Should you give children multivitamins?

1. 82

   hinazilleposted 13 years ago

   ...or is it best to increase their fruit and veg intake?
   
   please include reasons for your point

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2. 95

   leahleflerposted 13 years ago

   Our kids eat plenty of fruit and veg, but our Nolan is on a multivitamin. He can't eat any citrus or other acidic fruit/veg, so he misses out on vitamin C - he's also on long-term proton pump inhibitor treatment (going on 2 years now) and the risk of fractures is high due to a problem with calcium absorption, so we want to make sure he gets calcium, too. The PPI's also prevent iron salt absorption (leading to anemia). He just gets a regular Flintstones vitamin every day (with iron).

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   1. 82

      hinazilleposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      hey leah that sounds like a sound decision to make...would you still have the same thoughts if there wasnt a NEED for the multivitamin?
      
      a lot of parents i notice are substituting fresh fruit & vegetables for multivitamins...

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      1. 95

         leahleflerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         If Nolan didn't have other medical issues, he wouldn't be taking one. My older son is five (no significant medical issues), eats a typical diet (we have fruit and veg with every meal) and is healthy as a horse. My five year old does not take a multivitamin.
         
         Nolan's situation is fairly rare (his reflux is getting progressively worse with age, to the point where it caused his airway to collapse), but he needs nutritional supplementation. For a while he was on a calorie supplement (DuoCal), and we liked the DuoCal system: it is just a calorie additive that can be sprinkled in or on regular food. That way he wasn't getting used to a "milk shake" diet (like with Pediasure) - he could still eat broccoli and drink regular milk, but got the extra calories he needed.

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         1. 82

            hinazilleposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            this is off the topic...but what is the cause of the reflux..have they determined this yet? im a pharmacist so this interests me

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3. 59

   recommend1posted 13 years ago

   Vitamins started because diets were deficient, the lack of the various main vitamins was clear in the condition of people then.  Now the issue is different and with a minimum of thought a wide enough range of food types can be used to cover all the bases.
   
   I would say don't give anything they don't need and cut down on the 'snacks' that are just a way of producers dumping their various waste into your house via expensive packaging.

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   1. 82

      hinazilleposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      are their any herbal multivitamins that you know of? every multivitamin preparations they have on the market seem to have so many chemicals...it makes me think twice about this concept..

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         recommend1posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I am in China and my Chinese partner controls our diet. This occasionally includes stuff i would not eat by choice but we are having it for some property or other that it contains.  I have never been so healthy.  This whole issue is huge in China, where it is normal to consult your Chinese medicine pharmacy and get leaves and thankfully unidentifiable 'things' that are put in the food, made into drinks or taken as a pill or medicinal liquid.
         
         One of the big projects on my new site (see my hub) is to try to get some senior somebody at the Chinese Medicine University to write the real information in a form that is useful to western applications, ie in thefirst instance that we can get it.  Double big because it will all have to be translated before going online I guess !

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         1. 82

            hinazilleposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            that sounds interesting...do the herbal remedies you are being provided with work? is there any noticeable difference in your health that you can feel?

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4. 0

   ryankettposted 13 years ago

   Should you give anybody multivitamins? If you need multivitamins then you are eating an unhealthy or unbalanced diet, unless you have an overriding medical condition which dictates that this isn't possible.
   
   I suppose multivitamins is better than novitamins, but telling them to stop stuffing their faces with fries and chocolate and buying in fruit and veg is all that anybody really needs to do.

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   1. 82

      hinazilleposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      ryan there is sometimes a health need to supplement with certain vitamins - for example leah mentioned above that her child is unable to take in citrus products (main source of vit c)...so what would be your solution in that case?
      
      although i do agree with the concept of reducing fatty sugary oily snacks and switching to healthier fruit snacks and grains and seeds!

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      1. 0

         ryankettposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Can I hear an echo? I said:
         
         "If you need multivitamins then you are eating an unhealthy or unbalanced diet, unless you have an overriding medical condition"
         
         You said:
         
         "ryan there is sometimes a health need to supplement with certain vitamins"
         
         I know.
         
         "so what would be your solution in that case?"
         
         To take multivitamins. This is your question, not leahlefler's, and you have at no stage suggested that a medical condition has been involved.
         
         So my answer remains the same:
         
         "Should you give anybody multivitamins? If you need multivitamins then you are eating an unhealthy or unbalanced diet, unless you have an overriding medical condition which dictates that this isn't possible.
         
         I suppose multivitamins is better than novitamins, but telling them to stop stuffing their faces with fries and chocolate and buying in fruit and veg is all that anybody really needs to do."

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5. 60

   wilsontomposted 13 years ago

   i would suggest giving multi vitamins would be harm in future, try giving green vegetables and fresh fruits.

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6. 91

   melporposted 13 years ago

   You should always give your children and yourself some form of multiple vitamins simply because children  do not eat a balanced meal most of the time. Vitamins taken from a bottle is the same vitamins found in vegetables and fruits. There are no differences between the two sources of vitamins. Also no matter how balanced your meals are you still do not get all the vitamins you need because during the cooking process a good portions of the vitamins are degraded. I personally take multiple vitamins everyday and I eat healthy balanced meals as much as I can. However, I do not believe in taking megadoses of vitamins because they do not serve any purpose, your body only use what it need. Also taking too much of a good thing is not always the best thing to do.

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   1. 82

      hinazilleposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      you said 'There are no differences between the two sources of vitamins'...the multivitamins that are packaged contain many chemicals additives and preservatives...it must affect your body in some way..

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7. 68

   Iontachposted 13 years ago

   Deffo better to increase their fruit and veg!, but since children are sooo fussy you may have to give them supplements. I know this is the case with my little sister, she can't even stomach vegetables.

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   1. 82

      hinazilleposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      i suppose you guys have tried recipe alternatives to the normal steamed veg? i.e. put mixed veg in pasta bake - i found that always worked with my little sister!

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8. 62

   Lady_Eposted 13 years ago

   I think they should because they don't always get their "5 a day".

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