Question:

Laura asks: “Do you recommend a multivitamin for all children? Under what circumstances would you say it's needed?”

Answer:

In theory, it is possible for a child to get all of the nutrients they need from food alone, but in reality this can be a difficult target to reach. The goal should certainly be to get the majority of required nutrients through food intake and use supplementation as just that, a way of enhancing an already sound diet. A multivitamin should be considered more of an “insurance policy” to prevent nutrient deficiencies from occurring or restoring balance through therapeutic dosing, should a deficiency occur.   

Unfortunately the vast majority of children do not obtain optimal levels of critical nutrients on a daily basis through food alone. This could be due to a variety of reasons:

• poor soil health, with depleted nutrient content
• child chooses not to eat a meal that was made
• child is a picky eater or going through a phase of not eating as much
• eating on the run or eating out
• child is sick

Knowing that your child is getting great nutritional support regardless of the factors mentioned above is helpful in keeping them healthy, as well as providing peace of mind for parents. We recommend starting your child on a multivitamin when they turn 1. The multivitamin we recommend is NFH Children's Multi.   

We provide custom dosing and work with each customer to determine the best dose for their child.