As most of you know, I am not overly enthusiastic about vitamin supplements. I think people are better off getting their nutrients from foods rather than pills and—with a couple of exceptions—meeting your nutritional requirements from diet alone is not difficult. After all, most of us live in countries were food is plentiful. (Too plentiful, by the looks of things.)
See also: Do you Need a Multivitamin?
However, there are places where food is scarce and children go hungry. There, a basic multivitamin is more than just an inexpensive insurance policy—it can literally make the difference between barely surviving and thriving. According to a global task force, providing multivitamins to at-risk infants and children is one of the most cost effective ways to combat disease and poverty.
A charitable organization called Vitamin Angels partners with corporate sponsors and local aid organizations to provide free vitamins to malnourished and undernourished children, helping to break the cycle of poverty, disease, and disability. To learn more about this wonderful program or to join me in supporting them, please visit VitaminAngels.org