Ensuring your child's health and well-being is a top priority. One way to support their immune system is by providing them with the right nutrients, including vitamins. Vitamins play a crucial role in strengthening the immune system and protecting against common illnesses. In this blog post, we'll explore some of the best vitamins for kids' immune systems and how you can incorporate them into their daily diet.
Vitamin C is essential to the body’s maintenance of overall health and occurs in high concentrations in immune cells. Studies have also shown that children with enough vitamin C are able to recover faster when they fall sick and possess stronger immune systems than those who are deficient in vitamin C. However, as our bodies cannot produce or store vitamin C, we need to make sure our children get enough vitamin C everyday through the food they eat.
Getting enough vitamin D is essential so kids’ bones can grow strong and their immune systems can ward off illness. Vitamin D gets into the body through absorption of sunlight and ingestion of food. From April through the end of October, spending just 15 to 30 minutes outside in the middle of the day with hands and face exposed will stimulate the skin to make all the vitamin D your child needs. In fact, on a sunny summer day, a child wearing a bathing suit can generate 10,000 to 20,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D after 15 to 30minutes. In a neat biological trick, a person’s body can’t “overdose” on vitamin D created by the sun.
Foods such as salmon, sardines, tuna, cod liver oil, egg yolks and shiitake mushrooms contain a lot of vitamin D. Many kids don’t seem to love these vitamin D superfoods, so luckily store-bought milk is often fortified with vitamin D, as are many cereals and even orange juice. Not all dairy products are fortified with vitamin D, however, so make sure to read the labels.
Vitamin A plays an important role in vision and bone growth and helps protect the body from infections. Vitamin A also promotes the health and growth of cells and tissues in the body, particularly those in the hair, nails, and skin.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it is stored in the body and excreted much more slowly than water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that limits the production of free radicals. Free radicals are harmful molecules released into the body as a bi-product of normal metabolism and can damage cells. As a nutrient that supports immune function, DNA repair, and other essential metabolic processes, vitamin E is a key component of nutrition to support the immune system.
It is recommended that from ages 1 to3 years, your child has 6mg of vitamin E per day and from ages 4 to 8 years they have 7 mg per day. As vitamin E is stored in the body, they don’t have to receive the recommended daily amount of vitamin E every day. Instead, you should aim for them to have that amount as an average over the course of a few days or a week.
Fortunately, the B group vitamins are found in a large variety of foods. This means that if your child is eating a well balanced diet, full of fresh fruit and vegetables, it is likely that they are getting adequate amounts of these vitamins. For parents who are concerned their child may not be getting enough B vitamins, here is a list of foods that will help to boost their daily intake:
· meat, including red meat, poultry and fish
· dairy products such as milk and cheese
· fortified breads, pasta and cereals
· eggs
· beans, seeds and nuts
· green leafy vegetables, broccoli and asparagus
· fortified orange juice
Nurturing your child's immune system is vital for their overall health and well-being. While a balanced diet is the best way to obtain essential vitamins, sometimes supplements may be necessary. However, it's essential to consult with a healthcare professional before introducing any new supplements to your child's routine. By incorporating immune-boosting vitamins like vitamin C, D, A, E, and B vitamins into their daily diet, you can give your child a stronger defense against illnesses and support their long-term health.
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