Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
  • Suitable for 1-8Years

Vitamins and minerals

By Raising Children Network
 
 

We need vitamins and minerals to grow, see properly, and make bones, muscles, skin and organs. They also help us battle infections. If we don’t get enough of some vitamins and minerals, it can lead to serious problems.

Eating fresh foods is a better way of getting vitamins and minerals than taking supplements.

When children eat a wide range of nutritional foods – including vegetables, fruit and grains – they usually get all the vitamins and minerals they need. Children who aren’t eating a wide range of nutritional foods could benefit from eating foods fortified with vitamins and minerals – for example, soy milk and breakfast cereals.

Which vitamins do we need?

Vitamin How it helps the bodyCommon sources How it is destroyed or made unavailable
Vitamin A (retinol)*
  • Eyesight
  • Bone growth
  • Immune system
  • Skin
  • Lining of respiratory, urinary and intestinal tracts (protects against harmful bacteria)
  • Liver
  • Fish-liver oil
  • Egg yolks
  • Milk products
  • Excessive alcohol intake
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
  • Nervous system
  • Digestion
  • Muscles
  • Heart  
  • Liver
  • Yeast
  • Rice
  • Wholemeal products
  • Peanuts
  • Pork
  • Milk
  • High temperatures
  • Alcohol and coffee
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
  • Milk
  • Liver
  • Yeast
  • Cheese
  • Green leafy vegetables
  • Fish
  • Light
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
  • Healthy skin
  • Nerves
  • Helping the body absorb proteins and carbohydrates
  • Fish
  • Bananas
  • Chicken
  • Pork
  • Wholegrains
  • Dried beans
  • Roasting
  • Boiling
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
  • Making red blood cells
  • Growing nerves
  • Fish
  • Liver
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Milk
  • Cheese 
  • Water
  • Sunlight
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
  • Immune system
  • Protection from viruses and bacteria
  • Healing wounds
  • Bowel activity
  • Cell lifespan
  • Preventing scurvy
  • Citrus fruits
  • Kiwi fruit
  • Berries
  • Tomatoes
  • Cauliflower
  • Potatoes
  • Green leafy vegetables
  • Capsicum 
  • Boiling
  • Light
  • Heat
Vitamin D
  • Strong bones and teeth
  • Cod-liver oil
  • Sardines
  • Herring
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Full-fat milk and milk products
  • Sunlight (the action of sunlight on the skin allows our bodies to manufacture vitamin D)
Vitamin E (tocopherol)
  • Protects cells against damaging free radicals – vitamin E is a powerful anti-oxidant
  • Immune function
  • DNA repair
  • Nuts
  • Soya beans
  • Vegetable oil
  • Broccoli
  • Sprouts
  • Spinach
  • Wholemeal products
  • Eggs 
  • Heat
  • Oxygen
  • Frost
  • Iron
  • Chlorine
  • Mineral oil, taken orally

* Your body can also create vitamin A from beta-carotene. You can get beta-carotene from carrots, spinach, rockmelon, apricots, mangos, peaches and oats. Beta-carotene has the added advantage of being an anti-oxidant.

Excessive amounts of vitamins can be harmful. If you do decide to give a supplement to your child or take one yourself, be careful not to exceed the recommended dosage. Be particularly careful with vitamin A.

Special circumstances

Vegans
If your child is vegan, you will have to work harder to make sure your child gets enough vitamins and minerals. This applies to breastfeeding vegan mums, too. It’s worth seeking advice from a professional on getting enough nutrients.

Vegans are most likely to miss out on vitamin B12. A B12 deficiency can lead to impaired brain development, blood abnormalities and neurological problems. B12 is only readily available from animal products. If you’re vegan, you will probably have to take a supplement.

Avoiding dairy
If you’re avoiding dairy foods, you can get calcium – which builds healthy bones – from green, leafy vegetables in the mustard or cabbage families. These include kale, bok choy, mustard greens, turnip greens and cabbage. Spinach contains oxalic acid, which can stop your body absorbing calcium. Many soy products have added calcium.

Need more iron?
Iron isn’t just in meat. You can get iron from dark-green, leafy vegetables and from wholegrains.

Breastfeeding
Vitamin D, synthesised by the body from sunlight and required for strong bones and teeth, is sometimes suggested as a supplement for breastfeeding mothers if they do not receive adequate sun exposure. Women who live in cooler climates and wear clothing that covers their entire body, such as a veil or burkha, might want to ask a doctor or a nurse about this.

 
 
 
  • Last updated05-12-2009
  • Last reviewed12-10-2009
  • References

    Department of Health and Aged Care. (1998). The Australian guide to healthy eating. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.

    National Health and Medical Research Council (2003). Dietary guidelines for children and adolescents in Australia. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service

    Nozza, J.M., & Rodda, C.P. (2001). Vitamin D deficiency in mothers in infants with rickets. Medical Journal of Australia, 175, 253-255.