It can often be confusing knowing if your child is getting enough vitamins and minerals. That's why we were delighted to chat to celebrity nutritionist Aveen Bannon about all things Vitamin D and iron.
"Did you know that during the first few years of life the brain triples in weight and establishes billions of nerve connections? This is one of the reasons why iron is so important for your child. Iron is a key nutrient throughout a toddler’s development and plays a vital role in healthy brain development. Ensuring your toddler gets enough iron could ensure they develop to their full potential. Babies are born with enough iron stores for about the first 5 or 6 months of life. After that, they need to get iron from their diet through the introductions of solids.
Key Tip – toddlers are at a higher risk of iron deficiency as their body is experiencing rapid growth and the need for iron is higher than at other times of life.
What is it?
Vitamin D is commonly referred to as the "sunshine vitamin" and is best known in relation to bone health but Vitamin D also contributes to the normal function of the immune system in children. Vitamin D is naturally present in a few foods, added to others and available as a dietary supplement. However, sunshine is usually the main source of vitamin D but in our climate, it is difficult to reach the required amount of vitamin D for children. This leaves us with a few natural food sources such as oily fish and eggs and fortified foods and milks.
Key Tip – don’t overly rely on processed meats for your toddler, include a variety of fresh meat, poultry and fish in the diet.
It is estimated that up 70-84% of Irish toddlers are not reaching the recommended intake of vitamin D and that 23% of one-year-olds and 10% of two and three-year-olds have inadequate iron intakes. Iron-rich foods include red meat, eggs, beans, green vegetables and iron-fortified cereals and milks. Toddler milks are fortified milks, typically containing both iron and vitamin D, suitable from age 1-3 years and are designed to be used as part of a varied and balanced diet.
