Should Kids Take a Multivitamin?

I heard back from a lot of folks thanking me for my recent blog post about whether adults should take a multivitamin. So I knew that I needed to answer: should kids take a multivitamin.

Just like I said in my adult post, first I need to tell you that when it comes to nutrition, one size doesn’t fit all. Each child has different nutrition needs – based on age, health concerns, eating habits, etc. That’s why I always include a nutrition assessment when I start to work with individual picky eaters. It’s from the results of my nutrition assessment that I create your child’s individual action plan. So, without doing an individual nutrition assessment, I can’t really answer whether your child, specifically as an individual, should take a multivitamin.

However, I can share my thoughts on multivitamins for kids in general for you to consider.

Should Kids Take a Multivitamin?

I don’t have strong feelings either way about whether kids should take a multivitamin (I’m talking toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age kids). It’s not likely to hurt. But there isn’t great evidence that it offers a lot of nutritional benefit for kids. Particularly the gummy multivitamins, for them to taste good, many of the nutrients need to be taken out. Also for safety reasons, most kids multivitamins don’t have iron in them. Concern that kids aren’t eating enough iron (e.g. when picky kids don’t eat meat or plant-based high iron foods) is one of the reasons that I may recommend a multivitamin for kids. But you have to go out of your way to find a kids’ multivitamin that contains iron.

There are two exceptions to my recommendation:

1. Babies receiving a combination of solid foods and breastmilk/ formula don’t need a multivitamin. But I do recommend continuing 400 IU or more of vitamin D drops for babies receiving breastmilk.

2. If your daughter has started menstruating, I do recommend a supplement containing the active form of folate. I get into the reasons why in my adult post.

Kids and Vitamins - Pitfalls to Avoid

An important pitfall that you want to avoid is teaching your kids that their vitamins are candy. That safety reason (that I mentioned above) regarding why most kids multivitamins don’t contain iron is because there is a history of kids climbing up into cabinets and taking the whole bottle of vitamins – because they wanted to eat the “candy”. An overdose of iron by taking too many vitamins can cause serious harm, even kill, a child. So, keep multivitamins up out of reach of kids. And, teach kids the difference between vitamins and candy.

Also, two pitfalls to avoid with gummy vitamins:

• For younger children (4 and under) they can be a choking hazard. I recommend cutting them into smaller pieces before offering them to your kiddo.

• Dentists have been reporting an increase in dental carries (cavities) amongst kids who have gummy vitamins. Because the gummies and their sugars stick to teeth. To avoid cavities, dentists recommend either choosing a vitamin that isn’t a gummy. Or, having kids brush their teeth immediately after having their gummy vitamins.

Other Vitamins for Kids

There are other vitamins that I do recommend for kids:

Vitamin D for Kids

The vitamin D recommendation for kids (12 months – adulthood) is 600 IU per day. The vitamin D recommendation for babies from birth – 12 months is 400 IU per day. There are very few food-based sources of vitamin D. For example, milk and plant-based milk alternatives have about 100 IU per cup. 6 cups of milk a day would certainly crowd out other healthy foods. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin. And yes, we do make it through our skin. But only during the months of March - October (fewer months in northern BC). And, windows, clothing, sunscreen, pollution, and darker skin pigment all block the ability to make vitamin D from the sun. So I do recommend giving a vitamin D supplement daily in the range of 400 IU – 600 IU (depending on your child’s vitamin D intake from food sources).

For babies, breastmilk is typically very low in vitamin D. Formula does have ample vitamin D for most babies. Therefore, the recommendation is that all babies who are breastfed or fed a combination of breastmilk and formula, receive 400 IU of vitamin D daily.

Omega-3 (Fish Oil) For Kids

The evidence isn’t super strong, but I do have a soft recommendation of omega-3s for kids (toddlers – teens). The evidence is mixed regarding its benefit for brain health and general inflammation, so I don’t have a firm recommendation.

If your child eats fatty fish (e.g. salmon, sardines) twice a week, then they may be getting enough of these healthy fats.

