Share the ways you get vitamins & minerals into your children with Noluma

[EllieMumsnet]

This activity is now closed

We all know that vitamins and minerals are vital to the human body and help us grow, see properly, help make bones, muscles and organs stay healthy. However the difficult part is ensuring that you and your children have all the right vitamins and minerals in your system...especially with vitamin D, as we live in a fairly sun-deprived country . Therefore Noluma would love to know all the ways you ensure your children are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need.

Here’s what Noluma, the authority in light protection of packaging, has to say: “Scientific research shows that packaged goods can be negatively impacted when exposed to indoor lights such as retail lighting or LED lights in the kitchen. This causes the quality, freshness, flavour and more importantly, nutritional qualities to deteriorate. So if you think you are giving your children a glass of milk and getting those valuable nutrients into them this way, you might want to think again! Unless the milk bottle or carton comes in light protected packaging, chances are the product has degraded before it reaches the ‘use by’ date. This is especially true of see-through glass bottles. Here at Noluma, we are the only authority in light protection technology that certifies packaging using our patented state-of-the-art assessment process. We are uniquely able to measure all types of packaging for its ability to protect against damage due to both natural and artificial light, and to stop content change due to light exposure. Visit lightdamageisreal.co.uk to find out more”

Do you sneak vitamins filled fruit and veg into their meals? If so do you have any recipes or techniques you could share? Or maybe you don’t need to and your children are very good at eating lots of fruit and vegetables? Perhaps you like to make sure they’re outdoors as much as possible so they’re getting lots of great sunlight? Or maybe you know of some child-friendly vitamin supplements that help your children get all the nutrients they need?

Whatever your tips and tricks are for getting vitamins and minerals into your children, share them on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[Holibobsing]

Boiled eggs and soldiers! Eggs are packed with vitamins. Indeed the less processed foods in family homes, the more vitamins will be incorporated within meals and snacks.

[TellMeItsNotTrue]

Plenty of fruit and veg, and outside whenever possible and whatever the weather

[Calphurnia]

Mine seem to get on with little pots of chopped up fruit, veg & salad throughout the day rather than as a meal.
Offer something I know they like + something new about once a week.
Be outside as much as possible!

[TillyTheTiger]

We make sure we're outside for at least a couple of hours a day, and I wait ten minutes before putting sun cream on so we get some Vit D. We also take multivitamins, and have a good varied diet. Fortunately my DS loves all fruit, as well as salad like carrot, cucumber, olives and beetroot so he easily gets 5 a day. Getting veg like cooked broccoli and cauliflower into him is a bit more of a challenge but I keep offering and don't make a big deal of it.

[blackleggingsandatshirt]

Fruit smoothies, a daily chewable vitamin, and in the summer strips of yellow and red bell pepper, I make my gravy with the water which I boil my vegetables (carrots and broccoli).

[lillypopdaisyduke]

we play out in the garden whenever possible (vitamin D tick)
and given early after weaning so that it is second nature to pick up fruit instead of chocolate or biscuits)
offer lots of crunchy vegetables and fruit at snack time, organic carrot sticks, mini peppers, blueberries and apples (vitamin C)
Banana (Vitamin B6 Manganese VitaminC ,Potassium, Protein, Magnesium (tick)

[lovemyflipflops]

My 'family' cottage pie has 1 leek, 1 yellow bell pepper, a small jar of chick peas and a diced onion in the mince, which I cook down, I make a sweet potato mash and serve with carrots (where the gravy is made with the water in which I have cooked the carrots.
We get the outdoor ride on toys whenever I can and play outdoors, to to the park and give healthy snacks.
Bolognese is also a great place to add 50% meat to 50% veg - red pepper and tomato.
I give a multi vitamin in the winter months to help with the our immune systems.

[JanuarySun]

Normalise healthy eating, i.e. not 'If you choke down this disgusting veg you can have some chocolae' but 'mmm, these carrots are delicious do you want one?'

[JenMumma]

Involve them (age appropriately) with the cooking ! Failing that, smoothies, hidden extra veg in bolognese / sauces etc and making pictures on the plate with food. As they get older, push the beauty benefits of vitamins in fruit and veg (always works with vain teenagers 😀)

[HavelockVetinari]

Daily multivitamin, plenty of time outdoors, lots of fruit and veg offered - even if DS doesn't always eat it, he'll sometimes try something new and decide he likes it, so we keep putting things on his plate.

