5 Important Vitamins for School Children

We’ve teamed up with eumom.ie to bring you the best advice when it comes to feeding your family. Today Mairead Cahalan gives us advice on the top 5 vitamins we should include in  our children’s diet.

A healthy balanced diet is super important for everyone, but especially for young children starting school. Their little bodies are getting used to a brand new routine, a new environment and they need to keep their energy up. Fuel them with fruits and veggies so their growing bodies get the vitamins and minerals they need.

Make sure your child includes these 5 essential vitamins in their diet.

1. Vitamin A

What does it do? It helps the immune system function properly and makes sure the bones, teeth and eyes are healthy. Food sources: Carrots, squash, mangos, apricots, sweet potatoes, spinach, milk, broccoli, liver and cheese

Try this great recipe for curly sweet potato fries. Kids will love them.

2. Vitamin C

What does it do? It strengthens the immune system, making it easier for wounds to heal and helps prevent infection. It’s also super important as it helps your body absorb other nutrients, contributing to overall health.
Food sources: Citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, mangoes, broccoli

Try our family favourite of Chicken & Broccoli Bake. This is a great recipe that the whole family will enjoy and it is perfect for freezing.

3. Vitamin D

What does it do? Its main job is to help absorb calcium from foods, which then contributes to building strong bones and teeth. We can absorb vitamin D from the sun, but unfortunate in Ireland we don’t get a whole pile of that, so it’s important to get it elsewhere. Food sources: Cod liver oil, egg yolk, fortified milk, fish, such as mackerel and salmon, sardines, liver and butter.

Our Teriyaki Salmon recipe is a great source of Vitamin D. Use a mix of stir fried veg that your kids like. This is a quick and easy recipe making the perfect family dinner.

4. Vitamin E

What does it do? It acts as an antioxidant in the body, cleansing it from potentially harmful free radicals and is essential for protecting cells against damage.
Food sources: Wheat germ, sunflower oil, safflower oil, hazelnuts, almonds, sweet potato, avocado, nuts, seeds and peanut butter.

Have you ever tried making your own Nut Butters? Well it’s so easy you will be surprised why you never tried it before. Check out our recipe with a how to video on how to make your own nut butter and for the kids a healthy alternative to Nutella – Chocolate Nut butter here

5. Vitamin B9 – Folic Acid

What does it do? Folic acid is crucial for the production, normal growth and maintenance of every cell in your child’s body. It can also help prevent anaemia, birth defects and heart disease.
Food sources: Fortified breakfast cereals, broccoli, lentils, green peas, beans, liver, spinach, wheat germ and asparagus.

To be confident that your child is receiving all the vitamins they require, why not give them a supplement in addition to their healthy diet? The Kelkin Kids range has a great variety to choose from and was developed to provide high quality vitamins and mineral supplements, specially tailored for children. Available from leading pharmacies nationwide.

 

At eumom, we’re first for parenting, first for moms and we believe the best part of parenting is celebrating memorable moments together. From big announcements, to joyful arrivals, from first steps to first days of school, we are here for you.