Do they need them? My girls eat a very well-rounded diet except for dairy (calcium). They are gluten free too but I think most of the alternative grains I use are actually more nutritious than even organic whole wheat. They are limited on their veggies. They love carrots, peas, corn, potatoes, some beans, lettuce (most varieties) and green beans. Oh, broccoli, but we do not eat as much of it as we should. It is hard to get organic. I need to just buy it. They also eat meat daily, mostly deer and chicken (natural) and fish (tilapia and wild salmon). Eggs - ugh we go through up to 4 dozen a week for the 4 of us.

So, do they need them? Where is the best place to get calcium without dairy (beside broccoli)? Beth is at the age where the recommendations are far beyond what she is getting and osteoporosis is very common in our family (despite heavy dairy and veggie intake, may be caused by undiagnosed gluten intolerance).

Calcium is rarely absorbed in the dairy form anyway.... I wouldn't worry about that. If they eat the equvilant to a Tbs of spinich or other dark leafy green once a day (or balance out over the week) on a non-dairied (read: acidic) stomach they will get plenty of calcuim. The best way to get calcium is to eat sauted greens (not boiled, the minerals and vits end up in the water) with a bit of salt, along with a glass of fresh squeesed orange juice. This helps the absorbtion of Vit C and Vit K as well and Vit K and Calcium go hand in hand happily. My kids have gotten used to blended saute'd spinich over mashed potatoes. I do this every winter for me and for them... in the summer the grasing they do in the garden is plenty. I suggest getting frozen broccoli. Calcium is a mineral, and does not become altered by freezing or cooking (unless you boil things because then they can leach into the water). So getting organic broccoli frozen would be a good alturnative and get them eating it more. Stir fries with your deer meat and some carrots and broccoli over brown rice would give them a great calcium boost. :) Another way to get calcium into kids is to make smoothies. I add raw spinich to my banana strawberry smoothies, and really, you don't taste it. My smoothie recipe is as follows:

2 over ripe bananas
1 cup frozen organic strawberries
3 cups (3/4 of a carton) of vanilla almond, soy, or rice milk (usually which ever was on sale that month)
1 T of maple syrup
1 T of flax oil
1 T of brewers nutritional yeast
2 T of soy protien powder (Simple Greens)
3 calcium pills (opened and poured in)
and a large handful of raw washed spinich

Blend for about 2 minutes until super smooth and drink with a straw (this is the BEST way to get stuff into kids in my experience... ;) ) A 4 yr old can down 16 oz of that good stuff in no time... talk about a living breathing vit suppliment. :D

On to the vitamin question. I have my children take vits all year round if I remember but I pay specific attention during the winter when they are fighting of the cesspool of disease that is public school. lol... It is not because they do not get enough from their food... it is because I want them to have more than enough to grow on. I get the vegan ones from Trader Joes and they tend to be the best for my kids. If they were to start having trouble I would switch instantly to whole foods vitamins, because for ME they are the only thing that works, but for now the trader joes ones are cheap, complete, and my kids like the little teddy bear bottle they come in. ;)

One thing about broccoli, I believe it is on the list of produce that is consistently low in pesticides.

Thanks Mamas. I knew calcium was not well absorbed from dairy and was from spinach and broccoli. But, my girls will not eat spinach at all -- not cooked, fresh, etc. (I love it.) I would love your mash potato "gravy" recipe for spinach.

See, I thought broccoli was one of the worst ones. Off to google.

Man I wish we have a TJs somewhere near here. We do not even have a WF.

I googled and found yes, broccoli is low in pesticides. I had them confused with bell peppers. Ugh and I can't get bell peppers organic at all right now and we eat 6 or more a week of them.
http://www.eartheasy.com/eat_pesticides_produce.htm

I just saute spinich in a bit of butter and salt and then run it through my food processer (I did it in the blender before I got the processer). It makes a green paste, but the kids don't mind it at all... And it is really good on sour cream mashed potatoes. (I put 1/2 c sour cream, and 1/2 stick of butter in my mashed potatoes instead of milk)

Val

We all take Juice Plus - a virus just swept through the house and my sister and her DH, who don't take it got MUCH more sick than my family.

Any other suggestions for specific brands of vitamins? (Thanks, Val.) I have to buy online, so I can't browse the aisles and read labels, and I have to find someplace that sells what I'm looking for. Any suggestions would be welcome because this has been a concern for me too. Thanks for your input!

my dd take floradix w/calcium amd magnesium and cod liver oil in organic apple juice every other day, super acerola plus (500mg vit c) and animal parade multi daily. when she has cold symptoms i give her the rhino (brand) echinecea (sp?).