When we developed and introduced our best-selling Multivitamin for Vegans, we sent shock waves through the supplement industry with our sustainably sourced, vegan ingredients and 100% biodegradable and plastic free packaging.
Now we are shaking things up again with our new vegan Multivitamin for Kids! We have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to launch this revolutionary new product and are so excited to tell you all about it.
Why a Multivitamin for Kids?
One of the challenges of running a company is making tough decisions on the best path forward. With so many sustainable vitamin product possibilities swirling around the Terraseed hive mind, choosing how to allocate the team’s limited time and resources is no easy task.
Of all the product’s we could be introducing right now, we chose to create the Complete Multivitamin for Kids for one main reason: You spoke, and we listened. We deeply value our customers, and your input is a guiding light in everything we do. The message from our community has been clear- we love our Terraseed Multivitamins and would love to share all the benefits we receive from them with our kids!
In this case, we decided a separate product was the appropriate route to take for a couple of important reasons. For one thing, the nutritional needs of children are different from the needs of adults. They have different recommended daily amounts for key nutrients, and their growing and developing bodies have different requirements. In addition, while the enteric-coated pill format of our current multivitamin is appropriate for adults, children typically can’t swallow pills until around the age of ten. Even then, it is often an uncomfortable process for them. By creating a kid friendly gummy multivitamin, we knew we could give our community’s kids a fun and pleasant supplement experience.
People of all ages deserve to experience optimal health and wellness, but while you may grit your teeth and take a shot of wheat grass despite the unpleasant taste, because you know it’s good for you, children are much less likely to sacrifice their sensory experience for future well-being. Any parent with a picky eater knows how difficult it can be to successfully tempt their little one with healthy food. We decided to develop this product to ensure kids have a nutritional safety net to lean on when their diet alone simply isn’t cutting it.
The Nutrients We Included and Why
While we designed our new formula with vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based kids in mind, the nutrients we selected are beneficial for any kids that may be lacking due to picky or restrictive eating habits or may just need an additional boost! Here is a full breakdown of each nutrient in our new Multivitamin for Kids and why we chose it.
Omega-3, 6 and 9
Omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids all play a crucial role in children’s growth, development, and brain function. In addition, these fatty acids are crucial for eye development and function. They have also been shown to provide benefits ranging from improving kids’ sleep quality and supporting skin and hair growth to reducing symptoms of ADHD and asthma.
Inadequate intake of essential fatty acids early in life has even been linked to lower cognitive performance later in childhood. Every single cell in our bodies requires omega-3 fatty acids to build the cellular membrane, and because omega-3s are an essential nutrient, they must be obtained through diet. Despite their importance, this study published in the British Medical Journal found that as high as 95% of children are not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids!
Calcium
Children need calcium to build strong bones and teeth and because they are still growing those bones and teeth it’s even more important to ensure adequate intake. As a kid gets older, their rate of bone development increases and so does their need for calcium. When they are between 1 and 3, 700 mg a day will suffice, but the RDA gradually steps up to 1,300 mg a day by the time they reach 9 years old. The increased need stays in place until kids are completely done growing around age 18. Once they have reached adulthood, the need for calcium will drop back down to 700 mg a day.
Unfortunately, according to this article published in MedPage Today, “Only about 10% of girls ages 12 to 19 are getting the recommended amount of calcium. For boys, the figure is about 30%.” Younger children aren’t faring much better with approximately 60% of kids aged six to eleven, 40% of three- to five-year-olds, and 20% of one- to two-year-olds not getting enough.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is necessary for children to absorb the calcium in their diet and build strong bones. Without enough vitamin D, the human body can only absorb 10% to 15% of its calcium intake at most. With enough vitamin D, the absorption rate more than doubles to between 30% and 40%. If they are not getting enough vitamin D, children can develop a condition called Rickets which is categorized by a softening of the bones. In addition to calcium absorption, vitamin D also plays a role in supporting immunity and preventing infections.
Vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight, but depending on where on the globe a family lives and what their lifestyle looks like, this is often not enough to cover the daily 600 IUs recommended by the FDA.
Vitamin B12
B12 is essential for many functions of the human body in children and adults alike including central nervous system function and red blood cell formation. Low B12 can also be detrimental to a child’s growth and development.
Vitamin B12 is synthesized by certain bacteria that most commonly live in soil. Before our modern world became hyper clean and super sanitized, human beings could get all the B12 they needed by eating unwashed vegetables and drinking untreated water. In the modern world, many people get their B12 by eating animals that were supplemented with B12 while being raised for food. In fact, 90% of the B12 supplements produced by the world are being fed directly to livestock.
While B12 deficiency was previously thought to be relatively uncommon in children recent studies have shown that it is much more prevalent than anticipated. This issue is exacerbated for vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based kids because they are not obtaining vitamin B12 from meat sources. It’s estimated that as high as 43% of vegans may have B12 deficiency.
