Childhood nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting not only current health, but also long-term health and quality of life in adulthood. Optimal intake of energy and all essential nutrients - macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) - is crucial for healthy physical growth, organ development, including brain development, and the promotion of cognitive function. The influence of nutrition in the early stages of life on a person's future health is discussed in the field of nutritional programming. Experts agree that nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child's life plays a critical role in his or her future health. [1]
Lack of certain nutrients during critical periods of development can lead to serious health problems. For example, vitamin D deficiency can cause abnormal bone development, while deficiencies of iodine, iron, or zinc have been associated with impaired cognitive development and lower intelligence quotient. For children in particular, it is therefore crucial to focus on diet quality and specific nutritional needs at different stages of their development.
What will you learn in this article?
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A quality diet = the foundation of health
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Basic supplementation for children
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Conclusion
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Key takeaways from the article
A quality diet = the foundation of health
The basic principle should be "food first" - or trying to provide the necessary nutrients primarily from natural foods. Health should therefore come first and foremost from a good diet, and not just for children. A healthy plate should include plenty of vegetables, fruit, quality protein, unprocessed carbohydrates and healthy fats.
You can hear more about optimal nutrition for kids in our 25th podcast with Jakub Pribyl, nutritionist and product developer at Trime.
However, intensive farming, depleted soil, the use of agrochemicals and then the processing industry are reducing the nutritional value of staple foods. In addition, children's picky eating habits or dietary restrictions (e.g. allergies, vegetarianism) make it difficult to cover the intake of necessary nutrients from diet alone. Research shows that the most commonly deficient nutrients in children include vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, iodine, iron and zinc.
A balanced diet and smart supplementation will help meet nutritional needs and support children's normal development." Jakub Přibyl, nutritionist and product developer at TRIME.
Basic supplementation for children
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one of the most deficient vitamins across the population, with young children particularly at risk of deficiency. A recent retrospective study involving nearly 120,000 participants showed that adequate vitamin D levels were found in only 32% of children aged 2-5 years, and in only 19% of children aged 6-15 years. [5]
Vitamin D influences healthy bone development, immune system function, including the development of autoimmune diseases, and is also involved in mental health.
You can read more about the importance of vitamin D for children in a separate blog article.
Kids Vitamin D3 - a standalone vitamin D3 drops are designed for young children from 6 months of age. This contains the required daily dose of 400 IU of D3 in 4 drops. From 12 months onwards, we recommend the more comprehensive Kids Omega 3 + D3/K2, which in addition to vitamin D3 also contains vitamin K2 and omega-3 fatty acids.
The dosage of vitamin D should be adjusted based on laboratory measured values. Taking venous blood can often be stressful for children. In these cases, you can use the Vitamin D Level test kit - a simple home self-test from a drop of blood. You can also try our simple quiz. By answering a few questions, you'll get a rough idea of how your child's vitamin D status is.
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 is one of the most underrated nutrients. Vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 are a synergistic duo. Both vitamins play an important role in calcium metabolism - while vitamin D enhances calcium absorption, vitamin K2 helps build calcium into bones and teeth and prevents calcium deposits in blood vessels. However, due to lack of data, its use is not recommended for children under 1 year of age;
Omega-3 fatty acids
The omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA are crucial for children as they support the proper development of the nervous system, brain and eyesight. Omega-3s also maintain a healthy immune system and have an anti-inflammatory effect, which can be very helpful for children with recurrent inflammation or atopy.
Kids Omega 3 + D3/K2 is a cleverly designed blend containing the most commonly missing nutrients - the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, along with vitamins D3 and K2, which are essential for the healthy development of children.
Dzieci DHA + D3/K2
Other nutrients that are often deficient in children include folic acid, iodine, zinc, iron, and vitamin E. Folic acid is important for the healthy development of the nervous system and the formation of red blood cells. In the Czech Republic, its insufficient intake has been described in more than 90% of preschool children [2].
Iodine is essential for the production of thyroid hormones, which control overall metabolism and are also crucial for brain development. Thus, iodine deficiency leads to thyroid dysfunction, and severe deficiency can cause brain damage and decreased intellect. The situation regarding iodine deficiency is worsening worldwide and the problem of iodine deficiency in children has also been highlighted by EFSA [3].
Vitamin E, zinc and iron are also among the nutrients often lacking in children. EFSA has identified low iron intake as a problem in infants and young children in Europe [3]. Vitamin E deficiency has been observed across age groups in Europe [4] and in the Czech Republic, vitamin E deficiency has been found in 10% of older school children [2].
For children over 12 years of age who are unable to meet the necessary nutrients from their diet, we can recommend the Daily F20 Multivitamin Complex. This is a unique multivitamin/multimineral supplement whose formulation is based on whole foods. Daily F20 Complex contains nutrients in their natural form as found in foods. In addition, the combination of powder and liquid capsules maintains the maximum quality and stability of all nutrients contained.
Conclusion
Nutrition in childhood is essential for children's physical and mental development, but it also influences their health in adulthood. An important role of parents is therefore to establish healthy eating habits from early childhood. Eating basic, minimally processed and good quality food should be the basis of every child's health. However, reality shows that many children's actual diets fall far short of this ideal.
Thus, smartly chosen supplementation helps children meet key nutritional needs and can support proper growth, brain and immune development, contributing to their health not only in childhood but also in adulthood.
Key takeaways from the article
- Nutrition in childhood fundamentally affects not only current health, but also health and quality of life in adulthood (principle of nutritional programming)
- "Food first" approach - priority should be given to a varied, natural and high quality diet as the main source of nutrients.
- Intensive farming, depleted land, food processing, as well as the picky nature of children and their realistic diets do not allow to cover all nutrients from diet alone.
- The most commonly missing nutrients in children include:
- Vitamin D - crucial for bones, immunity and the psyche.
- Vitamin K2 - along with vit. D3 - important for calcium metabolism and bone health.
- Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA) - important for brain development, vision, immunity.
- Supplementation of the most frequently missing nutrients vitamin D3 + K2 and omega-3 fatty acids is also suitable for children. The coverage of other nutritional needs should be ensured above all by a varied and balanced diet.
Sources
[1] https://www.1000dni.cz/nutricni-programovani/unikatni-okno-prilezitosti/
[2] https://pediatriepropraxi.cz/pdfs/ped/2017/02/04.pdf
[3] https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3408
[4] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4446765/
[5] Holmannova, D., Borsky, P., Kremlacek, J. et al. High prevalence of low vitamin D status in the Czech Republic: a retrospective study of 119,925 participants. Eur J Clin Nutr (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-025-01587-0