[WishUponAStar88]

I agree with lots of others in that I don’t go to efforts to ‘hide’ fruit and veg I’d rather they know exactly what it all is and looks like. Mine both eat a lot of fruit and veg but I do still give them both a multivitamin, as even loads of time outside during the winter months won’t keep vitD levels up as not enough sun is coming through. That said I’m sure there’s no need for the supplements at the moment with the sun out

[3boysandabump]

I make sure they have a balanced diet and spend time outdoors

My youngest is breast fed and has food allergies so he does take a supplement too.

[jacqui5366]

Do you sneak vitamins filled fruit and veg into their meals?

carrots into mash, leeks, peppers into Bolognese.


If so do you have any recipes or techniques you could share?

Vegetable laden Bolognese - just add your veggies in small cubes into your mince and tinned tomatoes - and with pasta or under mash - a great way to give them their 5 a day

Or maybe you don’t need to and your children are very good at eating lots of fruit and vegetables?

The are good at eating most things - except anything green for some reason - other than that any other colour is fine

Perhaps you like to make sure they’re outdoors as much as possible so they’re getting lots of great sunlight?

Yes, we love our vitamin D intake, with a factor 25 to prevent burning in the summer- no total sunblock as I read this prevents vitamin D absorption. In the winter its hat and gloves on and ride on toys out in the garden

Or maybe you know of some child-friendly vitamin supplements that help your children get all the nutrients they need?

Only in the winter months - as they are indoor more and immune systems are lower.

[Nsmum14]

I make sure my kids get exposure to around 10 minutes of unprotected sun a day at this time of year. They are red-headed so I have to be careful in the sun, but a little is no doubt good for them. They eat a lot of organic fruit and veg, and I frequently cook chicken breast for them, I don't eat meat myself but the fact they fancy it tells me they must need it. They eat nuts and seeds and eggs. I also give them a vitamin supplement, as their diet can be erratic, some days they just want bread and cereals.

[zippyants]

Make vegetables fun! Get the kids involved in cooking or preparing their own meals and so you are eating their cooking. Ask them to find out what vegetables are good for you and why and make it into a home cooking 'competition'. There are so many ways to get kids involved and get them to eat their veggies.

[sharond101]

Lots of homemade soup, fruit for snacks, veg with every meal.

[fishnships]

After a gruelling hike, and an exhausted daughter, someone suggested Berocca. We have never looked back - it's now gone from our 'go to' remedy when feeling under the weather to an everyday supplement.

[JaneyJimplin]

My eldest eats plenty of veg, not enough protein though. Youngest barely eats any veg, or protein - he is a carb fiend!

I give them milk that is fortified with Vit D. I also give them a multivitamin with Omegas included

[xSharonNeedlesx]

My girls love fruit and will eat a few vegetables (mainly peas!) They also thankfully love being outside and their ‘red sweeties’ which are chewy vitamins.

[shewhomustbeEbayed]

Luckily my daughter has always loved veg, requesting lots at mealtimes and even eating green beans off the plant. She takes fruit in her packed lunch.
She also has an effervescent vitamin tablet in water with her breakfast.
I make her hot chocolate to increase her Calcium intake as she doesn’t like cheese.

[Cotswoldmama]

My boys really like the effervescent vitamin tablets. If they knew it was vitamins I'm sure they wouldn't but I tell them it's fizzy orange!

[Laurajjj561]

I give my children vitamins the 11 and 9 year just take them with water and the 2 year just get plenty off fruit and veg and food that has vitamins in I make sure all the children mostly eat healthy stuff they don’t get to much sweets

[CallmeBadJanet]

My son is 16 but still loves fruit kebabs. He enjoys spicy food now so I make curries, stir fries and chillis with some meat, but plenty of veg. And sunlight! To get off any devices I send him out to the shops on his skateboard

[Holibobsing]

Noluma, thank you for this insight. I have used you links to email all the supermarkets that we use as milk and nutrician is vital for early years healthy bones and teeth foundation.

Despite having a brilliant diet and taking the sun well, my 8 year old had vitamin d deficiency. It came as a surprise to me but after the correct dosage of vitamin d and calcium the level of bone pain has greatly subsided. Alongside this, the amount of severe strep throat infections dramatically decreased, I am sure due to not having the deficiency any more.

I'd be happy to help in any way, as I'd wondered often how a child that had huge amounts of daylight and balanced diet could be deficient. Happy to help as simple packaging production changes could vastly improve the vitamin deficiency epidemic.

[foxessocks]

I put lots of veg on their plates and hope for the best! They both have fruits they like and they're always allowed a piece of fruit . They are outdoors plenty.