Children need vitamins for growth, healthy development, and everyday resilience. These nutrients support stamina and help the body fight infections. Many illnesses hit kids harder in winter and spring, when diets often lack fresh vegetables, fruits, and berries—the main sources of vitamins.
A deficiency of these nutrients can stunt growth, disrupt development, and cause problems such as skeletal deformities, skin and mucous membrane conditions, vision impairment, and memory issues. Depending on severity, a deficiency can be classified as hypovitaminosis (a partial lack of vitamins) or avitaminosis (a complete, more severe deficiency).
In our country, thanks to improving economic conditions, avitaminosis is quite rare. Hypovitaminosis, however, is common because people often don’t get enough vitamins from their diets. Vitamins that are frequently lacking include A, D, B2, the B-complex vitamins, niacin (vitamin PP), and vitamin C.
Early signs of hypovitaminosis in children include apathy, headaches, irritability, poor sleep, and sometimes excessive sweating. Older children may have memory lapses and trouble concentrating. Even mild illnesses tend to be more severe and often become chronic in children with hypovitaminosis. That’s why it’s crucial to plan children’s diets so they get an adequate supply of vitamins year-round. Children need these nutrients constantly because their bodies are actively growing and developing.
Caring for children’s health starts before birth. Pregnant women should eat a balanced, vitamin-rich diet to support normal fetal development and to build vitamin stores. During pregnancy, include meat, fish, organ meats (liver, kidneys, heart, brain), cheese, eggs, and plenty of vegetables, fruits, and berries. In winter and spring, when fresh produce is scarcer, drink at least one glass of juice daily. In the last two months of pregnancy, take fish oil—one tablespoon two to three times a day.
For the first one to two months after birth, infants get all necessary nutrients from breast milk. Pay attention to the breastfeeding mother’s diet: include milk, cheese, butter, meat, fish, and eggs. Everyone should eat enough vegetables, greens, berries, and fruits, preferably raw. Eat buckwheat, oatmeal, and barley porridge, and limit foods made from flour and white bread.
