Natural Supplements:Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Immune System

I think the easiest was to supplement vitamins is with a multi-vitamin. As I have stated before,I give my children the Kirkman Labs Nu-Thera without Vitamins A&D. This vitamin has a specially designed with high dosage Vitamin B complex along with Vitamin C,magnesium,zinc and selenium. All of which are used to treat asthma,allergies,and other immune problems. I also like that I can get it without Vitamins A &D (I will address this more later). It does use dl-Alpha Tocopheryl instead of the prefered d-Alpha Tocopheryl,but I have not found another vitamin with these levels of the Vitamin Bs and Selenium. I give Claire 2 capsules a day and Ross one. Claire can swallow the capsule and I open one and put it in Ross’orange juice. Also,I think the extra Vitamin C in the orange juice doesn’t hurt. I only purchase organic orange juice as oranges still have a relatively high pesticide score. Kirkman Labs recommends slowly introducing supplements beginning with a 1/4 dose.

The reason I do not like Vitamins A &D in my children’s multi-vitamin,is because they are  fat soluble and can build up in the body. It is not readily excreted,so you do not want to get too much. Many multi-vitamin provide 100-200% of the recommended dose of Vitamin A and this does not include what they get from fortified foods of which add vitamins,such as cereals,milks,snack bars,etc. Most sources of Vitamin A used in supplements and fortified foods is beta-carotene,which is not know to have adverse effect. But I still prefer to give my children foods rich in vitamins,instead of supplements when possible. My children love orange vegetables that are high in beta-carotene. Between the fruits,vegetables,smoothies,and fortified foods,I think they are getting enough Vitamin A. Also,they get Vitamin A from the Nordic Natural DHA they take (cod liver oil).

The best way to get Vitamin D is too get some sun. Some researchers think,the reason for the epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency in the US is because of the constant use of sunscreen in our society. Don’t get me wrong,I am pro-sunscreen. But not obsessive. They say it only takes 10-15 minutes in the sun a day for your body to produce enough Vitamin D. In the winter,I do not usually put sunscreen on the kids unless I know they are going to get prolonged exposure. In the summer,I usually try and let them play in the morning sun (not the mid-day or afternoon sun) for a little while before I cover them in sunscreen. If I know they are going to get a lot of sun that day,then I just go ahead and put it on before they leave the house. I think the key to health is everything in moderation and again I prefer the most natural way to get Vitamin D instead of giving them supplements. Also,many cereals and most milks are also fortified with Vitamin D and it is present in the Nordic Natural DHA they take (cod liver oil).

Because my children are on a low or non-dairy diet,I also give them calcium supplements. They love the Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Calcium supplement (see my amazon Recommended Remedies). This also provides some magnesium. Between the two supplements and the hempmilk,my children get 100% of the recommended magnesium.

When my children were infants,I gave them Country Life’s Maxi Baby Care (see Recommended Remedies). I recommend this for all babies,especially if they are not breast fed or suffer from respiratory or stomach issues. Children whom  have a healthy and strong immune system (do not suffer from allergies,asthma,stomach issues,or chronic illness),may not need the intense dosages in the Nu-Thera multi-vitamin. There are several other very good multivitamins for children. My children always liked the Nature’s Plus Animal Parade vitamins (see Recommended Remedies). If there are other vitamins and minerals that you are concerned about,here’s a link to food sources for selected vitamins and minerals,it can be a helpful reference for some of the most popular.