Encouraging both children and adults to eat a healthy and well balanced diet has always been advised by nutritionists the world over. In fact teaching children to make the right food choices is in their best interest as they will retain these good habits even as they grow older. However, most children today don't know how to make the right food choices simply because their parents aren't aware of what the 'right' food choices are.

The essential vitamins and minerals required for a child's growth are all found in healthy foods like fruits,vegetables,lean meat and dairy products. However most often children pass up such healthy options for the more unhealthy junk food that is so readily available these days just because it tastes better.

For a child, consuming ice cream,candy,pizza,fizzy drinks and drive thru fast food sounds much more appealing than the drab health foods they should be eating.

In the food pyramid junk fatty foods form just a tiny percentage and should be consumed only in small quantities. Yet we find many children eating such unhealthy foods at every meal or in between as snacks.

The main reason why children today suffer from obesity and weight problems is because they are consuming unhealthy and processed foods which hardly supply the daily recommended doses of vitamins and minerals . As a result they end up with vitamin deficiencies because the body is able to process only a few on its own and the rest of the nutrients have to be supplied through healthy nutritious food.

During the growing phase , a child needs a lot of Vitamin D. It is essential to the development of healthy teeth and bones. However because of unhealthy food habits diseases such as Rickets which was once thought to be under control have resurfaced. Its symptoms include a thin brittle skull and bones that are soft and deformed. If a child suffers from Rickets their teeth may not grow properly and other bones in the body such as the joints and ribs may experience abnormal growth. Thus, the entire skeletal system is adversely effected.

Many parents are unaware that a problem might exist because deficiencies in other vitamins do not produce such obvious effects. Vitamins provide the backbone for proper bodily functions including vision,growth hormones, production of red blood corpuscles and aid in the proper development of the immune, circulatory and digestive systems as well.

It is high time we paid attention to the kind of food our kids eat . Try and introduce more vitamin enriched foods into their diet. Also try and encourage your child to take a vitamin supplement that will be beneficial to them. These supplements are readily available to chew or swallow and not only do they taste good they also help in their growth and development.