Many kids don’t eat fatty fish that often (if at all), so I do recommend a fish oil supplement. You can get liquid supplements in quite lovely flavours. Follow the directions on the bottle for the age of your child.

If you don’t like the idea of your child consuming fish, look for an algae-based omega-3 supplement. There are lots of these on the market now.

I’ve noticed that some of the kids' omega-3 liquid supplements include vitamin D, so you may be able to get both in at the same time.

Eating nuts, seeds, and their butters (e.g. almond butter) daily is also a great way to contribute to a healthy ratio of omega-3:omega-6 fats.

Wondering if you should take a multivitamin? Check out this blog post.

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Food Allergy and Hay Fever. Oral Allergy Syndrome

Yay, Spring is finally here! Full of all sorts of good things, like more daylight and cherry blossoms. But, if you’re like me, there is a downside to Spring’s arrival: hay fever. Did you know that there are foods that can make hay fever worse? There are two main ways that food allergy happens in hay fever sufferers: Oral Allergy Syndrome and histamine-containing foods. In this post I’ll share all about Oral allergy Syndrome. In my next post I’ll cover histamine foods.

Note: The advice that I’m about to share is intended for information purposes. Food allergies and sensitivities aren’t something to casually play around with. If an Allergist (allergy specialist doctor) has given you individual advice, follow their advice. I’m also happy to work one-on-one with you to create an individual plan.

In Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS), you feel a tingling in your mouth when you eat these foods. Some people will get swelling of their lips and tongue. Some people even break out into blisters in their mouth. You will experience the reaction within minutes of eating the food – up to 30 minutes later. So, it’s an immediate reaction, localized to your mouth/throat. You may notice this sensation any time of the year. Or you may only get it during the time of year when you’re breathing in the pollen from the plants/ trees to which you are allergic.

What’s happening in your body during hay fever is that you are breathing in the pollen from the plant. Your immune system is reacting to the proteins in that pollen to stimulate the symptoms that all we hay fever suffers know well – itchy watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose, even hives and skin rash.

In OAS, the foods happen to contain proteins that are similar in shape to those pollen proteins. So your body confuses the two and reacts to the foods’ proteins. OAS is really a cross-reaction.

The good news is that it seems to be eating just the raw foods that cause OAS. When we cook food it changes the shape of the proteins and there is no more cross-reaction.

So, what foods cross-react? It depends on the plant/tree to which you are allergic.

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Hay fever to birch trees, mugwort (a weed), grass, or Timothy grass? Avoid these foods (raw):

• Apple

• Apricot

• Cherry

• Kiwi

• Melon

• Nectarine

• Orange

• Peach

• Pear

• Plum

• Prune

• Watermelon

• Beans

• Lentils

• Peanut

• Peas

• Soy

• Rye

• Almond

• Chestnut

• Hazelnut

• Walnut

• Caraway seed

• Poppy seed

• Sesame seed

• Sunflower seed

• Anise (fennel)

• Asparagus

• Cabbage

• Carrot

• Celery

• Cilantro (coriander)

• Cumin

• Dill

• Green pepper

• Parsley

• Potato

• Tomato

• Cucumber

• Zucchini

Hay fever to ragweed? Avoid these foods (raw):

• Banana

• Cantaloupe

• Honeydew

• Melon

• Peach

• Watermelon

• Cucumber

• Zucchini

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Note that you should only avoid the foods that cause a reaction in you. Just because a food is on the list, does not guarantee that you will have a reaction to it. If you don’t have a reaction to a food that’s on the list, lucky you! Feel free to continue eating it.

Not sure which food is causing you symptoms? Contact me to work one-on-one. Let's create an individual food allergy plan for you.

Photo credit: Chloe Ridgway on Unsplash

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Overnight Oats

Do you find that weekday mornings are rushed?

If so, you're not alone. Most families I work with name this (and weeknight evenings) as the most harried times of the week.

