Raising a child to be happy and healthy involves some key factors:
- Love (Time): Spending quality time with kids allows them to feel loved and supported.
- Sleep: They need rest so their little bodies can grow nice and strong.
- Play: The best way to learn is to play and explore.
- Healthy Eating: Teaching kids healthy eating habits can set them up for future success.
Today we want to focus on teaching kids healthy eating habits.
According to the CDC, among 2- to 5-year-olds, 13.9% were considered obese, 18.4% of 6- to 11-year-olds were considered obese, and 20.6% of 12- to 19-year-olds were considered obese.
Obesity is defined as a weight that is higher than what is considered a healthy weight for a given height.
A 2011 study, looked at the relationship between exercising and fat mass, specifically in children.
Want to know what they found?
Exercise may not be the key determinant of unhealthy weight gain.
That doesn’t mean our kids don’t have to be active (they do). It just means that daily diet has WAY more of an effect on our children’s weight than we previously thought.
We constantly hear that our children should eat a well-balanced diet but what does that mean? And how can a Kids Multivitamin help?
9️⃣ Must-Eat Nutrients For Your Child To Get A Well-Rounded Diet
Children need a balanced diet with food from all 3 food groups– vegetables and fruit, whole grain products, and protein foods.
Typically, they’ll get that in 3 meals a day as well as in their 1 to 3 (healthy) snacks (morning, afternoon, and before bed).
Here are several important nutrients for your child, with lots of overlap between food options.
1️⃣ Protein: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, dairy products. Helps a child’s body build cells, break down food into energy, fight infection, and carry oxygen.
2️⃣ Carbohydrates: bread, cereals, rice, crackers, pasta. Carbs are your body’s most important source of energy. They help your child’s body use fat and protein for building and repairing tissue.
3️⃣ Fats: whole-milk dairy products, cooking oils, meat, fish, nuts. Another great source of energy. Also, important for helping the body properly use other nutrients it needs.
4️⃣ Calcium: milk, cheeses, yogurt, broccoli, spinach. Essential for helping your child build healthy bones and teeth. Also, important for nerve, muscle, and heart function.
5️⃣ Iron: red meats, whole grains, beans, nuts, iron-fortified cereals. Necessary for a child to build healthy blood that carries oxygen to cells over the body.
6️⃣ Folate: whole-grain cereals, lentils, spinach, black or kidney beans. Folate isn’t just for soon-to-be-mamas, it’s also important for kids. Folate is necessary for the healthy growth and development of a child’s cells.
7️⃣ Fiber: whole-grain cereals, lentils, seeds, nuts. Helps produce bowel regularity in a child.
8️⃣ Vitamin A: carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, egg yolks. Helps growth, assists the eyes in adjusting to dim and bright lights, keeps skin healthy, and works to prevent infection.
9️⃣ Vitamin C: citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, melons, cabbage. Helps fight off the common cold, holds the body’s cells together, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and is important for building strong bones and teeth.
More Healthy Eating Tips For Children
In a perfect world, you would only eat and feed your kids whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods (fresh fruits/veggies, whole grains, dairy, and meats) all in home-cooked meals.
But life isn’t perfect, and honestly, french fries are so so tasty.
Here are few other healthy eating topics to pay attention to:
Sugar and Sugar Substitutes: look for foods that don’t have added sugar or sugar substitutes. Limit refined sugars (sucrose, glucose-fructose, white sugar) honey, molasses, syrups, and brown sugar. Their calorie counts are all similar and they can contribute to tooth decay.
Water: when your child is thirsty water should be their go-to. Water helps keep your temperature normal and it helps to digest your food while also getting rid of waste. With kids/teens, it’s recommended to drink at least 6-8 (8 oz) cups a day.
Sodium: a mineral needed to maintain proper fluids in your body and for nerve and muscle function. Eating too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure and too much of it is often associated with obesity later in life. Processed and pre-packaged foods tend to have higher amounts of sodium. Keep in mind that 1 level teaspoon of table salt is 2,300 mg.
Recommended sodium intake by age:
| Age | Adequate Sodium Intake (mg/day) |
| 0 to 6 months | 110 |
| 7 to 12 months | 370 |
| 1 to 3 years | 800 |
| 4 to 8 years | 1000 |
| 9 to 13 years | 1200 |
| 14+ years | 1500 |
Data from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)
About 43% (almost half) of sodium eaten by children come from 10 common food types:
- Pizza
- Bread/rolls
- Cold cuts/cured meats
- Savory snacks
- Sandwiches
- Cheese
- Chicken patties/nuggets, etc.
- Pasta mixed dishes
- Mexican mixed dishes
- Soups
These are all things to keep in mind when it comes to eating a healthy diet.
Do Healthy Kids Need Supplements?
Of course, whenever you are looking for a supplement or vitamin for your child, we always recommended talking to your child’s pediatrician or family doctor.
Every child is different. That includes their personality, their likes and dislikes, and their health.
Ideally, all of us should be getting all of our vitamins from a balanced, healthy diet:
- Milk and dairy products like cheese and yogurt
- Plenty of fresh fruits and leafy, green vegetables
- Protein like chicken, fish, meat, and eggs
- Whole grains like steel-cut oats and brown rice
But reality is not always ideal. We are busy and time-crunched. Jobs, hobbies, chores, carting kids around.
Who needs a kids multivitamin? (Pretty much every child can benefit.)
- Kids eating lots of fast food and processed food
- Picky eaters who aren’t eating enough
- Kids who aren’t eating regular, well-balanced meals (think fresh, whole foods)
- Kids who drink lots of carbonated sodas (they are less likely to get Vitamin A, Calcium, and Magnesium)
- Kids with chronic medical issues (always speak with your child’s doctor first)
- Kids on dairy-free diets, vegetarian or vegan diet, or other restricted diets
- Kids who need to replenish their water-soluble vitamins (that’s everyone). Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, so they need to be replenished through diet or a Kids Multi.
We could all use a little help when it comes to helping our kids get all the vitamins and minerals they need. And a good multivitamin could be the answer.
Wink Naturals Kids Daily Complete Multivitamin
We are parents just like you! We understand the daily struggle of, well, kids ;).
That’s why we create products to simplify and improve lives. Remember all of the things we need to do to raise a happy and healthy child? Love, sleep, play, and healthy eating?
We create products that help you and your children live happier and healthier lives so you have more time to love, play, sleep and eat!
When it comes to healthy eating, our Kids Daily Complete Multivitamin is filled with essential building blocks for your little one to grow and thrive.
- Made with natural vitamin and mineral sources
- Sugar Free
- Delicious gummy
- Clinically backed ingredients
This doesn’t replace a well-balanced diet but it definitely contributes to it. Let’s help our kids thrive by teaching them the importance of healthy eating.
