June 02, 2021

Benefits of Calcium and Vitamin D for Kids

Kids - the non-stop, energetic balls we wish we could keep up with. They question everything, explore every nook and cranny, and climb higher just to see if they can. All of this growing, learning, and developing requires a lot of energy and a ton of nutrients to keep them fuelled up for their adventures.

Enter: Vitamin D and Calcium Supplements

Two of the essential vitamins children require in their daily life are Vitamin D and Calcium. While they can certainly get a dose of these things from the natural environment and eating the right foods, there will always be days where vitamin levels dip, and your child can risk developing a deficiency. Becoming deficient in essential vitamins and minerals affects day to day health negatively, and extreme deficiencies may even stop your child in their tracks. Luckily vitamins for kids are easier than ever to get hold of, and we make sure they taste good, so there are no complaints! The Good Vitamin Co. now has a great range to support your little ones daily to keep living their life at full speed!

But what are Vitamin D and calcium? Why are they so important for your child's health?

We are going to break down the facts about these vitamins when it comes to protecting your child's health. Vitamin supplements are not medications, they are every day boosts of extra goodness that your kids can take to help them to live their lives to the fullest. When we add a vitamin supplement to our healthy diet, we have a better chance at avoiding ills and chills - this will help your kids to stay in school, enjoy playing sports, and get that valuable hang time with friends. The Good Vitamin Co. Calcium and Vitamin D supplements are a concentrated source of vitamins in deliciously chewable gummies that children love. Keeping on top of your kids' health with a regular vitamin supplement regime can also help to ensure that they don’t suffer the long-term impacts on their health, which can occur when they don’t maintain sufficient levels of essential vitamins and minerals. Let's take a look at the specifics of Vitamin D and Calcium and start to understand why they are so important for your kids.

So, what is Calcium?

Calcium is one of the minerals that is most abundant in your body, it’s well known that it’s responsible for supporting strong teeth and bone health, and it’s also discussed as being an essential part of ensuring healthy nerve function. But did you know that only about 1% of calcium rotates around the body? The other 99% is stored inside your bones! When your body needs more calcium, your bones cleverly release it to circulate around and do its job. Because calcium is so important, and doesn't self-reproduce in the human body, it is essential to ensure that your children absorb enough calcium from foods and supplements. Calcium is well known for supporting the growth of strong bones in children, and supporting ongoing strength in bones for adults - although is far more essential in a growing child's diet and now we will explain why….

Peak Bone Mass

Peak bone mass is achieved by around about age 30. This is a fancy way to describe the fact that by this age, you have officially stored all the calcium you possibly can. That means that whatever your levels happen to be at around 30, these are the levels of calcium you will have stored up to support your body as you age. Once you hit your peak bone mass, your bone mass actually begins to deplete because your body draws on these reserves - and does not get topped up anymore. If a person has not ingested enough calcium in their diet or with supplements up until this point, they can risk bone weakness as they age simply because they ingested low levels of Vitamin D and calcium growing up. There is no coming back from this low peak bone mass, so it's so important for kids to stock up on calcium and Vitamin D throughout childhood and early adulthood to make sure their 'banked' calcium levels are high for optimal bone density to use for the rest of their lives.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a super important vitamin that is produced by the body in response to a few things, but mainly as a response to getting some sun on your skin. Vitamin D is responsible for regulating the amount of calcium we have floating about in our bodies, and it also helps absorb calcium to support healthy bones. If you are suffering from Vitamin D deficiency, your body can not properly utilise calcium - so the two should be seen as an essential pair. Vitamin D deficiency in children can appear as rickets, which is a softening and weakening of a child’s bones - this means the bones will be more prone to breaks, fractures and they may suffer from an overall lack of strength. While you can get a healthy dose of Vitamin D from sensible amounts of sun exposure, this may be harder to come by when the weather closes in, or if you simply prefer to largely live an indoor lifestyle. Taking charge of your Vitamin D uptake by adding a supplement every day will mean you reap the benefits of Vitamin D and that your calcium absorption is properly supported, even when you don't get enough sunshine on your skin.

Vitamin D is absolutely essential to your calcium absorption; it is also said to have benefits such as immune support, brain and nervous system support, and the promotion of healthy lung function. So when you make sure your kids are getting their Good Vitamin Co. Gummy Kids Calcium Plus Vitamin D Supplements every day, you are potentially reaping all sorts of long term health benefits. While it is ideal to get that all-important sun exposure, it’s important to be realistic - and safe. The New Zealand sun is notoriously harsh, and we reckon a supplement may just avoid your kids ending up with a nasty burn!

Calcium-rich foods

There are some great foods that are high in calcium, and getting the right amount can be very beneficial. However, if you are one of the huge number of people that suffer from dairy intolerances, you may struggle to consume enough calcium-rich food. This is where your supplements can really shine, keeping calcium levels where they should be.

So while getting your calcium from dairy products such as milk and cheese is probably the go-to for most people, lactose intolerant types can get some calcium from those soya drinks which have supplementary calcium added, or from flours that have also been fortified (that’s basically supplemented) with calcium. If you are allergic to soya - or if you are gluten intolerant - you are going to be hitting a brick wall with those options, so the best calcium-rich foods for you are green leafy vegetables.

Dealing with a picky eater, or a child suffering from dairy allergies or gluten intolerances can add another layer of stress at mealtimes - especially if you are attempting to pile your child’s plate up with leafy green vegetables! The Good Vitamin Co. knows the struggle is real, so take it easy, and take calcium off your list of things to worry about by introducing the Gummy Kids Calcium Plus Vitamin D Supplements into your daily routine.

Vitamin-D rich foods

Good sources of Vitamin D include these foods:

Oily fish (salmon, sardines)
Egg yolks
Liver
Red Meat

If you want to avoid Vitamin D deficiency which can lead to low calcium levels, then you can't go wrong with our yummy chewy vitamin supplements for kids. Choose a Vitamin D supplement that your kids will actually ask you for (they taste like lollies!) Being allergy-friendly, dairy-free, Halal certified and vegan, no children have to go without easy calcium and Vitamin D supplements for health support. The only downside? Your kids won't want to stop at just one! If you get a bit envious of your kids' vitamins, we have Vitamin D supplements for adults, too - so you can get your essential daily vitamins too! Health support for the whole family.

So just remember: Without Vitamin D, calcium can't do its thing! It's best to take the two together in an easy, on-the-go calcium and Vitamin D supplement!

SHOP GOOD CALCI + VIT D SUPPLEMENTS HERE