Hyderabad: Toddler stage is the most challenging stage for parents as this is the first stage of overall development, from body parts to brain to eating habits. The nutrition requirements are also a lot necessary during this stage, especially if we talk about toddlers, i.e. kids under the age group of 1-5 years.
Dr Ranganayukulu, PhD in History of Ayurveda says, “Vitamins play a vital role in our body. They work as a catalyst, a chemical substance that enables biochemical reactions in the body for growth, nutrition, tissue building, etc and without this, the body may grow abnormally. Although in Ayurveda, the vitamins are not recognised. It simply talks about nutrition.
However, the food recommended for the toddlers contains “vitamins”. Up to 6 months, mother’s milk provides sufficient nutrients, but once the child grows, their nutrition requirement increases and once they begin the intake of solid food, vitamin-rich food can be given to them.
He further explains that there are two groups of vitamins:
- Water-soluble
- Fat-soluble
The water-soluble vitamins are Vitamin B (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12), available in leafy vegetables and grains and Vitamin C in citrus fruits.
Fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E and K, found in ghee, oil, dairy products, etc.
Deficiencies of vitamins in toddlers can cause certain complications. The most important vitamins in toddlers are Vitamin A, C and D.
- Vitamin A: It is important for a good vision and its deficiency can lead to loss of vision or blindness.
Food Recommended
- Carrot
- Spinach
- Milk
- Eggs
- Cod liver oil, etc
- Vitamin D: is important for bone growth and supervises the calcium metabolism. Vitamin D helps absorb calcium and restricts the calcium flow in the urine or the faeces or even in the skin. It increases the availability of calcium in the blood plasma so that bones can grow in a normal manner. Its deficiency can lead to brittle bones which results in rickets.
Food Recommended
- Sunlight Exposure
- Milk
- Curd
- Cheese
- Jaggery, etc
Dr Ranganayukulu says that other vitamins are also important, but not as much as Vitamin A and D, which are related to eyes and bones. However, some other vitamins and their importance are:
- Vitamin B is essential for healthy brain functioning and cell metabolism.
- Vitamin C is important for cell growth, cell division and tissue growth in the body.
- Vitamin E is important for normal healthy skin.
- Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting mechanism.
Therefore, the deficiency of Vitamin A and D being common, it is important to fulfil those deficiencies to prevent any further complications in a toddler. Deficiency of other vitamins like B, C, E and K are rare. Hence, the availability of good nutrition in our country can help us avoid any health complications in kids and so, proper care should be taken during the growth of a toddler and a healthy, and balanced diet is always recommended.
