Choosing the Best Vitamins for Children and Teens
Around the world, more children (and their mothers) are surviving today than ever before, in part because they are receiving the care and assistance they need to grow and thrive. Here in America, the percentage of young children in “excellent or very good health” is 86.3 percent, and for teens that number is 82.8 percent.
Still, there is room for improvement—especially when it comes to diet and nutrition.
Data from the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans reveals the majority of children and teens are not consuming adequate fruit and vegetable intake. Specifically, as stated in an article from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “With less than 10% of the youth across 33 states consuming the recommended amount of fruits and less than 3% consuming the recommended amount of vegetables, concerted efforts to improve the environments to which youth are exposed may be needed to substantially change dietary behavior, especially for vegetables.” Additionally, empty calories from added sugars and fats account for 40% of the daily caloric intake for kids and teens.
In a recent report published in the BMJ about improving child health and nutrition across the globe, one of the key recommendations was ensuring that children “receive adequate amounts of micronutrients (vitamin A and iron, in particular), either in their diet or through supplementation.”
Children and teens have unique nutritional needs.
When preparing your favorite meal, you need the right ingredients to ensure the best outcome. The same goes for raising strong and healthy kids, except that those ingredients are the nutritional elements they need to grow and thrive.
However, those ingredients—and the amounts needed—are different from the ones required for healthy adults. And here’s another interesting fact: As amazing as the human body is, it’s still unable to naturally produce all of the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs, so it’s important to make sure children and teens get what they need from their daily diet.
Some of the essential vitamins and minerals kids need are vitamin A for healthy vision and overall wellness; vitamin B6 for cognitive development and energy metabolism; vitamin B12 for neurological function and energy metabolism; vitamins C and E for antioxidant and immune support; vitamin D for healthy bones; iron for healthy blood cells; calcium for healthy muscles, bones, and teeth; and folic acid for healthy growth and development.
Because children and teens are notoriously picky eaters, many parents choose to supplement their diet to help fill in the gaps.
Rainbow Light vitamins provide key nutrients that growing bodies need.
For nearly 40 years, Rainbow Light has been making nutritional supplements grounded in the power of nature to support optimal health at every age and every stage of life. We are committed to helping children and teens get the nutrients their growing and changing bodies need, which is why we’ve spent decades researching and formulating a full line of daily supplements made especially for young people.
If you’re unsure which vitamin and mineral supplement is the best fit for your child or teen, check out some of these parent favorites from Rainbow Light:
NutriStart Multivitamin Powder™
Easy to mix with formula, beverages, or soft foods, NutriStart Multivitamin Powder provides essential vitamins and minerals for optimal growth and development.
- A high-potency source of folic acid
- B vitamins promote a healthy brain and nervous system
- Supports immune health
Each fruit punch-flavored chewable tablet delivers important nutrition kids might not get from diet alone.
- Vitamin B complex for brain health
- Promotes eye health
- Supports bone health
- 15 million CFU probiotics promote immunity
Active Health™ Teen Multivitamin
High-potency multivitamin plus fruits, vegetables, and probiotics
- Supports energy
- Promotes healthy nerves and brain health with high-potency B vitamins
- Supports bone development and health
- Excellent source of iron
- Supports immune health with high-potency zinc
- Targeted nutrients to meet the unique needs of growing teenagers
And that’s just the beginning.
From prenatal health to the unique nutritional needs of young men and young women, Rainbow Light is where parents turn for daily vitamin and mineral support for healthy children and teens. With each of our formulations, we strive to provide the highest-quality ingredients in keeping with our commitment to environmental and human health concerns.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
