December 1, 2019
We live in a fast-paced world and it can be a struggle to get everyone in the house up and running in the morning. It can be hard to get your own supplements sorted, let alone battle with trying to get children to take their supplements too.
Did you know that the Department of Health recommends that children up to the age of six, take supplements? It can sometimes be just as hard to get children to take supplements as it to get them to eat their greens, so here are some ideas to help them get what they need.
Did you know that the Department of Health recommends all children under 6 take vitamin supplements?
Of course, eating a varied and balanced diet is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle, but it is not always easy to manage. If you are looking for ideas to get started Change4Life produce a lot of easy to understand information to encourage children to look at what they are eating. As adults, we all have foods we dislike, so children are bound to as well. Using smoothies and shakes can be a fun way to help children eat a wider range of fruits and vegetables. Especially if you let them help with the creation of it. For a quick healthy dessert, you can use frozen banana chunks blended until you get a creamy ‘nice cream.’ You can add in seeds and nuts or other fruits as toppings for a sugar free, healthy pud. Try some of these recipes from BBC Good Food.
Soups and smoothies can be a great way to get children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Get them involved with the preparation too.
Encouraging children to try new foods or even things they are sure they don’t like becomes harder if we make a big deal out of it. If we get stressed, they get stressed then we stress even more, and each meal becomes a battlefield. Not ideal for anyone’s digestion! The internet is full of ways to get children to eat new things, don’t feel pressurised by perfect family images where everyone eats a massive plate of green stuff, but do use it for inspiration and finding what works for you.
Soups can be a great way to include a wide range of vegetables, economical, filling, nutritious and perfect for using up tired vegetables and leftovers. Lots of children like dips such as hummus, have you tried making it with different ingredients such as beetroot or sweet potato puree? So easy to do and instantly increases the range of nutrients you are eating, especially if you use brightly coloured vegetables that are a natural source of antioxidants. Tahini is a source of good fats and calcium along with chickpeas as the base of the hummus add protein and fibre.
As hard as you try with getting a wide range of nutrients into a child’s diet, there is always the option of adding a food supplement to their diet. This gives you a nutritional back up and you know that however fussy they may be, there will still be a daily intake of nutrients. There are many on the market to suit all ages and nutritional requirements. The important factor is to look at the added ingredients, many contain a lot of sugar and artificial additives such as colours and flavours. Look for drops and vegetarian gummies, ideal for supplements such as Vitamin D.
When you are looking for a child friendly supplement, avoid added sugars and artificial flavours and colours.
Vitamin D is important for helping us to absorb calcium, which is needed for proper bone growth and tooth development, vital for any growing child. Vitamin D has many functions in the body including a healthy immune system, a supplement could be useful during the winter when we get far less exposure to sunshine. A general multi vitamin and mineral can also be useful. Find one your child likes and will take. Taking it regularly is the key!
The gut microbiome is constantly in the health news at the moment. How healthy our gut is, plays a role in so many factors from our digestion through to, research suggests, our mental health. Much of the research and news coverage is aimed at adults but a healthy and happy gut microbiome it important for children too.
Foods that help deliver good bacteria to our systems are usually fermented and have a sour taste. Yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi are not always the most child friendly food. So how can you help keep a healthy gut?
There are many supplements on the market that provide a range of strains of good bacteria. Not all of them are geared to a child’s digestive system and many are in capsules that some children can struggle to swallow. What is needed is an easy to take form with the right strains and one that children will want to take regularly. An exciting development has taken place with a new product from AOR that aims to tick all the ‘child friendly’ boxes as well as provide the right strains of bacteria in a easy to take form. Better still, it tastes great and also adds a bit of fun to the serious business of keeping well.
It is not often that we talk about specific products in this blog, but this is one occasion where we are very excited about something new and different.
LavaRox™ ™ is a brand-new delivery system for any form of supplement, but especially for a healthy bacteria supplement. As mentioned before, the microbiome of a child is different to an adult, so it makes sense to have something that is particularly suitable for a child. Although the great thing about LavaRox™ is that it is suitable right the way through adulthood too.
Creating a healthy microbiome is an important foundation for overall good health.
Good digestive health begins in the mouth, proper chewing and a health oral mucosal system is vital for good health but can be hard to maintain. Sugary foods, harsh toothpastes and mouthwashes and ingredients in processed foods all make it hard for the good bacteria to survive and flourish. Good oral health can also help protect your child against picking up so many bugs too.
Using Streptococcus salvaris K12, a patented probiotic specifically developed to support oral health by recolonising the oral cavity with good bacteria. LavaRox™ Oral-Biotic is a fun and healthy way to fortify the health of your child’s mouth. It can be particularly useful following a course of antibiotics.
For a healthy gut microbiome there is LavaRox™ Immuno-Biotic containing Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07™ and Lactobacillus acidophilus, ideal in helping keep the good bacteria in the gut at healthy levels.
We know how hard it can be for children to get in the habit of taking supplements, but you might find they are keen to take a daily dose of LavaRox™, each sachet contains a single dose of good bacteria in a sugar free, glute free, tooth friendly ‘popping’ granules. They may just become the first supplement your child loves to take, and what better than one that looks after something as important as their body’s microbiome.
When it comes to teaching them good health, your children will follow your example, if you encourage them to try a variety of foods, take pleasure in exercising and getting fresh air and carefully choosing the right supplements, you will help them develop habits that stay with them for a healthy lifetime.
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