If getting your kids to scoff their five (ideally seven) bits of fruit and veg every day is proving a little tricky, you have probably considered a multi-vitamin supplement at one point or another.
Nothing strange about that – sure we all know getting your daily recommended dose of vitamins is good for you.
The thing is, and you will have noticed this if you have taken a walk down the vitamin aisle at Tesco or Boots lately – kids’ vitamins are big business. There are a vast of varieties and brands – and shapes and flavours to chose from. Because that is the thing about vitamins aimed at children – they more often than not are disguised to look like a sweet.
Which is great for getting your kids on board with taking a vitamin pill in the first place, but it also has some pretty serious downsides, according to this expert.
“I never recommend gummy vitamins to my patients,” US paediatrician Dr Natalie Muth, co-author of The Picky Eater Project explains to Parents.com.
“For starters, they’re usually higher in added sugar than other vitamins, she says. It’s not uncommon for a serving (typically two gummies) to have almost a teaspoon of added sugar.”
As well as this, Muth explains that vitamins looking like sweets can prompt children to think they are exactly that.
“So kids may be tempted to take more than they need—which can be harmful, especially if the vitamin contains iron, which the body only needs in small amounts. Kids associate what is very much like candy as being ‘healthy.'”
Oh, and they can be bad news for teeth as well. Becuase gummy vitamins are sticky and chewy, they can cling to the teeth and increase the risk for cavities.
So what to do? Well, Muth advices parents to look for tablets that are chewable without necessarily looking like a sweet. As well as this, opt for ones that don’t contain sugar or artificial sweeteners like aspartame.
But most importantly, make sure your children know vitamins are not sweets, and keep them away from their reach, ideally in a locked medicine cabinet.
