The parenting journey is full of questions, worries, stress, and decisions. Our kids live in a world that is full of dangers and pitfalls, all of which we are trying to keep at bay while managing the regular parts of life like our careers, putting dinner on the table every night, and helping with homework. It’s also full of a dizzying number of beneficial options to improve their health, future, and wellbeing. In today’s day and age, we live in an information-rich culture where answers to our questions are right at our fingertips… millions of answers. It can be overwhelming. Everyone has an opinion on everything from diet, exercise, and emotional health to screen time, how we parent, and what extracurricular activities enhance kids’ brains and bodies. Whew!
Here at Vivre Naturals, we want to simplify at least some of those decisions for you, especially some of the most important ones. The health and wellbeing of your children is your top priority, and it is ours too. That is why we have created our line of organic, vegan, 100% whole-food vitamins to fill in the nutritional gaps in their diets. Children rarely seem to want what is best for them, so while you’re fighting those battles over vegetables and video games, we’ve got your back when it comes to nutrition.
Introducing, Vitamin D.
One of the key vitamins that most children are lacking in their bodies for a variety of reasons these days is Vitamin D, often known as the “sunshine vitamin.” Many parents assume that their children get enough of this vitamin from the milk they drink and from time spent outside. In most people, this is sadly not the case. For such an essential vitamin to health and wellbeing, it’s important to ensure that all bases are fully covered.
What is D3?
Just as the “B Family” of vitamins includes riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, thiamin, etc., “Vitamin D” is an umbrella term for a nutrient that takes different forms. They are: ergocalciferol-D2, cholecalciferol-D3, and alfacalcidol. D2 and D3 are the primary forms that are absorbed through diet and supplements. Though similar in form and function, D3 is superior as a supplement because it is nearly 90% more effective at raising Vitamin D levels in the blood and is two to three times as efficient at storing Vitamin D in the body compared to D2.
What Does Vitamin D do in the body?
- Builds and Maintains Strong Bones. Our bones, especially those of growing children, require calcium and phosphorous from food sources to build and maintain themselves. The kicker here is that the body isn’t able to use these essential minerals unless it has access to Vitamin D. Thus, Vitamin D enables our body to generate and support strong healthy bones.
- Prevents Rickets. This is a terrible childhood condition in which the bones become soft and weak. It is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin D, since this vitamin is completely necessary for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus that are required for bone growth. Rickets causes skeletal deformities such as bowed legs, knock knees, breast plate projections, and thickened joints. It delays growth and motor skills, causes muscle weakness and pain in the pelvis, spine, and legs.
- Helps Prevent Diabetes. Studies have demonstrated that children with Type 1 Diabetes often have low levels of Vitamin D.
- Supports Immunity. Adequate levels of Vitamin D are required for strong immune systems.
- Regulates Mood. During the winter months when sunlight levels are lower, moods often drop. Studies have shown that the resulting decrease in Vitamin D in the body is correlated with negative changes in mood. Supplementing with D3 maintains healthy Vitamin D levels, which keeps children’s mood stable.
- Reduces ADHD. Low levels of Vitamin D have been shown to play a part in causing ADD and ADHD in children.
Symptoms of Vitamin D3 Deficiency
- Low levels of Vitamin D cause fatigue.
- Frequent colds and illness. Vitamin D boosts immunity.
- Compromised Wound Healing. Children are always running and playing and often get hurt. Those with low Vitamin D levels experience cuts, scrapes, and breaks that take longer to heal than they should.
- Slow Growth. Healthy bone growth and development requires adequate levels of Vitamin D.
- Painful bones and joints. Bones become weak and tend to break more easily without proper Vitamin D levels.
- Children with severe Vitamin D deficiencies experience painful and destructive bone weakening and softening.
How Much Vitamin D do Kids need?
Children should receive 20 milligrams (mg), or 800 International Units (IU) every day. Blood tests can be conducted on babies, children, and adults to determine Vitamin D levels in the blood if you are concerned about their levels. If a child is experiencing a deficiency, this should be determined by a doctor. In these cases, the doctor might prescribe a higher dosage. For healthy children without any known deficiencies, 20 mg (800 IU) is the perfect daily amount.
How Much is too much?
As long as you do not exceed 20 mg (800 IU) per day in supplement form, you will maintain healthy levels of Vitamin D, regardless of how much sun exposure you receive or how much food you eat. If an unobserved child consumes too many of their vitamins they can experience negative side effects, just as with any supplement or drug.
Side effects of excessive Vitamin D include:
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Increased thirst
- Loss of appetite
- Increased urination
- Constipation
- Changes in mood
Always make sure to follow dosage instructions and keep all supplements, drugs, and harmful products locked away in a child-proof place. As with anything, too much of a good thing is usually a bad thing.
How Do We Get Vitamin D?
There are three ways we can provide Vitamin D to our (and our kids’) bodies:
- Dietary Sources. These include animal sources such as fatty fish (like salmon and sardines), egg yolks, whole milk, soy milk, yogurt, cheese (mostly cheddar), mushrooms, and fortified orange juice. Infants receive it through breastmilk or formula.
- Sun Exposure. Our bodies naturally produce Vitamin D when the sun touches our skin. In order to make the proper amount of Vitamin D that our systems need, kids should spend at least 10 – 15 minutes in full sun each day without sunscreen. The sun should be able to touch the face and exposed arms and legs for maximum Vitamin D absorption. Obviously, this can be difficult to achieve for families with busy schedules who are indoors most of the time, those who live in less sunny climates, and for parents who fear sun exposure because of the risk of skin cancer.
- It can be difficult to maintain proper Vitamin D levels in yourself, let alone your children, using food and sun exposure alone. This is especially the case for those with dietary restrictions such as people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet that excludes animal products and those who have allergies or aversions to dairy or other animal products. For this reason, it’s important to invest in a high-quality whole food supplement. We at Vivre Naturals have this covered for you with our all-natural Organic Kids D3 Chewable.
Our Organic D3 Chewable for Kids
We bring your family the goodness of the earth in a delicious, bite-sized, chewy form that kids love! Besides being sugar-free (we know you battle with your kids’ quest for sugar enough!), our supplements are all-natural, organic, plant-based, vegan, GMO-free, and free of artificial colors, flavors, and common allergens (dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs, peanuts, soy, fish, shellfish).
It took us a while to perfect this recipe because D3 is almost solely derived from animal products. In the interest of keeping all of our products safe, healthy, and accessible to all, we are committed to producing only organic vegan supplements. For this reason, we had to find a natural source of D3 in the earth that didn’t come from an animal. We were elated to find it in algae, an incredible superfood, and are confident that we have created one of the best supplements for kids that the world has to offer.
We believe in and rely upon the power of the natural world to heal and maintain optimal health. Though we haven’t yet mastered the art of putting straight sunlight into capsule form, this is the next best thing.
Thank you for taking your precious time to learn about Vitamin D3 with us here at Vivre Naturals today. We love how active and playful children are and know that they need strong bones and vigorous immune systems for an optimally healthy and happy childhood. We are blessed and thankful to be able to help you and other families worldwide nourish your little ones with our wholesome products. Your family’s health and wellbeing are our cherished bottom line.