How Vitamins, Sunshine and Antibiotics Have Changed Things for Your Kids

I grew up eating very different food than my children eat. I’m not just talking about different items on the menu, but an apples-to-apples comparison of the same foods shows a substantial difference in nutrient density.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my wife say “tomatoes just don’t taste the way they did when I was growing up”. They don’t. And they don’t have as many nutrients, either. The soil our tomatoes (and every other agricultural product) grow in is far less nutrient rich than it was even 30 years ago.

Unless you and your family are getting a solid diet of organic fruits and vegetables, vitamin supplementation has become the name of the nutrition game

In fact, a lot more than just our fruits and vegetables have changed since then.

Even something as commonplace as sunscreen changes the way our bodies experience sun (the mechanism used by our bodies to generate Vitamin D). While I agree that sunscreen is needed, it also impacts our body’s uptake of this critical nutrient.

Another example – antibiotics. They can be life saving, but they can also kill positive bacteria that our bodies need to maintain a healthy digestive system. This is another area where supplementation, in the form of pro-biotics, has gone from forward thinking to defensive maneuver.

Lower nutrient density in food, different exposure to sun, and antibiotic use are three reasons I recommend certain vitamins for kids. Watch this week’s video for details:

Life is different than it used to be. Some parts are much better. Some are worse. I’m thankful for high-quality vitamins and supplements to help make up for some of the negative changes in today’s wonderful world.

If you’ve got any questions that I didn’t cover in the video, tell me in the comments and I’ll be happy to get back to you.

For more information:

What nutrients, vitamins and minerals are on your list of “the Greene 13”?
Probiotics: Powerful Prevention
Health Check: Are Your Kids Getting Enough Vitamin D?