By Previnex®
We all want our kids to be happy, healthy, and thriving. We want them to get the nutrients they need, which is oftentimes where children’s vitamins come into play. However, most of the children’s vitamins on the market are filled with dyes, excess sugar, and other unnecessary ingredients that not only deplete the value of the vitamins, but can also have a negative impact on your kids’ health.
As you decide what children’s vitamin is best for your kids, consider these five ingredients to avoid.
Preservatives
Most parents are well aware that preservatives are not something that we want in our kid’s diets. They wreak havoc on our children’s growing systems and can even have real health consequences. Good quality vitamins do not need to include preservatives in order to have a solid shelf life. In fact some studies suggest that preservatives might impact our bodies abilities to absorb our vitamins. Pay attention to the ingredient label and opt for a vitamin without preservatives.
Artificial Ingredients (Including Excess Sugar)
Many popular children’s vitamins contain added and artificial ingredients such as gums, dyes, excess sugar, and sugar alcohols. Where sugar is concerned studies have shown that excess sugar intake has an overall negative effect on children’s health. It impairs their academic performance, learning, and memory. It can lead to things like fatty liver disease, diabetes, and inflammatory diseases like asthma.
Another unnecessary ingredient to look out for is gums. Xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and other gums and emulsifiers can cause digestive issues in children including bloating, gas, and general discomfort. There are also concerns about inflammation in the intestines and risks of infection.
Artificial dyes are a huge red flag when it comes to your kids’ supplements. Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 have been shown to cause behavioral issues in children such as hyperactivity, inattentiveness, sleeplessness, irritability, and aggression. These have no nutritional value and offer nothing of substance, especially to a children’s vitamin. Some children’s vitamins, like Super Vites®, are dye free or use fruit and vegetable powder to color them.
Gluten
Aside from those suffering from Celiac disease or a severe gluten intolerance or allergy, it is not necessary to completely eliminate gluten from your diet. However, it is not something that should be in everything we consume. Particularly in children with celiac or a gluten allergy or sensitivity, gluten has been shown to contribute to attention deficits. A primary purpose of children’s vitamins is to give children the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc., that they may not be getting from their diet. The idea is to boost children’s systems, not bog it down, so there is no reason to have gluten in a children’s vitamin.
Soy
Many children suffer from a soy allergy, and even if they don’t, it is a top allergen and genetically modified organism (GMO). While many kids are fortunate enough to outgrow the allergy, it is one experienced by many children. Despite these facts, soy is a common ingredient in children’s vitamins. In addition to it being a common allergen and GMO, soy is known as phytoestrogen—estrogen-like compounds that may impact a child’s hormone levels and development, particularly in young children. Soy is simply not a necessary ingredient, especially in a children’s vitamin.
Dairy
Another common allergy among kids is dairy, even among healthy children. Symptoms of a dairy allergy range from hives and itching to severe anaphylaxis. Unfortunately, many mass produced kids vitamins still contain some level of dairy. Since the point of a children’s multivitamin is to provide necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, many of them already contain the vitamins and minerals offered by milk and other dairy products. That, combined with the high allergy risk kids pose, dairy is not a necessary ingredient in children’s multivitamins.
Super Vites®: A High-Quality Children’s Multivitamin
There are many children’s multivitamins on the market, but many of them are lower quality and contain unnecessary ingredients that do not benefit your child’s overall health. Super Vites® is a children’s multivitamin that was created with your child’s health in mind. It’s chock-full of 28 organic superfruits and vegetables, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. It’s gluten, dairy, and soy free, contains no added sugars, no dyes, and no other artificial ingredients. Grab a bottle of Super Vites® for your child today!
