We recently got our delivery of Veg 1, the vegan multivitamin from The Vegan Society, and I quickly noticed that the packaging had changed. It’s now in a nice shiny tin, which means they’ve ditched the plastic, yay!
But I was alarmed to see that where on the back where the instructions can be found, rather than stating children over 2 years old can take half a tablet a day, it now says children over 3 years old. This worried me because I’d recently been giving my 2 year old half a pill on most days. So, it was time to investigate!
Right then. Each Veg 1 tablet contains:
- Vitamin D, 20mcg
- Vitamin B12, 25mcg
- Iodine, 150mcg
- Folic acid, 200mcg
- Vitamin B6, 2mg
- Vitamin B2, 1.6mg
- Selenium, 60mcg
Now, everyone over 1 year old is advised to take 10mcg of vitamin D, so half a tablet would be fine for a 2 year old. But what about the rest? Here’s the recommended daily allowances (RDA) in a 2 year old for the other vitamins found in Veg 1:
- Vitamin B12, 0.5mcg
- Iodine, advised amounts vary from 55mcg to 90mcg
- Selenium, varies from 15mcg to 20mcg
- Vitamin B6, 0.5mg
- Vitamin B2, 0.7-2mg
It seems that half a Veg 1 would contain 12.5mcg of B12, and the RDA is 0.5mcg. However, B12 is a water soluble vitamin, easily excreted, and almost impossible to overdose on. Absorption is also variable, so large doses are often taken. And don’t forget that B12 is the only nutrient which can’t be obtained naturally from plant-based foods, making supplementation essential. So I’m happy the amount in Veg 1 is safe for my toddler.
I found a relatively wide variation in the documented RDA of Iodine for 2 year olds, from 55mcg to 90 mcg. The amount in half a Veg 1 is 75cg, somewhere right in the middle. Again, I’m happy with this dose for my 2 year old. Next up is Selenium, and again there wasn’t a consistent RDA when I searched for it. Instead it seems that anything from 15-20mcg is recommended, however half a Veg 1 contains considerably more than this at 30mcg. But selenium is rather safe, requiring particularly high doses for any actual adverse effects. So a daily dose of 30mcg seems to be safe, as long as your child isn’t taking any other supplements containing it, but if you are worried, it may be worth finding a different supplement.
Vitamin B6, has an RDA of 0.5mg in 2 year olds, and half of a Veg 1 contains 1mg. But much like B12, this is easily excreted if more than required is consumed. Vitamin B2 RDAs vary quite widely, from 0.7 to around 2mg, and with a dose of 0.8mg per half a tablet, Veg 1 contains a safe dose for 2 year olds.
I concluded that I’m going to continue giving Veg 1 to my little one, particularly as he really likes the flavour of the orange one! But if you’re worried your family might be getting too high doses of these, there are plenty of other multivitamins on the market.
Thanks for reading,
The Vegan Doctor