Categories: Vitamins

6 Vitamins And Their Importance For Growing Children

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Vitamins are necessary organic compounds required for growth. Our body’s need for Vitamins is very limited. Most of the requirement can be easily met through a healthy diet. Fruits are especially rich in Vitamins. They are either not produced or produced internally in very little quantity by our body.

Vitamins help in good growth and maintenance of skin, hair, bones and eye sight. At present there are 13 recognised vitamins which play important role in children’s growth. In children, it is very important to ensure that the daily dose vitamin is provided to them.

Top 6 Vitamins And Their Importance For Growing Children

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential for good eye sight. The deficiency of it can cause blindness, weak eyesight or even night blindness. Fish, Fish oil, Broccoli, carrot, spinach, milk and pumpkin are some rich sources of Vitamin A.

Source: http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/VitaminA.htm

This is a fat soluble Vitamin which means that they are stored in the fats deposits of our body. In today’s times when children are exposed to laptops, television and mobile phones, the importance of Vitamin A can not be overemphasized.

Vitamin B

Vitamin B is a category in itself. It has B1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 12. The deficiency of this class of Vitamin can cause Anaemia, beri beri, Pellagra and dermatitis. Food items like leafy vegetables, Whole grains, egg yolk, mushrooms, legumes, oranges and potato can help fight this deficiency. Children who have low level of this vitamin would find themselves tiring easily and succumbing to fatigue.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also known as Ascorbic acid. Vitamin C helps fight the common cold, scurvy, repair bones and tissues and keeps the gums healthy. Food items that contain Vitamin C are Oranges, Guava, Papaya, kiwi, strawberries and Mangoes.

Usually Vitamin C consumption should be different for different age groups. If your child is on high Vitamin C diet, do check the maximum permissible limit for his or her age group. Usually 400 Milligram is the recommended maximum daily intake of this Vitamin.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is not produced by our bodies at all. But the good part is that this vitamin can be easily derived by being outdoors! Exposure to sun builds this Vitamin. Vitamin D is fat soluble. Vitamin D helps in absorbing calcium thereby making bones strong. Also, it strengthens the immunity in children.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/vitamin_d_source_000277.htm

The deficiency of this vitamin causes a bones ailment called Rickets. Other than sunlight, oily fish like salmon, eggs and yoghurt have healthy level of vitamin D nutrients.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is required in very small quantity by the body. This Vitamin is essentially an anti-oxidant and discourages the radical production of harmful tissues and toxins in the body. Avocado, oily fish, egg yolks and nuts are a rich source of this Vitamin.

Vitamin K

This Vitamin helps in clotting and healing the injuries expeditiously. Children are prone to wounds and injuries, therefore this vitamin is an absolute essential for them. Major sources of this vitamin are broccoli, green leafy vegetables and cereals. Vitamin K is fat soluble and therefore gets stored in our body.

Source: http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/vitamin_k_source_000281.htm

The recommended intake of this vitamin is 0.001 microgram for each kilogram of the weight. The excessive consumption is still under studies to establish whether it is detrimental to the body.