KIDS\Kids OK with vitamins, but need more fruits, veggies.

Byline: Kansas City Star

Your child may well be ating too much fat, too much sugar and too many calories. But the odds that Johnny or Susie is seriously lacking any of the essential vitamins or minerals are low indeed.

Sure, some children might benefit over the long term by an additional helping of calcium, zinc or vitamin A. But given the variety of foods available in this country, and the copious quantities most people consume, "True deficiencies are very, very, very rare," said Kathy Knapp, a pediatric dietitian at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan.

More likely is that, over a lifetime, chronic underconsumption of certain nutrients, or even certain plant chemicals that are known as "non-nutrients," could render one more vulnerable to certain diseases.

Some relationships between dietary shortfalls and disease are well-known, as in the case of calcium deficiencies and osteoporosis. Researchers are looking at the roles that other food compounds may play in health.

Lutein, for example, is a yellow plant pigment thought to play a role in eye health, according to Adrienne Moore Baxter, who answers questions on Food Talk, the KU Medical Center's nutrition hot line. And carotenoids, a chemical relative of vitamin A, are suspected of protecting people against cancer and heart disease, Knapp pointed out.

Although the average American child is in no danger of suffering anytime soon from a vitamin or mineral deficiency, that doesn't mean they wouldn't benefit from a more nutritious diet.

"In all honesty," Knapp said, "kids don't eat the things they should."

For starters, she recommends parents work on getting their children to eat the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

Baxter suspects that many parents are "not persistent enough" with regard to their children's diet. "Either they don't model the behavior they want their children to follow, or they don't offer the food selection sufficient times."

Given enough exposure, children often will relent and try a forkful, she said.

Baxter suggests steering children toward foods that are "nutrient-dense," such as carrots, broccoli, white and sweet potatoes, milk and yogurt, and oranges.

Only under certain circumstances does Baxter recommend supplements. "Food is more than you think," she said, and is always the best way to meet nutritional needs.

Supplements can be helpful for children following a vegan (eggless and dairy-free vegetarian) diet, those who are sick, or occasionally when children miss meals.

Knapp, on the other hand, sees no problem with giving a child a multivitamin a day. However, she cautions parents to pick a supplement that provides no more than 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance.

Baxter suggests vitamins in a bottle with a childproof cap and a statement on the label that the supplement is of U.S. pharmacopoeia quality - and encouraging your children to chase them with a couple of carrot sticks.