THE BEST FOODS TO FIND VITAMIN C FOR KIDS
Vitamin C has earned a reputation as being a necessary addition to your diet when you begin feeling under the weather. While Vitamin C is a great tool for enhancing immune support, its powers do not end there. Ultimately, Vitamin C is a powerful key, capable of unlocking a wide a variety of benefits towards optimizing our health.
Related Reading: Can You Take Vitamin C and Vitamin D Together?
WHY IS VITAMIN C IMPORTANT?
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that helps to support the development of healthy teeth, bones, blood vessels, and collagen. In addition, Vitamin C is a protective antioxidant and a critical component involved in the development of a mature nervous system. Beyond the numerous health-promoting benefits of Vitamin C, Vitamin C serves as the ultimate team player for the absorption, transportation, and storage of iron. Iron is a critical mineral involved in the growth and development of children. Dietary sources of iron are primarily found in animal-based products such as red meat, oysters, and chicken. Iron is also available in some plant-based foods such as spinach, tofu, beans, and tomatoes. Adding Vitamin C alongside your daily dietary sources of iron is a great way to get the maximum amount of benefits from this key mineral.
WHY DO KIDS NEED VITAMIN C?
Vitamin C for kids is important for a wide variety of reasons. Children are prime candidates for the benefits of Vitamin C to get to work as they are subject to rapid rates of growth and maturation. While all children are born with a baseline immune system, proper maturation is a process that takes years of practice. Children are often exposed to a wide variety of environmental pathogens, putting their immune system to the test daily. Despite our best efforts as caretakers, children have an innate predisposition to play. They enjoy exploring the outdoors, socializing with other children, sharing toys, and putting their hands in their mouth. All the while, handwashing and general sanitation guidelines are not at the top of their priority list. To fast-track the immune system development in our youngsters, we can make sure they are receiving an adequate amount of Vitamin C every day. Beyond immune maturation, children are experiencing rapid rates of development in so many factors throughout the body. These critical periods of growth help to lay the framework for their overall health and wellness. In order to set kids up for a bright future, we have a responsibility to help provide excellent sources of Kids Vitamin C.
HOW MUCH VITAMIN C FOR KIDS?
The current recommendations for daily Vitamin C intake are (1):
- Children 1-3 years old should try and get 15 mg Vitamin C per day
- Children 4-8 years old should try and get 25 mg Vitamin C per day
- Children 9-13 years old should try and get 45 mg Vitamin C per day
WHAT ARE GOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN C?
While oranges and citrus fruits are a rich source of Vitamin C, this essential nutrient can be found in a wide variety of other foods. Here is a list of some of the best sources of Vitamin C that are great options for children (2):
- Citrus Fruits
- Oranges
- Lemons
- Limes
- Grapefruit
- Strawberries
- Bell Peppers
- Orange Bell Pepper
- Red Bell Pepper
- Yellow Bell Pepper
- Green Bell Pepper
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Guava
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
A great strategy to help bolster the Vitamin C levels of your youngster is to provide a wide variety of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables. Despite our best efforts, we may run in to challenges. Picky eaters, busy schedules, and the daily strains of life can make it difficult for children to consume adequate amounts of Vitamin C. For this reason, many parents turn to supplemental forms of Vitamin C. Kids vitamins can be a fun and easy way to ensure our children have their overall nutrition requirements satisfied. The best kids vitamins often come in a wide variety of flavors, shapes, and sizes. Vitamin C gummies for kids and liquid vitamins for kids can be seamlessly added into your child’s daily routine.
HELPFUL TIPS TO CONQUER VITAMIN C
Implement with Iron
Iron and Vitamin C are two key nutrients needed throughout the lifecycle. However, the importance of obtaining both Iron and Vitamin C is heightened in children who are subject to extreme rates of growth and development. A few food combos to get the most out of your mealtime include: beef and broccoli, a tofu stir-fry with bell peppers, or a spinach salad with fresh fruit and tomatoes. While these might make your mouth water, they may not necessarily move the needle for your youngster. An easy alternative to ensure they reach their daily nutritional recommendation is to provide a children’s vitamin C supplement. Many Vitamin C supplements use ascorbic acid, the form of Vitamin C found in dietary sources. Supplement producers have even gone so far as to create products that provide Vitamin C and Iron in one delivery format.
Maybe a Multi?
An effective children’s multivitamin will be sure to pack a good bit of Vitamin C into each serving. Sometimes, this is the easiest way to cover your child’s general nutrition bases. Multivitamins can come in a variety of formats and flavors, making them a fun addition to your kiddos daily routine.
Immune Support
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, capable of fending off free radicals and supporting the immune system, especially when stressed. Increasing your child’s Vitamin C intake may be a helpful strategy to support their bodies natural response to unwelcomed pathogens.
Hold off on the Heat
Vitamin C can be broken down when exposed to high-heat cooking temperature for extensive periods of time (3). A better strategy to get the maximum amount of Vitamin C from food is through utilizing quick-cooking or low-heat techniques. Still, raw consumption of a number of these Vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables serve as the most efficient way to gain the best Vitamin C boost from food sources.
References:
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements , Vitamin C Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/, last accessed 11/10/2022.
- US Dept of Agriculture. FoodData Central. USDA Agricultural Research Services. Published 2019. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html.
- Lee S, Choi Y, Jeong HS, et al. Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables. Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017 Dec 12;27(2):333-342. doi: 10.1007/s10068-017-0281-1.
