What To Avoid In Children’s Supplements

Who remembers the days when children’s vitamins were chalky and sour? Today’s gummy supplements for kids taste as good as — if not better than — candy. Unfortunately, transforming chalky chewables into rainbow-colored gummies comes at a price, including not providing the health benefits they promise.   

TruHeight supplements provide the essential vitamins and minerals kids need for growth and bone/muscle development at one-eighth the sugar of leading growth supplements. More than anything else, they want parents to know that today’s vitamin supplements are not created equal. 

Here’s a rundown of what their team says parents should avoid when choosing multivitamins for their kids. 

Avoid children’s multivitamins with added sweeteners 

Concerned parents provide their kids with daily multivitamins to ensure they have the nutrients they need to grow. Unfortunately, most of those supplements are loaded with sugar. Adding sweeteners causes as many health problems as the vitamins and minerals claim to solve. 

Kids’ vitamins are notorious for ingredients such as glucose syrup, sucrose, fructose, pork-based gelatin, and sugar coatings. These sweeteners are also in the cereals, sodas, energy drinks, and processed snacks kids consume every day. The Center for Disease Control links them with increased risk of obesity, Type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 

Parents only want the best for their kids. They want them to grow strong, tall, and healthy, but they also want them to be happy, and there’s no getting around the fact that kids like to eat sweets. Many parents have kids who are picky eaters and routinely skimp on fresh foods and veggies. These parents don’t want their children to miss out on crucial vitamins and minerals.  

Big vitamin manufacturers know this and pack vitamins with sugar to make them go down without a battle. Parents have the best intentions when giving their kids sugary gummy multivitamins. However, the fact is that kids would be better off avoiding vitamins with added sweeteners altogether. 

Avoid children’s supplements containing artificial additives, preservatives, colors, and flavors 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 10,000 chemicals can be added to food and food packaging under the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In addition, manufacturers use approximately 1,000 chemicals under a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) designation process without approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Obviously, there are too many additives and chemicals to discuss in one article, let alone remember in the grocery store aisle. The bottom line is that kids should be eating natural ingredients. Experts advise parents to scan the ingredients on every label. The artificial ingredients are the chemicals with long and difficult-to-pronounce names. Ingredients that are hard to read shouldn’t be in a children’s multivitamin.

So, why do children’s supplements contain these questionable ingredients? The answer is simple: bright, candy-like vitamins sell. Artificial food colors make vitamins look fun. They are all too common in processed foods and beverages marketed to kids, and without them, foods can look bland or even unappealing. Chemicals such as Red Dye 40 and Yellow #5 are linked to hyperactivity and behavior problems. 

Most parents know to watch out for preservatives as they can wreak havoc on kids’ bodies as they grow and cause real health consequences. Research suggests that preservatives impact the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Fortunately, high-quality vitamins don’t need preservatives to ensure their shelf life.

What parents should look for in children’s supplements

Now that parents know what to watch out for in their kids’ multivitamins, it’s time to look at the ingredients they do want to see on the label. The following ingredients are known to benefit children and help them grow:

• Calcium — utilized at the growth plate to elongate and strengthen bones.
• Ashwagandah — reduces stress.
• Collagen — makes bones denser and slows the aging process that them brittle.
• Vitamin A — reduces infections and diarrhea.
• Vitamin C — bolsters children’s immune systems and fights against infection. 
• Vitamin D — assists in calcium absorption and proper bone mineralization.
• Zinc — releases hormones related to growth.

Not all multivitamins include these quality ingredients. For this reason, scientists and doctors at TruHeight take a rigorous approach in their use of potent, natural ingredients and clinically tested nutrients. Their Growth Gummies and Capsules, Sleep Gummies, and newly-launched Protein Shake contain 18 vitamins and minerals essential for bone health and all-natural ingredients that are allergen-free. TruHeight is out to prove that affordable kids’ supplements can promote healthy growth and taste great.