Are Eggs Good For Kids?

I know some moms that are hesitant to give their kids too many eggs. I am not one of them because I think they are nature's perfect food. However some people fear that they will be priming their child's arteries with too much cholesterol at an early age or set them up for bad eating habits later.

 Wondering if these moms have a point I decided to look up some dietary guidelines about the matter.  General dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association are that adults eat no more than 3-4 eggs yolks each week.  Of course that is for adults. Surprise! Surprise! There aren’t any formal recommendations for children. However these doctors do recommend that children limit their intake of cholesterol to 300mg each day.

Since an egg contains about 213mg of cholesterol then it seems that you should give your child no more than one egg a day. However eggs are rich in everything that your kid needs to grow. I think it is okay to give a child one egg seven days a week.  Avoiding them altogether would be a terrible mistake. In addition to being high in cholesterol, eggs also have a lot of benefits, including being high in protein, iron, biotin, minerals and B vitamins. 

I also looked up what the American Food Pyramid has to say about eggs. In the U.S. and Canadian pyramids, eggs are a part of the Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans and Nuts food group. Younger children, aged 2-6, should get two servings from this food group each day, while older children can have 2-3 servings. Of course if you are worried about cholesterol the key is to look at where your child might be getting cholesterol from other food groups. For instance if your kid is eating a ton of cheese, ice cream or even avocadoes then that one egg a day in the diet might be overkill.  However if your child's diet is low in saturated fats and he routinely eats a lot of foods with fiber then eating an egg every day is probably just fine. 

Eggs are still one of the most economical and healthy sources of protein a mother can buy so I just can't find it within myself to advise anyone to limit them from a kid's diet. Some nutritionists count your egg intake as being part of foods that also contain eggs. For instance if your kid has a slice of cake that was made with eggs then you are supposed to count the eggs used to make the cake as part of the daily egg consumption.  The logic is that if it took eight eggs to make the cake and your kid has one slice then that would be his egg quota for the day! This is too complicated for me.  I think it goes without saying that if your child is eating a lot of custard or that kind of thing that he or she should be limited in terms of how many eggs that are eaten a week. Like anything this is all about balance!

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Do Your Kids Need Vitamins?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics kids don't need extra vitamins. If you are feeding your little one a diet based on the Food Guide Pyramid then they should be getting all of the food that they need. 

However sometimes you end up with a kid who is a picky eater (such as my little boy who won't eat anything but tomato soup and bananas) and supplementation is necessary.  Some kids will stick to eating just one or two foods for months or even years so it is necessary to make sure that they are getting all of the nutrients that they need. Also if you are a vegetarian and raising your child to be one you don't have a diet that meets all of your child's nutritional needs as your child may be lacking in B12 or iron. Babies that are breastfed only may also need 200 IU of Vitamin D each day as breast milk is not fortified with Vitamin D. This is especially crucial if you live in a climate where there is not a lot of sun or if your child is confined to the indoors because of an illness.  

Older children who don’t drink at least 500ml (about 17 ounces) of Vitamin D fortified milk will also need Vitamin D supplements if they don’t get regular sunlight exposure.  Iron is very important to prevent anemia. Those most at risk of iron deficiency are infants who are not given extra iron after six months of age (usually in the form of an iron fortified infant cereal), and babies who drink low-iron formula, cow’s milk or goats milk. Good sources or iron include meats, fish, legumes, and fortified foods, such as breads and cereals.

Adolescent girls are also at risk of anemia once they begin having their periods so make sure your daughter is getting enough folic acid and iron. Your child also can't grow healthy bones with out calcium. It is an essential mineral that is necessary for healthy teeth and bones.

Kids who drink enough milk and eat enough yogurt, cheese and ice cream are never calcium deficient. Calcium supplements are poorly absorbed by children so you need to give them orange or grapefruit juice that is fortified with calcium.  Look for a juice that his high in calcium as many of them only have 20% of a daily value added.  You can also get chewable candies with calcium in them like Calcium gummy bears or Herbasaurs Calcium for Kids. Multivitamins for infants are available as drops and usually contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D. They may also have iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin E.  Good brands are Poly-Vi-Sol Drops, Gerber Vitamin Drops and Tri-Vi-Sol Drops.   

Keep in mind that many ‘complete’ multivitamins do not have all of the recommended amounts of the vitamins and minerals that your child needs each day and most don’t have enough calcium so you might have to look at supplementing your supplements depending on what brands are available. 

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