Usually I share recipe ideas that can help with weeknights.

But I've recently given overnight oatmeal a try and I'm loving this! I've totally jumped on the bandwagon. And I'm sharing the recipe with you so you can jump aboard too.

Prepared the night before, and with no cooking required, overnight oats are fantastic!

Made with rolled oats, it's a minimally processed, whole food way to start the day. Much healthier than most boxed cereals and those instant oatmeal packets.

And, it travels well. Which is perfect if you find that you can get your kids fed in the morning but you struggle to get something into yourself. I know that many people rely on smoothies in this situation. But I've always found that I'm hungry again by about 10am when I've had a smoothie for breakfast. Not so with overnight oats - I'm full until noon (or later)!

This recipe is really more of a technique. Mix and match proteins and fruits for variety and to find your favourite combination.

Overnight Oatmeal Directions:

Oats:

• Combine equal parts rolled oats with yogurt and milk in a bowl or the container that you'll take this in to go (I carried mine with me in the mason jar). A generous adult serving is 1/3c up oats, 1/3 cup yogurt, 1/3 cup milk (or skip the yogurt and use 1/2 cup or more of a plant-based milk alternative, such as oat milk). For kids, start with 1/4 cup of each ingredient and adjust from there depending on your child's appetite.

Protein:

• Choose a protein that you like. Examples include hemp hearts (my personal favourite), chia seeds, chopped or sliced nuts, nut butter, pumpkin seeds. Add it to the oat mixture.

Fruit:

• Choose a fruit that you like. Examples include: applesauce (my personal favourite), berries, pomegranate, pumpkin puree. Add it to the oat mixture.

As the name of this dish suggests, prepare everything the night before. Place it in the fridge. The next morning, give it a stir and enjoy!

Get more healthy recipes here.

Constipation in Babies when Introducing Foods

In this video I answer a parent's questions about constipation in babies when introducing your baby to solid foods.

During weaning it's normal for infants' poop to change. I share what's normal, and what's considered constipation.

And, I share 4 food-realted ways that can help get things moving again.

Zucchini and Sun-Dried Tomato Tempeh Pasta (Vegan)

Tempeh doesn’t get as much attention as it’s cousin, tofu. Yet it’s an excellent source of plant-based protein and a source of iron. Give it a try with this familiar pasta with a Mediterranean flavour profile.

Serves 4.

Cooking time: Approximately 25 minutes.

Tempeh Pasta Ingredients:

1 package        Tempeh, cut into cubes

½ large             Onion, medium diced

2 cloves           Garlic, minced

¼ cup              Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, thinly sliced

4 cups              Zucchini, sliced diagonally into quarter moons

4 cups              Spinach, washed and coarsely chopped

1 sprig             Fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon      Herbs de Provence

¼ cup              Vegetable broth

1-2 Tbsp          Olive Oil

1 Tbsp             Salt

1 package       Brown rice pasta (454 grams)

Tempeh Pasta Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Optional: add 1 tablespoon of salt.

2. Once your water has come to a boil, add the pasta. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Follow the directions on the package for the cooking time as brands differ. Usually it is between 7-10 minutes.

3. Once your pasta is al dente, drain it and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Set aside until ready to serve.

4. In the meantime, in a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender (approximately 3 minutes).

5. Add the garlic and rosemary and sauté for another 2 minutes.

6. Add the tempeh and rosemary, sauté for another 5 minutes.

7. Add the zucchini and herbs de Provence, sauté for another 5 minutes.

8. When the zucchini appears partly cooked, add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and the broth. Sauté for another 6-10 minutes until zucchini is almost cooked almost al dente. (Note: If the pan gets too dry before the zucchini is cooked, then add a bit more broth, 1 tablespoon at a time).

9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

10. Plate your pasta topped with the zucchini and sun-dried tomato tempeh sauce.

11. Enjoy!

Get another delicious vegan pasta recipe here: Pumpkin Pasta

Recipe and Photo credit: Amazing student Alexandra.