Children Nutrition

Children and Nutrition

Kids are starting from square one.  Kids can get away with a lot in the sense that they have fast metabolisms, they heal quickly and carry less physiological baggage.  A snickers bar for a middle-aged man will trigger weight gain or send a diabetics blood sugar through the roof, but for the average toddler that candy bar is turned into pure ATP and used to leap off of sofas, sing around the house or run around in the backyard.

The best tip is to feed them healthy foods but not to freak out if they eat Baskin Robins ice cream or cake at a birthday party.  There are nutrients to watch out for:

Calcium:

Growing children are constantly laying down new bone.  They need calcium and collagen to do it.

Iodine:

Growing children need iodine to produce thyroid hormone, a regulator of the growth factors that determine mental and physical development.  Kids with iodine deficiency are less likely to reach their maximum height and could also lower IQ scored up to 12.5 points.

Iron:

This provides support for growth, neurological development and blood cell formation.

Zinc:

This is really important for children;s physical growth and immune development.

Vitamin A:

A full-blown deficiency can cause blindness and a mild deficiency increases the risk of catching upper respiratory tract infection.

Vitamin B12:

This is a vital co-factor in myelination, laying down of the sheath.  Myelin is a protective sheath around the nerve fibers.  It insulates the nerves and increases the efficiency of impulse transmission.

Vitamin C:

This helps with collagen formation and deposition, tissue healing and immune response.

Vitamin K2:

This tells where calcium to go.  If too little of vitamin K2 the calcium will end up in your arteries.  If high amounts of vitamin K2 the calcium will end up in your teeth and bones.\

Calories still count.  Many things are happening constantly in their bodies and they need plenty of food to support their changes.  Don;t limit your kids calorie intake unless you have a valid medical reason.