December 12, 2022
How To Make Sure Kids Get Enough Vitamin C
As a parent, you do everything can to make sure your kids stay happy and healthy. Setting the standard for good hygiene, regular bedtimes and a nutritious meal goes a long way. Vitamin C is another great way to boost your child’s body to keep it strong and fighting germs year-round.
Vitamin C is known to many people as the “immunity booster” nutrient. After sending the kiddos back to school followed by flu season kicking in, people start looking for anything that can help the body fight sickness! You may notice an empty spot in the shelves at your local pharmacy where the vitamin C once stood.
It’s not only great for kicking germ’s butts, but it’s also super beneficial for kids. It helps them grow up with strong and healthy bodies.
What does vitamin C do for my child?
Vitamin C (which you might see go by the name ascorbic acid) is most known for strengthening the body’s immune system. It does this by helping the body produce white blood cells. These cells are essential to fighting germs and disease.
Vitamin C aids in collagen (protein) production and helps heal wounds. It acts as an antioxidant which helps the body’s cells fight against damage. It also helps the body absorb other vital nutrients, like iron. Iron is especially important for kids who may be at higher risk for iron-deficiency. Low iron levels can lead to anemia, having lower than normal red blood cells.
It’s clear that this essential nutrient does a lot for our children’s growing bodies. It helps their bones and tissues develop well. It keeps their gums healthy. And it strengthens their blood vessels, which means they have minimal bruising and a shorter recovery time after a scraped knee.
How much vitamin C does my child need?
One key thing to know is that vitamin C is water soluble. This means that our bodies don’t make it so we must get it somewhere else. This comes from our food sources – anything we eat or drink.
Our bodies also can’t store it. Once we eat or drink something with vitamin C, our bodies will use what it needs at the time and get rid of the rest. It’s important to get this nutrient in our diet regularly to keep feeding our body the amount it needs.
The U.S. Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine recommends the following dosing by age:
With a well-balanced diet, most adults and children should get the minimal amount of vitamin C they need. Using dietary supplements like a gummy vitamin is OK. Just keep the recommended dose in mind and remember that the amount of vitamin C needed by adults and children is different.
Children ages 1 to 3 shouldn’t get more than 400 mg per day of vitamin C. Children ages 4 to 8 shouldn’t get more than 650 mg per day. After 9 years old the tolerable upper intake level (UL), the highest daily amount tolerated by the body, jumps up to 1,000 mg.
Best sources for vitamin C for kids.
The more your kids eat whole foods that nourish their bodies, the more vitamin C they’ll get along with all the other nutrients they need!
Lots of fruits and vegetables pack a punch of vitamin C. Some of the best food sources are oranges, red peppers, green peppers, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Other fruits like kiwi, papaya, grapefruit and strawberries also have a generous amount.
Ensuring your child is getting the nutrients they need is important to you as a parent. True Lemon Kids Drink Mixes are made with this in mind. Each serving has 25 percent of your child’s daily needed vitamins A, C and E, helping ensure they keep growing up strong.
True Lemon Kids comes in a variety of great tasting flavors that kids love, like Pink Lemonade, Fruit Punch, and Groovy Grape, so they’re sure to drink more. Plus, they’re sweetened with stevia and have 92 percent less sugar than other popular kids’ beverages. And they don’t contain any of the artificial stuff.
They stay happy, healthy and hydrated. And you can feel good about it, too.
Written by
Amy Cimo is a Nutrition Coach, Personal Trainer and Wellness Enthusiast based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After going through her own health journey, she found her passion in helping others find balance between nutrition, physical activity and mindset to live healthy and be truly happy. Amy attended Louisiana State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She became a Certified Personal Trainer in 2021 through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and a Certified Nutrition Coach in 2022 through Precision Nutrition.
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