Is it necessary to take nutritional supplements for children?

There is really no black-and-white answer to this question. Not all children must eat it, nor are they completely untouchable due to the IQ tax. The core depends on the child's dietary intake and actual growth and development status.

Many Buddhist parents around me who raise children are in the "unnecessary" line. Sister Zhang's baby downstairs has not been picky since she was a child. She eats eggs and milk in the morning and the kindergarten meal at noon. In the evening, she can still eat two pieces of ribs and some green vegetables when she comes home. She runs around the neighborhood for two hours every day without stopping. All the indicators of Cibaobao are above the median line. Not to mention children's nutrition products, she has not even bought probiotics in her drawer. She said that eating well is better than anything else - children with a balanced diet and sufficient outdoor activities do not need extra supplements at all. If they are forced to eat, it may increase the metabolic burden.

But then again, not all children can be so worry-free, and not all families can accurately follow the dietary guidelines to prepare meals for their children. I heard my best friend complain a while ago that her child just entered kindergarten and was extremely picky about food. He didn’t touch meat, eggs or milk, and only ate white rice and fried shredded potatoes. She used to think that nutritional supplements were deceptive, until the child was diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia during the health care checkup. The doctor prescribed iron supplements and additional vitamin D supplements. It took more than three months of supplementation to bring the index back up.

There are also some special cases where it is impossible to get enough nutrition through food. For example, my colleague’s child is allergic to milk protein and refuses to drink deeply hydrolyzed milk. His daily calcium intake is not even half of the recommended amount. The doctor requires an appropriate amount of calcium supplement every day, otherwise it will easily affect bone development.； During the rainy season in the south, there is no sunshine for a whole week, and the child cannot go out to bask in the sun to synthesize vitamin D. It is really not a waste of money to take an extra drop or two.

Of course, I don’t mean to buy them blindly if they are short. I have seen parents give their children multivitamins, DHA, and height-increasing gummies at the same time before. It was found that there was an overdose of vitamin A, which actually affected the appetite. The kind of Internet celebrity nutritional supplements that claim to be able to nourish the brain and grow taller are the real IQ tax. If you really want to take supplements, you must first check the results of the child health examination. Follow the doctor’s advice and choose regular products. Don’t just follow the live broadcast room and hoard a large box. To put it bluntly, nutritional supplements are meant to "fill the gap". If you have enough food, you don't need them. If you don't have enough food, you have to take supplements. There is no need to compete with an either/or idea.