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[S1202]Symptom Checker For Children

by Darrell Miller, Dar

Children these days if given a choice to choose between a candy bar and an apple would choose the candy bar. Schools are promoting the salty, fried, calorie full, sugary snacks, by adding them to the vending machines in both grade schools. These snacks look appealing, but their nutritional value does not.

Supplemental multivitamins can answer many parents' worries about their child's nutritional intake. Some multivitamins are not the same quality as others and some taste awful; yes, there are ones that taste good without being sugar-loaded. This article will help you ensure your children's health by discussing 100% natural flavored nutritional supplements.

My child eats a lot of everything. Does that still mean that he needs to take a multivitamin? Would he benefit from taking one?

Getting all of the nutrients that a multivitamin can offer is challenging. If only depending on the daily food the child eats, it can be next to impossible for a child to receive the needed vitamins to build health bones and muscles. Also, cooking can alter the nutritional value of the food. For example, vitamins A, C and E are gradually destroyed by exposure to the air. Always eating fruits and vegetables is not a safe way out. Some fruits and vegetables grown are harvested in a way that the nutrients are sometimes being destroyed. This means that even raw food nutrients may be deficient.

Many children eat sugar-filled junk food more than is recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For one boy, this eating habit became almost deadly. Written in an article by Jeff Bradstreet, "A five-year old boy ate nothing but cheese pizza, Pop-Tarts, biscuits, and water, refusing fruits, vegetables, juices and vitamins. He slowly developed a limp, swollen gums, and small purple spots appeared on his skin. After five months of this extremely deficient diet, he was unable to walk or get out of bed because the pain was so severe. Doctors diagnosed the boy as having a severe vitamin C deficiency after ruling out other ailments such as leukemia. Within a week of getting vitamin C supplements, the boy's pain and other symptoms were completely resolved." The story is atypical, yet it can happen as it did to the boy.

Would taking a multivitamin help my child concentrate more in school?

Teachers agree that a balanced diet effects students' intelligence in the classroom. But the question is if taking a multivitamin can help children become better students.

Two research teams set out to find the answer. They followed 245 random students aged 6 to 12 years for three months. Half of the students received a placebo and the other half received a multivitamin. After reviewing the data, the children who took the multivitamin improved their nonverbal intelligence scores. Academic performance is said to be personally related with nonverbal intelligence.

Are there any 100% natural multivitamins that taste good?

Absolutely! Some chewable vitamins taste bad because of the minerals magnesium, iodine, copper, and iron. There are cases where manufacturers will not include the correct amounts of those key ingredients. They will also add substantial amounts of sugar and artificial flavors.

Some companies have found a way to get past this obstacle by using a fruit base which provides both antioxidants and other healthy phytonutrients and can be used because it has a very low sugar and calorie content and fruit base concentrates are high in vitamins and minerals.

What should I look for in the ingredients of a multivitamin for children?

Some very important vitamins and minerals are biotin, folate, niacin, panthothenic acid, vitamins B12, B1, A, B6, C, D, E, and K. Let's review some of these vitamins and minerals.

Folate is one of the B vitamins and it helps the body do many things including, using protein, making DNA, helping cells grow and divide, and maintaining the nervous system. Because Folate is so vital for children the FDA now requires that folate be added to all processed foods children consume, including cereal, enriched bread, flour, corn meal, rice, and pasta.

Folate reduces Homocysteine levels in the blood. Homocysteine is the building block of protein and can irritate blood vessels causing an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Taking folate reduces harmful homocysteine levels. If a child has high homocystein levels, then he/she is more likely to have heart disease as an adult.

Vitamins C and E are also very crucial. Pollution and changes in the Earth's atmosphere are causing an increase in children with asthma. Vitamins C and E, both antioxidants help a child breathe and feel better.

Should my child take minerals?

Calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc, and phosphorous are essential minerals for children. Now-a-days, children drink carbonated drinks instead of milk. The lack of calcium in children causes more fractures and the lack of vitamin D is causing more bone disease and rickets. Rickets in the 1950's became almost absent when vitamin D was added to milk, but now milk intake is at an all time low.

Zinc is another mineral that assists with normal growth and development in children. Zinc allows a child to process information, pay attention, as well as remember and retain new information. Children need zinc because it also helps with their immune system to fight off infections, possibly even pneumonia.

What else should I do other than giving my child a multivitamin to keep her healthy?

Taking an immune formula that has zinc, vitamins B6, C, and A, plus elderberry extract. These sorts of formulas are very easy to find. Elderberry has been used for hundreds of years for the yearly cold and flu virus. It stimulates important immune cells into action to fight the invading germs.

