Supplements for Superkids

A varied and nutritious diet is the keystone of good health. But sometimes even the best diets fail to provide appropriate levels of all the nutrients we need, and some children need more of certain nutrients than others. Also, as we know, children can be picky eaters, so using supplements can be helpful.

Supplementation is the most reliable way to ensure your child gets all the vitamins and minerals they need to be optimally nourished. This is even more important if your child is having mental or emotional difficulties. A small deficiency in any one vitamin or mineral essential for good health could have a serious impact on your growing child.

Finding a good multi

There are many single multivitamin and mineral supplements available for children. See the chart below for guidelines on the levels of nutrients to look for. You can choose chewable (or crushable in the early stages), liquid or soluble formulas. 

Ideally, give your child the supplement with breakfast, but not last thing at night, as the B vitamins can have a mild stimulatory effect (as can glutamine in some children). Children also tend to be more susceptible to vitamin toxicity than adults, so don’t be tempted to give much more than these recommended, very safe levels unless under the direction and supervision of a nutritional therapist.

Alternatively, there are ‘shake’ powders that you can either add to cereal or whizz up with milk (or soya or rice milk) and fruit that are the equivalent of a multivitamin. Try ‘Get Up & Go’.

Essential fats to boost IQ

As long as your child is eating oily fish three times a week and a daily portion of seeds, they should be getting sufficient essential fats. However, if they don’t eat fish or don’t have seeds every day, we recommend you supplement their diet with an essential fat formula. Look for one that contains GLA (omega-6), DHA and EPA, and use the chart (below) as a guide to quantities. The most important essential fat is omega-3 and there are many different forms of supplements available, ranging from pastes to drinks to tiny capsules. You can always pierce a capsule and add it to juice or food. 

Extra brain nutrients

There are also ‘brain food’ nutrients that are worth supplementing if you find your child is struggling. Look for a specific ‘brain food’ formula that contains phospholipids (phosphatidyl choline, serine and DMAE), glutamine and pyroglutamate. However, they usually come in tablets that might be hard for a younger child to swallow. For phosphatidyl choline (PC) you can add some lecithin granules to cereal, giving two teaspoonfuls of regular lecithin or one teaspoonful of hi-PC lecithin. Glutamine comes in a powder that easily dissolves in water or diluted juice.

The Ideal Daily Supplement Programme

The chart below shows the ideal daily amounts of vitamins, minerals and essential fats to supplement from weaning to age 13, combined with a reasonably healthy diet. Once a child is 14, adult amount of nutrients apply. You can find these in Chapter 45 of Patrick Holford’s New Optimum Nutrition Bible or at www.patrickholford.com/content.asp?id_Content=1206.

Essentail Vitamins

Essential minerals

Essential Fats

Other brain nutrients (optional)

phosphatidyl choline 250-400mg

phosphatidyl serine 20-45mg

DMAE                                     200-300mg

glutamine                                 250-1,000mg 

arginine pyroglutamate           300-450mg

trimethyl glycine (TMG) 250mg–1,000mg