Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” as it mainly comes from the sun. The sun is one of the best resources of vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and strong immune systems.
It also does to kids. However, as parents, sometimes we don’t know whether our kids get the right and sufficient amount of vitamin D. How can vitamin D be so important for kids?
Vitamin D has a lot of benefits both for children and adults. It is mainly associated with strong bones, strong immune system, lower risk of premature birth and prevention of some diseases.
Let’s see these 5 health benefits of vitamin D for kids you’ve never heard before.
1. Build stronger bones
You might think that calcium is the only thing you need to build stronger bones. Not many people know that vitamin D enables the body to absorb calcium and phosphorus better.
Whenever vitamin D is present, your kids’ body will be able to absorb the bone-strengthening minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus. Absorbing as much bone-strengthening minerals as they can will help kids to build stronger bones.
There are few cases where kids can fall so short in vitamin D that they suffer from a condition called rickets. Rickets is the condition when the bones become soft and weak. Besides, kids who suffer from rickets tend to have their legs appear bowed.
2. Boost immune system
Besides strengthening bones, vitamin D also plays an important role in boosting immune system. During the pandemic era of Covid-19, it is very important for everyone, especially kids, to have strong immune system.
One of the ways is by consuming or getting the right amount of vitamin D. No wonder, during the pandemic, people are suggested to get enough vitamin D from sunlight.
Are you looking for some ways to boost immune system? Note these health benefits of lemon juice for immune system. Lemon juice might be extremely sour, but it will give you a lot of sweet benefits to your body.
3. Prevent your kids from several diseases
There are some studies which showed that vitamin D plays a significant role in preventing several diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. Even though further studies are suggested, there’s nothing wrong to take sufficient amount of vitamin D to prevent those diseases.
To prevent your kids from several diseases, make sure to feed them with lots of healthy foods. You can get some inspiration about what to feed by reading these health benefits of yuzu for kids and health benefits of mackerel for kids. Yuzu and mackerel are great food for kids.
4. Boost the brain function
Even though there should be more research conducted to prove this, it is still a nutrient to consider. Supplementing your kids with vitamin D might help to improve the symptoms of ADHD and autism.
Mothers who have children with autism are less likely to have another child with autism when they consume vitamin D throughout their pregnancy. Vitamin D is also good for boosting the mental health. Vitamin D deficiency, on the other hand, is linked to inflammation.
Inflammation can have devastating effects on the nervous system and brain. There are some research which suggest that vitamin D is essential in some conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
Brain function should be maintained well. If you’re looking for some tips to boost the brain function for your kids, such as playing sudoku. Read more about it in benefits of playing sudoku for brain health. You can have fun and upgrade your brain function at the same time!
How to boost the supply of vitamin D for kids?
There are several ways you can do to boost the supply of vitamin D for your kids. They are:
- through diet – there are several types of food which promote vitamin D, such as oily fish, eggs and butter.
- through sun exposure – as being stated from the beginning that the greatest source of vitamin D is sunlight. Make sure your kids get ideal sun exposure to get the right amount of vitamin D. You can do that for around 5 to 10 minutes a day in summer or 30 minutes during the colder months.
- through supplements – finding high-quality of vitamin D supplements for your kids is also important. However, you need to be careful when you decide to give supplement. Make sure to consult with your kids’ doctor before serving the supplement to your kids.
If you plan to give your kids vitamin D, make sure you also read these health beneffits of vitamin D3 for children. Vitamin D3 is one of the types of vitamin D which is also important for children’s development.
As parents, it is very important to maintain your kids’ health. Make sure to feed them some nutritious food and train them to apply some healthy habits.