Washington - I annoy my children when I launch into my nutrition talk.
As soon as I utter the words “protein” or “healthy”, I usually get glassy eyes and expressions indicating they’d rather be anywhere else.
So you can imagine how pleased I was when one of my boys recently chowed down on a few extra clementines because he believed he was catching a cold and needed the extra vitamin C. Perhaps, behind those glassy-eyed stares, he was actually listening.
Explaining the importance of vitamins to children is more complex than describing the protein, carbohydrates and fats that provide direct fuel for the body. All 13 vitamins have countless functions that largely guarantee the body operates optimally. Without vitamins, our immune system wouldn’t fight colds, our wounds wouldn’t heal, our bones would break, our eyes wouldn’t focus properly and we wouldn’t optimally digest the foods we eat.
Vitamins fall into two camps, depending on how the vitamin is absorbed in the body: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and the B vitamins) dissolve in water, circulate in the blood and bodily fluids, and are not stored. They leave the body through the urine, so they need to be regularly replaced through the foods we eat. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) require dietary fat for optimal absorption and are stored in tissue.
According to the Environmental Working Group, many children, especially teenage girls, are deficient in vitamins D and E, among others. So should a parent supplement?
Not necessarily. A child can certainly consume the recommended daily allowance of all 13 vitamins by eating meals such as these:
l Breakfast: two scrambled eggs, one slice of wholegrain toast and a fruit smoothie.
l Snack: carrots, celery and apple slices dipped in almond butter.
l Lunch: sesame noodles with chicken, sugar snap peas and an orange.
l Snack: yoghurt, nut and fruit parfait.
l Dinner: salmon, brown rice and sautéed spinach.
Ideally, the body would gather everything it requires through foods such as these. Each food provides a combination of nutrients and elements that help us digest, absorb and use it to the fullest capacity. An avocado offers the fats needed to absorb the fat-soluble vitamin E in the avocado. Chicken provides both protein and the B vitamins needed to help digest that protein.
So next time I find myself wanting to launch into another monologue on vitamins, and I see my kids’ eyes glaze, I think I’ll just leave it at “let’s eat”.
Washington Post