Other B Vitamins
Outside of vitamin B12, there are an array of other B vitamins including B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6, B7 (biotin), B8 (inositol), and B9 (folate). These vitamins are instrumental in the process of breaking down food and absorbing and utilizing the nutrients contained within. Without B vitamins, kids wouldn’t be able to release the energy from the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins they consume and fuel their daily activities.
We felt it was important to include these vital nutrients to ensure that kids would not only be able to glean the full benefit of our supplements, but also to ensure they are maximizing their absorption of the nutrition they obtain through food.
Iodine
The thyroid is a gland located in the middle of the neck that mainly produces two hormones: thyroxine or tetraiodothyronine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones help regulate metabolism and play a major role in a child’s growth and development. The thyroid gland needs iodine to produce these hormones and function properly. Among other issues, a lack of iodine in children can cause stunted growth and impaired cognitive function.
According to the American Thyroid Association, “About 30% of the people in the world are at risk for iodine deficiency.” While some plant-based individuals consume iodine from iodized table salt or seaweed, we wanted to include it to ensure your child is getting enough!
Zinc
Zinc is required to keep our immune system functioning properly and heal wounds. In children it is also a necessary component for growth and development. Insufficient zinc in children can cause loss of appetite, lack of growth, and low immunity.
Of the top 15 food sources of zinc, 8 of them are animal based. While there are plant-based food sources of zinc, it can be hard for children to eat enough of them to meet the recommended daily amount for their age group, making it an excellent nutrient to add to our nutritional safety net.
Magnesium
Magnesium aids in the absorption of vitamin D and calcium and therefore is also critical to bone health and development. In addition to this, it has also been shown to benefit sleep quality, mood regulation, ability to focus, energy levels, and immunity in children. Like zinc, it may be challenging for kids to get enough through food alone and therefore was another ideal addition to our formula.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A plays a crucial role in immunity, supporting healthy vision, and skin and cell production. While vitamin A is essential for both children and adults, a deficiency of this vitamin in kids can lead to delayed growth and development and increased risk of respiratory diseases and infections. Since children tend to be more susceptible to these types of illnesses, insufficient vitamin A leads to higher mortality rates.
Older children between 14 and 18 years old require about 900 mcg of vitamin A daily (up from 300 mcg for 1- to 3-year-olds, 400 mcg for 4- to 8-year-olds, and 600 mcg for 9- to 13-year-olds). While vitamin A is unlikely to be an issue unless you are dealing with an especially picky eater, we chose to include a moderate dose due to the issues that can arise from not consuming enough.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential, water-soluble antioxidant that is already well known for the role it plays in boosting immunity and protecting against infection, it is also involved in building and maintaining healthy bones, teeth, skin, and cartilage. In addition, it contributes to developing healthy gums and strengthening blood vessels. For all these reasons, it is essential for a child’s health and development.
Vitamin C is present in a variety of plant foods; it is almost synonymous with oranges but is also found in other citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, potatoes, bell peppers, and strawberries, to name a few. We included a small dose of vitamin C as an extra boost, as it is a water-soluble vitamin, it is hard to over do it, so a little extra always helps.
Vitamin E
Like vitamin C, vitamin E is also an antioxidant, but it is fat-soluble rather than water-soluble. It also plays an important role in boosting immunity and fighting off germs and infections and is necessary to keep blood vessels open and blood flowing smoothly, helping prevent blood clots. Beyond these functions, it is also necessary for allowing our cells to interact with each other so they can function properly.
This nutrient is found in plant-foods such as sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, dark leafy greens, and pumpkin. While the necessary amounts can be obtained through diet, this is another situation where we decided to include a helpful dose because it is better to be safe than sorry!
Sustainability
When we developed the formula for our Multivitamin for Kids, it was very important to us to make sure we dotted all our i’s, crossed all our t’s, and didn’t leave any child’s health or well being to chance. However, for Terraseed, the formula is only one small part of the story. We believe that a product can only truly be good for people if it also is good for the planet. So, in launching this product, we are also doubling down on our commitment to sustainability in both our ingredient sourcing and packaging.
When we launched our first Multivitamin for Vegans, we scoured the globe for ingredients that are not only good for the planet, but also the most bioavailable and potent plant-based nutrients available. This time around, we did it again! Here are just a few examples of how our ingredients embody our passion for sustainability:
Ingredients are important, but packaging is equally so. We began our journey into sustainable vitamins by creating the world’s first 100% biodegradable and plastic free pill bottle. With this new endeavor we have once again achieved another world’s first by developing a pill bottle that is not only 100% biodegradable and plastic free, but also child proof. This turned out to be no easy task, but we are set on sustainability and refuse to compromise, now or ever!
Our Mission
The supplement industry contributes to the deaths of 24 billion animals and creates 1.8 billion plastic pill bottles every year. Terraseed’s mission is to create the best and most sustainable supplements on Earth and foster a healthier future for both people and the planet. With the launch of our new Multivitamin for Kids, we are one step closer to achieving just that and creating a better world for us all!