Nutritional Supplementation for Children (and the Whole Family)

Written By: Jayashree Mani, MS, CCN

Most parents know that children need vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Many also realize that since the body doesn’t make many of these nutrients, they must be derived from outside.

Is good food enough?

Eating foods that can be digested, assimilated, and eliminated without immune burden is the foremost goal because foods are the best source of nutrients. It is also unfortunately true that the food we eat today is simply not the same as it was 50 years ago. The decrease in essential nutrients in the food supply, largely due to acute soil depletion and processing, coupled with the increases in environmental and personal stress, mean that without regular and intensive supplementation, most people progressively become deficient in multiple needed nutrients. This affects the body in numerous ways – ranging from declines in cognitive health to increases in overall inflammation, which burdens the immune system. Add to this the young picky eater, the child with food allergies, and the one who has a restrictive diet because of family or personal choices, and smart supplementation becomes a need and a process that is best started early in life.

Why supplementation doesn’t always work

Even though many still feel that supplementation is not necessary for children who eat well and are growing normally, nearly one-third of the children in the United States use dietary supplements. With supplements not being strictly regulated, this comes with some risks:

  • More is NOT always better. High doses of fat-soluble nutrients like Vitamin A (retinol) can be toxic to children when taken in excess amounts because they are stored in body fat and can accumulate.
  • Supplements directed toward children tend to be brightly colored, sweetened unnecessarily and further the risk of overdosing because they can pass for ‘candy.’
  • Children’s supplements, especially gummies, can be easy to overeat and can cause toxicity and affect the teeth.

Most formulations typically include major nutrients such as vitamin A for healthy skin, normal growth, and vision; vitamin B to help the body produce red blood cells and assist in metabolic activities; vitamin C to fight off infection and inflammation and vitamin D, along with calcium and magnesium, to help the body form and maintain strong teeth and bones.

But many questions remain unanswered.

  • Are these nutrients the correct (and only) ones required?
  • Are they in the most bioavailable forms?
  • Is the dosage correct?

Smart supplementation for the whole family

PERQUE Life Guard™ Chewables take the guessing away. This formulation provides 24 health-promoting essentials and includes vital nutrients in the right proportions for children that many others leave out in their multivitamin/mineral formulations.

Here is a sampling of the additional nutrients found in PERQUE Life Guard Chewables:

  • Chromium. This nutrient aids in sugar metabolism and can help in establishing and maintaining the desired glucose insulin balance for healthy weight.
  • Silica. The safer, natural plant-based form of silica (Equisetum botanical) promotes bone, hair, skin, and connective tissue health.
  • This essential B vitamin promotes proper fat, protein, and sugar metabolism while supporting healthy hair and skin.
  • Quercetin dihydrate. Many children and adults suffer from seasonal allergies, and the flavonoid quercetin is helpful in blunting the allergic response. Quercetin works by inhibiting the activity of mast cells, which release histamine and cause nasal and itchy reactions.
  • Choline. In the preferred alkalinizing citrate form, choline can help support the nervous system and brain for enhanced cognitive health.

PERQUE Life Guard Chewables are not only complete for children, but offer a viable alternative for adults as well. Many adults do not like to swallow pills or just can’t. Some need to ramp up their nutrient intake slowly and PERQUE Life Guard Chewables offer greater control in dosing. The ingredients are combined in biologically correct proportions, with the natural transporters and cofactors necessary for maximum activity. This means much more active uptake and utilization.

With a suite of 24 essential nutrients in the correct dosage and in biologically-available forms in a delicious cherry-berry flavored chewable, PERQUE Life Guard Chewables are the perfect nutritional supplement for children and elders.