Top 8 tips on Addressing Vitamin C Deficiency in Children
The first thing that comes to mind whenever we hear Vitamin C is Immunity, isn’t it? But this vitamin has many more amazing benefits to offer beyond immunity.
While this vitamin is abundantly available through many sources, there are still many instances of children’s vitamin C deficiency disorder. Let us understand why.
One of the biggest reasons for deficiency in vitamin C is a poor diet. As kids are fussy eaters, they tend to avoid healthy foods which can also result in lesser intake of this much required vitamin. Another common reason is that, when you get hurt, the levels of vitamin C in the blood and tissue go down. As kids get hurt often, this vitamin comes into action regularly to heal their wounds.
That’s why Vitamin C is the most vital nutrient, that must be consumed every day to prevent deficiency. As it’s a water soluble nutrient, any excess intake by the body is excreted and hence it doesn’t accumulate in the body.
There are many other functions in our body played by Vitamin C. It plays a huge role in collagen, hormone and amino acid formation. It is also essential for wound healing, bone and blood vessel health as well as for recovery. Isn’t it intriguing to know that Vitamin C plays so many roles apart from being just an ‘Immunity Vitamin’?
How do we identify signs of Vitamin C deficiency in children?
Though most of the symptoms for Vitamin C deficiency in children might take time but, there are some subtle signs to look out for like:
- Loss of Appetite
- Fatigue
- Rashes
- Delayed wound healing
- Weak and poor bone growth
- Extreme conditions leads to a disease condition called Scurvy
How do we tackle children’s Vitamin C deficiency disorder?
- Consult the doctor immediately after looking at the indirect signs to know the severity of Vitamin C deficiency disorder.
- Feed your child with Vitamin C rich foods: Most important way to address Vitamin C deficiency
- The recommended dietary dose for children of 3 to 9 years is between 27 – 43 mg/d
- Some Vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables which can be included in the child’s diet are Gooseberries (amla), Guava, Orange, Tomato, green chillies, brocolli etc.
- Feed your child more especially during fever as the need for Vitamin C increases.
- Children on certain medications and medical conditions have special requirement of Vitamin C rich foods.
- Avoid taking cooked form of fruits and vegetables as Vitamin C breaks down when exposed to heat, so prefer intake of its raw form.
- It is recommended to eat fresh fruits and vegetables everyday as Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin abundantly available in these.
- You can also give TruVitals gummies to your child – which have the right dosage of Vitamin C as per their required daily allowance.
Why take gummies rich in Vitamin C?
Eating 4- 5 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday by kids is a difficult task to achieve and that’s when multivitamin gummies help you achieve recommended dose of Vitamin C as well as other micronutrients.
Addressing Vitamin C deficiency disorder also helps in plummeting iron deficiency anaemia which is a bigger public health problem in India. This is because Vitamin C acts as a catalyst in absorbing the iron from foods rich in iron. As these problems mostly go hand-in-hand, keep a check on the iron intake by kids. Include Iron rich foods in the diet to help cure anaemia like Bajra, Ragi, different pulses, Fenugreek leaves, Hibiscus leaves, Chicken liver etc.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE: While Vitamin C deficiency is rare, due to its abundance in most foods, but it is important to know as soon as there is any Vitamin C deficiency disorder in children. Keep a watch on any possible signs of deficiency and address the problem as soon as possible.
