Trying Too Hard Part 2

Another area where we try too hard is health. Many doctors now recommend that parents give their children daily nutritional supplements, despite the fact that all of the nutrients required by a healthy body can be obtained by eating a balanced diet and by going outside.

The latest fad is vitamin D. After a series of studies came out at the same time and drew the media’s attention to the importance of vitamin D (despite the fact that dietitians have known about it for years), everyone got excited and started to take supplements.

But we seemed to forget than an average light skinned individual can meet daily vitamin D requirements by spending 15 minutes outside. The sun is also arguably a superior source of vitamin D because the body naturally regulates its consumption, so the risk of overdose associated with taking pills is eliminated.

Among the parents who know this, many still prefer that their kids stay inside, or to avoid being out without sunscreen, because of the UV rays. That forces the children to take pills, because even the lightest sunscreen (SPF-8) reduces vitamin D consumption by 95%. What nobody seems to understand is that there exists a natural sunscreen which doesn’t impede vitamin D consumption and allows the body to spend twice as long in the sun as would normally be safe. It’s an antioxidant called astaxanthin, and it is found in shrimp, crab, wild salmon, lobster and other red sea animals.

Any child who eats a balanced diet and who regularly goes outside will therefore get plenty of astaxanthin and vitamin D, without having to take any pills. That child will also benefit from leading an active lifestyle and eliminating artificial sources of nutrients, which can never be as good as the ones provided by nature. This is what concerned parents should be pushing for. Rather than coming home every fortnight with a container of multivitamins and protein supplements, they should home-cook balanced meals for supper and eat them as a family at the diner table. They should also get their children to walk or bike to school, and to only use sunscreen for prolonged exposure in the sun.

This might seem like common sense, but according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, 40% of Canadian children eat less than five meals a week with their family, including breakfast and lunch. Since the meals that they eat alone are unlikely to be particularly nutritious, it’s unlikely that they eat a balanced diet, hence the need for supplements.