Vitamins, Orange juice, and Solid Foods

Vitamins play an essential role in the body’s machinery and basic chemical reactions. Without vitamins, individual human cells would stop functioning. When severe and prolonged deficiencies occur, many obvious and subtle changes can all be detected. These include rashes and skin changes, personality changes, disorders of organ functions, blood pressure.

One question that often arises during office visits or phone calls – my two-to-five-year old’s appetite isn’t what it used to be; can this be improved with vitamins and minerals?

The human body is very efficient about how it uses these vitamins. It only requires small amounts of vitamins and minerals each day. The body grows at a certain rate, rapidly during the first 9 to 18 months. Substantial amounts of food are required to meet growth needs. When the rate of growth slows, the need for food decreases in the same proportion. Taking additional minerals and vitamins will not increase growth beyond what has been determined by the baby’s genetics. Vitamins don’t control the body’s rate of growth, and your child’s natural appetite for foods won’t increase with mineral and vitamin supplements. This does not apply to children with severe deficiencies of these essential elements, but these children are very rare in the normal population.

Additional information on babies check out the American Academy of Pediatrics links.