days, shelves are crammed with multi-vitamins and supplements. Some are even presented as deceptive gummy bear “sweets” or put in cartoon character packs to lure your unsuspecting little chomper.
Sucked into the hype, I feel an intense urge to grab a bottle of gummy bears since they promise to deliver optimum health and intelligence to my geniuses-in-the-making. But are these pills really essential or are they mere marketing ploys?
Mum-of-two Wendy Chew, 33, considers supplements an essential safety net for her son. Her 3-year-old loves junk food like biscuits and cakes, and it’s a constant struggle trying to get him to eat anything nutritious, particularly fruit and veg. The stay-at-home mum, who was a teacher, gives her tot a multi-vitamin supplement daily to make sure he gets the nutrients he lacks.
She laments, “With his picky eating habits, I’m concerned that he’s not getting a balanced diet. I continue to serve him healthy foods during mealtimes, but most of the time, they end up being spit out on the table.”
BEST FOOD FORWARD
All parents want their children to follow diets that provide them with essential vitamins and minerals. But can diet alone achieve this in this age of highly-processed foods? Yes, the experts say, as long as your child eats a varied and balanced diet.
Rani Sarmugam, a nutritionist with the Health Promotion Board (HPB), notes that after his first year, a child’s physical growth starts to slow down and his appetite may start to decrease. She adds, “As they tend to eat less, it’s critical that they take a well-balanced diet with a good variety of foods. This ensures that they have all the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for healthy growth and development.”
The onus is on parents to provide a balanced diet for junior, stresses Gleneagles Hospital’s clinical dietitian Rehana A Wahid, 34, mum to Yasmeen, 7, and Wardah, 9, “Being good role models ourselves will ensure a healthy tone is set for the family. With heaps of processed foods around us, it is the choices we make that ultimately make the difference.”
HEALTHY DIET PYRAMID
 Use the Healthy Diet Pyramid to plan junior’s (healthy) meals daily. Variety is key, so include food from all food groups to ensure that your mini muncher gets all the nutrients he needs.
Choose more items from the base of the pyramid (such as rice, cereal, pasta and bread) and less from the top (such as fats, oils, sugar and salt). As a rule of thumb, at least a third of your child’s food intake should be starchy carbohydrates, such as rice, bread and pasta.
Junior should also take more fruits and veg, and moderate amounts of meat, fish, eggs, beans and dairy products, while taking foods high in fat and sugar sparingly.
FIT THE BILL
All this talk about getting one’s child to get all the nutrition he needs from food is easier said than done, many mums lament. Many tots are fussy feeders, refusing to allow even a fleck of greens down their throats! Wendy, for instance, feels stressed when her son Armand rejects her wholesome dishes, despite her best efforts to encourage him to eat. And if both parents are at work and the little ones are being cared for by Por Por, the maid, a nanny, or placed in a childcare centre, you’re aren’t able to supervise what they put in their mouths. So supplements seem the perfect answer.
Some nutrition experts, including Patrick Holford, author of the bestselling New Optimum Nutrition Bible and Smart Food For Smart Kids, recommend giving your child an “optimum nutrition” multi-vitamin/mineral every day. “Supplementation is the most reliable way to ensure your child gets all the vitamins and minerals he needs to be optimally nourished,” Holford writes.
Dr Sam Rehnborg, president of global vitamin and mineral brand The Nutrilite Health Institute, describes offering supplements a “nutritional insurance” for children prone to poor eating habits.
He reasons, “The developing years are a crucial time when children’s bodies need good nutrition. When they are not eating a variety of food and a balanced diet, and especially if their diet is lacking in fruits and vegetables, they are almost certainly lacking in many of the vitamins and minerals needed for their growing bodies. These children need to be given that extra nutritional edge when they do not eat right.”
ADD-ONS
Rehana notes that many parents who give their children daily multi-vitamins are often overly zealous about junior’s diet. Indeed, many mums get nervous when their tot decides to go off a certain food, even if it’s just for a day.
She advises. “Slow down and look at what your child eats on a weekly basis, rather than daily, before scrambling for supplements,”
So, how would you know if your child will benefit from a vitamin supplement? Rehana explains that if your child is eating a varied diet and growing well, he’s unlikely to suffer from a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
However, Rani points out that children who eat too little or are on special diets may need vitamin-mineral supplements. “If your tot is on a strict vegetarian diet, he may need iron and zinc supplements, while vegan children may need additional vitamin B12 supplements as this nutrient is only found in foods of animal origin,” she explains.
But before you start dispensing supplements, it’s best to consult a doctor about what your child may need. If he’s not eating well, Rehana advises parents to find ways to overcome this stage of fussy eating by being patient yet persistent, rather than to jump immediately on the supplements bandwagon.
“In time, a hungry child usually does not refuse food,” she assures.
BALANCING ACT
Even if junior is in the pink, many parents still give him vitamin supplements to ensure that his nutritional intake is maximised. Omega 3 fish oils ― with their promise of boosting brain development and concentration levels ― are a number one choice.
Says Koh Lee Ling, 35, IT manager and mum to Yong Xin, 3, and Yong Wen, 5, “When they turned 3, I introduced my kids to the cod liver oil that I used to take when I was little, but they hated the taste. Then I found it in an orange flavour and now, they happily lap it up every morning.”
If your child is eating oily fish two to three times a week, he should be getting enough essential fats. Otherwise, Holford recommends supplementing his diet with an essential fat formula that contains DHA and EPA (two kinds of omega 3 fat), as well as GLA (an omega 6 fat).
Most doctors and nutritionists support a basic dietary supplement programme for children that comprise a general multi-vitamin, plus an omega 3 essential fatty acid supplement, to meet any nutritional shortfall. If your kid has health problems, he may need more complex dietary supplements, but this is determined by a doctor or dietitian.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
While giving supplements may solve many parents’ feeding woes, don’t just rely on pills to do the job of nourishing your child, experts caution. Instead, aim to feed your child a wholesome and varied diet, since vitamin tablets can never replace or reproduce all the different nutrients that you get from food.
Rehana explains, “The body is designed to get its nutrients from food sources. Most nutrients from supplements are not as well-absorbed, compared to the nutrients readily available from whole foods, where antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients work together to protect your health.”
To date, clinical trials of dietary supplements have not successfully replicated the beneficial effects of eating fruits and veg, she points out. So, while a good broad-based nutritional supplement comes in handy to plug any gaps in your child’s diet, it should not replace any food group.
Rehana stresses, “Children and adults alike have to learn healthy eating habits. Good nutrition is crucial for young ones because it lays the foundation for future health and healthy eating habits.
“Supplements are not a magic bullet; we certainly cannot feed our kids takeaways and junk food, thinking that a pill will fix it in no time.”
I guess that’s the cue for me to start whipping up yet another batch of my “Secret Recipe Linguine with Tomato Sauce” (with hidden broccoli, carrots and onion) again!
TOP TIP
Give junior his supplement with breakfast, not the last thing at night if you don’t want a wired-up tot at bedtime. B vitamins can have a mild stimulatory effect.
Children tend to be more prone to vitamin toxicity than adults, so don’t be tempted to give more than the recommended dose. |
If you have any comments or practical suggestions, write to us at editor@family.sg
- Mother & Baby
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