Vitamin B, babies and children (part two)

By Sarah Lawson

We have already looked at vitamins B1 and B2 and children but there are several other components of vitamin B that are also valuable in the diet of a growing child.

Why are B3, B5, B6, B12 and Folate important?
They might read like a series of 'shopper' bus routes, but these vitamins help the body's engine work properly.
Whilst B2 is good for helping us convert fat and protein into energy and tissue, B3 also helps us derive energy from food. Depending on how much energy we use up, we need greater or lesser amounts of it. B5 is also valuable for energy and to help the body's cell production, but also can help build immunity. B6 helps the body to create B3 and helps process protein.
B6 also contributes to healthy blood and B12 and Folate are important for the formation of blood cells.
Folate is important to infant development and features large in supplements for pregnant women, too.

Good sources of these vitamins
Meat and fish are good sources of B3, B5, B6 and B12. Chicken, lamb and turkey are good meats to include in the diet for these. If your child is vegan, B12 can be a worry because it is derived from animal products, but vegetarians are well served with eggs and yoghurt. If your child is vegan you have probably already addressed this issue and may be using a supplement.
Other good courses of B3, B5 and B6 include soya, lentils and beans. These may sound very 'worthy', but soya is in a lot of foods now and available in 'veggie' snacks which many meat-eating children enjoy too. Lentils can be cooked and reduced so that they thicken a stew, soup or casserole without your kids knowing they're there!
B3 is referred to as niacin and as such you will spot it as an added ingredient in cereals. It is also in yeast extract (Marmite, for example).
Oats are very good sources of B5, B6 and Folate, so porridge and oatcakes are a great way to get small children into the oaty habit. Folate is also to be found in fruit, lentils, soya, and spinach. Try getting some wholegrains into your children as these B vitamins are essential for building healthy hearts and tissue from the start.
Because of the sources of these B vitamins, it's unlikely that your child will ingest too much, but B3, B6 and Folate should be consumed in moderation.

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