Along with helping children to breathe easier, vitamin C speeds up the healing of wounds. Vitamin C is water-soluble, so it needs to be replenished every day, especially when a child is sick. Human bodies use up vitamin C faster when sick.

Vitamin B6 only stays in a child's body for about 8 hours, and then it should be taken again. B6 strengthens the immune system to help make antibodies. Vitamin A fuels the thymus glad, which is an important immune organ.

Should children take an immune formula when they are sick, or every day?

A parent can decide what is right for their child. Some give it to their child when school starts, or during the season when allergies pick up. If the child is given the 100% all natural flavored supplement, there is nothing in a natural vitamin supplement that can hurt the child with the exception of iron, it will only better them.

Conclusion

Giving your child important nutrients now will achieve great health in their future. Today's adults have diabetes, heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, and cancer that could have been prevented during childhood with the correct nutrients.

Gratefully, the opposite is also true. By giving your child the correct nutrients will allow him/her to live a happy and healthy life as an adult.

Will Omega 3 fish oil really boost my child's brain power? That is the question being asked by many parents who have been hearing the claims made by manufacturers. It does seem to be true that many children do benefit educationally from taking a daily supplement of fish oil, particularly if they are not already eating several portions of oily fish each week. Research has shown that children of all abilities benefit, not just those who are below average and have difficulty with concentration.
The research was carried out with two groups of children aged 6-12 and 8-9 years old. Both groups were given a combination of omega 3 and omega 6. After 3 months the underperforming children in the first group of 6-12 years old showed significant improvement in behaviour and short-term memory and after six months there were some significant improvements in reading skills. The second group already had a reading level 9 months above average, this increased to 18 months over a three period.

A lot of people become confused when they try to sort out the difference, if any, between fish oil, omega 3, DHA, EPA and omega 6. At the moment fish oil is the best source of omega 3. Omega 3 is an group of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Two of these acids, docosahexaenoic acid, DHA for short, and eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, are known as long chain acids and are essential for health. Omega 6 is a short chain fatty acid. It is generally accepted that a western diet provides sufficient omega 6 as it is found in processed cooking oils. In fact we may be consuming too much as the balance between omega 3 and omega 6 is thought to be important in maintaining optimum health.

The benefits of fish oil have been recognised for generations. Children in the 40's and 50's were given cod liver oil and malt. Unfortunately many found the taste almost unbearable and now most people prefer to take it in capsule form. Many adults, suffering from aching joints, find that cod liver oil helps to ease the pain and continue taking it as a preventative measure when they improve.

The Inuit population of Greenland has a low level of heart disease and research into the reason indicates the beneficial effect of fish oil on cardiovascular disease. With an increasing number of children suffering from obesity parents should be considering ways to reduce the risk of future heart problems and diabetes. A healthy diet is essential and this should include omega 3. It now appears that a number of other illnesses can benefit from taking omega 3 fatty acids. For example depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD and ADD.

For parents with children suffering from ADHD or ADD, who may be concerned about giving medication such as Ritalin to young children, discovering that using a natural remedy like omega 3 can be beneficial in treating the problem will be a relief, although no one should change treatment without consulting their physician.

There is evidence to suggest that many children are suffering from depression or anxiety. A number of reasons for the cause have been put forward. Parental pressure, expectations by parents and schools to achieve high exam results or bullying at school may all contribute. It is difficult to judge whether depression is on the increase, or whether we are more aware than a generation ago. Nevertheless if omega 3 can help to improve brain function and ease or prevent the symptoms of depression naturally, parents should include it in their children's diet. However if you are concerned that your child may be suffering with depression you should also talk to your physician.

If your child does not like eating oily fish and you decide to buy a supplement, the recommended daily dosage is 400-500mg. Fruit flavoured capsules, to make them more palatable to children, are available.

There is ongoing research into developing genetically modified plants that will produce omega 3. With fish stocks declining, this may be the main source in the future.

Never give supplements without consulting your physician.

This article is for information only and the author accepts no liability for any action taken.

Article Source : Pg. 2

About Author

Both Darrell Miller & Margaret Tye are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Darrell Miller has sinced written about articles on various topics from Search Engine Marketing, Arthritis Signs and Anti Oxidant. Visit VitaNet Health Foods at . Please link to this site when using this article.. Darrell Miller's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.

Margaret Tye has sinced written about articles on various topics from Acne Treatment, Family and Parental Care. Margaret Tye is an ex-teacher who runs the website. It offers supplies for children, health advice and a monthly. Margaret Tye's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.