Which Supplements Should My Kids Be On?

Right after the question of kids’ diet, the next question is that of supplements. Should children take supplements day-in and day-out?

No! They shouldn’t have to take supplements – but neither should adults! Even though I’m a HUGE fan of supplements, it irks me that I need them.

I wish that our soils weren’t depleted of minerals, that I had a farm from which to pick each day’s meals fresh, and that nothing ever had to be bought in a can or a box.

But since “perfect” is an option I’m able to accomplish, I make adjustments. This is why I take supplements. This may also be the reason why you, along with your doctor, may choose to have your children take a few supplements on most days.

We started our son out on two supplements, practically from day one: Fish oil and probiotics. The fish oil was for brain development (and everything else fish oil does), and the probiotics were to ensure the growth of proper intestinal bacteria for digestion and immune function.

Since then, we’ve stuck with those two basics. I really don’t like giving kids isolated nutrients, but we’ll occasionally give vitamin C and vitamin D3. Ideally, though, we put whole food powders into his smoothies or juice. Sweet Wheat fits into that category, but we also use a variety of different multi-food powders with fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, grasses, etc in them. We use these for ourselves, and we use a half serving for our son. To me, it makes sense to give him a concentrate of whole foods, which has all of the discovered and yet-to-be-discovered nutrients found in their natural ratios.

One thing we have fallen in love with is Bioactive Nutrients’ Beyond Colostrum lozenges. They taste great, and our son happily takes a couple in the morning after waking up. I love colostrum for immune support, and Beyond Colostrum is a delicious, innovative way of getting it. We’ll also use NSC’s beta glucans capsules, and mix it into his morning juice.

Thankfully, our son hasn’t been sick except for the occasional sniffles or cough. If that happens, we like various children’s formulas from Seagate, Planetary Herbals, North American Herb & Spice, and a few homeopathic companies we like.

Antifungals
What about antifugals? Well, you should know that virtually everything I’ve already listed has antifungal properties to them! The most important antifungals are those naturally found in food. Again, this is why I love whole food powder concentrates as supplements. It’s also why I love kids’ dose herbals, coconut oil, probiotics, fish oil, etc.

We’ve been juicing a lot lately, and my son loves to be the chief juicer. Kale, spinach, Swiss chard, turmeric root, ginger, lemon, parsley, watercress, and other vegetables make up the majority of our juices. I’ll be transparent with you: As-is, the recipe above isn’t something my son would drink. But I’ll take that juice and put it into a blender, and add in some of those whole foods formulas I mentioned before. One that tastes great is Delicious Greens 8000 Berry Flavored powder. Lots of fruits and veggies and herbs – but tastes terrific. I’ll add that to our crazy green juice, along with some fats. My son will drink a whole glass of that without complaint. I can’t calculate how many natural plant-derived antifungals are in that glass, but the number has to be large.

Please check with your child’s physician before changing anything to their current regimen. I’m not a doctor, and I couldn’t possibly know all of the specific challenges your children may be overcoming. Ask them about some or all of these and other supplements that you may be considering.