The Sipponen family, based in Hollola, Finland, has six children. Being active in sports means they have healthy appetites. The family eats fish in all forms and finds that vitamin D supplements give energy for school work, too.

Vitamin D The Sipponen boys are chopping vegetables enthusiastically, pausing every now and then for a tasty bite. Their mother Maija Sipponen does not mind, as fresh carrots and courgettes are a good way to keep the boys going until dinner is ready.

“A good cook tastes the ingredients. There should always be vegetables and fruit on offer around the house. Children and teens won’t go to the fridge for them,” she says.

Tonight the family is having fish soup and oven-baked salmon with wok vegetables for dinner. There will be a lot of food because five of the six children still live at home.

Eetu likes
to fish

Fish contains plenty of vitamin D. Salmon contains 8 µg of vitamin D per 100 g portion.

“The almond fish at school is perhaps not my favourite, but I do eat it, too,” admits Väinö, 10 years.

Eetu is an enthusiastic fisherman, and the other family members also occasionally attempt fishing from the nearby Haritunoja and Vesijärvi lakes. Friends provide the family with pike-perch, pike, bream and sometimes also vendace.

Vitamin D
helps concentration

Despite the family’s healthy diet, Maija introduced fish oil capsules to the diet of their youngest son eighteen months ago. Kusti, who is now 9, had difficulties in learning to read and his teacher recommended that he takes vitamin D.

Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids may help improve concentration.

“I did give the children vitamin D as drops when they were very young, but not since. Once I learned that vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids may help improve concentration, I wanted to see for myself. I did notice that my energy levels became higher."

Due to the good results, Maija added capsules to Väinö's diet, too. The youngest boys say that they do not mind taking the capsules since they share the opinion that it helps them concentrate at school. Bad-tasting belches became a thing of the past once the boys started taking the capsules in the evening before bedtime.

Is sunlight
not enough?

Eetu, who is a student in a vocational school, listens attentively to the discussion. He says that he can power his studies and weight training by consuming vegetables, fish, milk and cheese.

“I am the one who gets tanned in this family so I get vitamin D from the sun,” he says, forgetting the long and dark Finnish winters.

The family makes good use of daylight as all family members, including Maija, play ice hockey, football and floorball together.

Text Ina Ruokolainen | Photos Markus Henttonen