Ten “tellings” about child nutrition

How to make children eat more scientific and more nutritious? In your head, you may already have some traditional and rooted "food philosophy." However, they may not be completely correct. Take a look at the following 10 statements and the facts about these 10 statements!

Say that a child needs to eat red meat (bull mutton) to prevent anemia

Fact: The younger the child is, the greater the possibility of iron deficiency. According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, USA, 9% of children who begin to walk at the age of 1 to 2 years experience iron deficiency. In children aged 3 to 5, the proportion fell to 3%, compared with 2% of children aged 6 to 11 years. It is good news for beginner children to get a lot of iron from their diet. Many families are naturally vegetarian or do not eat beef and mutton. What's more, meat is harder and children can hardly chew.

Red meat contains easily absorbed iron, so it is good for children to eat properly. However, children who begin to walk can also satisfy the body's needs for various minerals by eating fortified cereals and bread, dried fruits (such as raisins), spinach, molasses, soybeans, lentils, eggs, fish, and poultry. Children under the age of 10 should receive at least 10 milligrams of iron per day. This amount is easily reached. A cup of cheese (about 8 milligrams of iron) and two sachets of raisins (about 2 milligrams of iron) are sufficient.

If you are unsure whether the child is iron-deficient, consult a professional doctor. They will give you some advice based on your child's feeding history.

Saying that children cannot obtain essential vitamins and minerals without eating vegetables

Fact: Some children do not like to eat vegetables but they are still healthy. The reason is that they like to eat fruit. Fruit is a good nutritional substitute as the child slowly learns to accept green vegetables such as greens and spinach.

If your child does not eat carrots, in order to supplement the vitamin A and carotene that may be lacking, you may wish to give him some apricot or honeydew melon; strawberries or oranges can be used instead of spinach to meet the child's needs for folic acid. Bananas can replace potatoes as a source of potassium; citrus fruits can replace cabbage to meet the needs of vitamin C.

However, after all, vegetables and fruits cannot completely replace each other. Vegetables are not only rich in essential vitamins and minerals, but also contain a variety of health-promoting phytochemicals. Therefore, you must continue to provide vegetables for children, let him accept and like vegetables. this point is very important.

Three milk products increase the child’s cold

The fact that dairy products increase the production of mucus or thicken the mucous secreted by the nasal cavity is completely wrong. When a child catches a cold, mucus in the nose and throat is caused by cold viruses. The dairy products only stick to the eyes of the scorpion, making people feel a bit uncomfortable. When the child catches a cold, he can continue to provide him with milk or other dairy products. If he does not drink milk, give him other liquids such as plain water, juice, gruel or chicken broth until he feels better. Even if the child has no appetite, let him drink enough water to prevent dehydration and allow mucus to flow out of the nasal cavity.

Statement 4 In order to prevent obesity, children's fat intake should be restricted as soon as possible.

Fact: For babies and children who are just learning to walk, their brains and bodies grow extremely fast, and 40% of calories (calories) per day are taken from fat. The developing brain has special needs for fatty acids and other components of fat.

Therefore, most experts recommend that children under 2 years of age drink whole milk instead of skimmed milk. Larger children still need to consume sufficient amounts of essential fatty acids from their diet in order to promote normal skin growth, secretion of sex hormones, and vitamin absorption. But after 2 years old, it is enough to get about 30% of calories (calories) from fat every day.

In addition, the fat in food can make children feel that they are already full. Therefore, if you limit your child's fat intake too much, he may compensate by eating more food.

The saying five eat more sugar will make children over-active

Fact: Eating more sugar has no effect on children. In fact, studies have found that laboratory animals that eat high-sugar diets become inactive. So where did this incorrect statement come from? It is likely that when parents often find that their children have become very active after eating sweets like chocolate or soda, both contain caffeine. In fact, caffeine is the cause of excessive activity in children.

Statement 6 Be careful when adding new foods to small babies because many children are allergic to certain foods

Fact: Food allergies are not as common as people think. In fact, only 6-8 percent of children with genuine food allergies. Urticaria, eczema, vomiting, diarrhea, or, in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock, etc., are reactions that occur when food allergies occur. Foods that are prone to allergic reactions include milk, eggs, peanuts, nuts (such as cashew nuts and walnuts), wheat, soybeans, fish, and shellfish. 90% of allergic reactions are caused by the addition of these foods. Therefore, when adding these foods, pay attention to observe whether children have abnormal reactions. If you suspect that your child has an allergic reaction, you can take the child to the hospital and consult a pediatrician. If necessary, the doctor will test the child for allergens.

Saying that seven milk is a strong bone is an essential nutrient food

Fact: Yes, milk is indeed one of the best sources of calcium. However, if your child does not love to drink milk, he