Recommendation for 16 yr old boy? - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

marie9186 · 04-26-2006, 06:52 AM

My son is 16 and always complaining about how tired he is. He gets about 7 hours of sleep at night and complains that getting more sleep doesn't help him. He says he feels fine but is just tired. He already takes a multivitamin daily, but are there other supplements that he could take that would give him a boost? He likes those energy drinks, but it doesn't seem healthy to me to pump him full of caffeine.

Reece Berg · 04-26-2006, 09:48 AM

You're exactly right. Caffeine is like sugar in that it is only a temporary fix to the problem. I would recommend trying to get more potassium into him. Most multivitamins do not have potassium and if they do, it is usually around 90mg, whereas the RDA is actually 3500mg, so it's not just about taking a multivitamin, but also making sure that the other things that he eats throughout the day contain potassium. I'm guessing he's getting the B vitamins in the multivitamin, however I would recommend you double check and make sure he is getting them as they too can impact energy. He's a teenage boy so I'm guessing he isn't all that interested in eating lettuce, spinach or that kind of stuff - if he is, they are very high in potassium. Other things high in potassium include cow milk, figs, prunes, bananas, peanut butter, potatoes, tomatoes,...

marie9186 · 04-26-2006, 01:34 PM

Thanks Reece....you were right, the multi-vitamin that he takes has only 2% potassium of the RDA in it. I will look for a different multi-vitamin for him. The B-6 & B-12 are at 100%. I could probably get him to eat a banana before he leaves for school, but forget anything else! Are there any 'good' energy drinks out there that he might enjoy the taste of that have high potassium in them?

Reece Berg · 04-26-2006, 02:59 PM

One of my favorites is Vanilla Chai Tea by Bolthouse Farms. It tastes like a light egg nog and has roughly 2,000mg of potassium in the 1l bottle. In Canada, they're sold in the produce section of most grocery stores. I have heard that they are also sold in the USA. It's a bit pricey at $3.99 CDN for 1, but even if he were to have just half a bottle a day, it would still provide him with 1,000mg which is roughly 30% of the RDA or the equivalent of 15 pills.
I'm not aware of any other half decent tasting drinks that are very high in potassium however you are already making a good start by having him eat a banana. Good luck