Vitamin B12 and folate are two B vitamins involved in fundamental processes throughout a growing child’s body. Both contribute to normal cell division and blood formation and have important roles in normal nervous-system function and development.
For children eating very restricted diets, it is useful to consider whether the diet provides a broad range of B vitamins alongside other essential nutrients.
What Does Vitamin B12 Do?
Vitamin B12 contributes to normal red blood cell formation, nervous-system function, energy metabolism and cell division.
Which Foods Provide Vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is naturally found predominantly in animal-derived foods such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy foods. Children following restricted or particular dietary patterns may therefore have fewer dietary sources.
What Is Folate?
Folate is another B vitamin involved in cell division and normal blood formation. Because children are continually producing new cells and growing new tissue, adequate overall nutrition matters throughout childhood.
Which Foods Contain Folate?
Food sources include leafy green vegetables, legumes, avocado, asparagus, broccoli and some nuts and seeds.
Why Do We Look at B12 and Folate Together?
These nutrients participate in closely related processes within the body. Rather than looking at one nutrient in isolation, we consider the child’s whole dietary pattern.
What About Fussy Eaters?
A child whose diet contains very few protein foods, vegetables or legumes may have fewer opportunities to obtain a broad range of nutrients. This does not mean every fussy eater is deficient. It means dietary variety deserves attention.
Look Beyond One Nutrient
If we are considering B12 and folate, we also look at the rest of the diet: adequate protein, iron- and zinc-rich foods, dietary variety and whether digestive symptoms are affecting appetite.
Related Reading
- fussy eating in children
- poor growth and appetite
- childhood health conditions A–Z
- Can Low Iron Affect a Child’s Behaviour, Sleep and Concentration?
- Why Is My Child Such a Fussy Eater? The Nutritional Factors Worth Considering
- Growth Spurts and Nutritional Needs: Why Children’s Needs Can Suddenly Change
Ready to Better Understand Your Child’s Health?
If these patterns sound familiar, our team can look at your child’s nutrition, digestion, sleep, growth and lifestyle together to understand which factors may be relevant to their individual presentation.
The Children’s Naturopath supports children and families through consultations at our St Kilda clinic in Melbourne and by phone throughout Australia, New Zealand and internationally.
