What to do when children have poor appetite? Common causes and signs that parents often ignore

Anorexia and picky eating in young children not only make each meal a "battle" but also cause many parents to worry that their children are malnourished, slow to gain weight and underdeveloped. These worries often lead to stress and helplessness, causing many parents to force their children to eat or put pressure on them during meals. However, these things are actually highly likely to be counterproductive, causing children to resist eating. Therefore, when children show signs of anorexia, parents need to find out the real cause of their anorexia in order to find a suitable solution. This is the "key" to helping children regain interest in meals and eat a variety of foods to develop healthily.

Anorexia in children: Signs for parents to recognize

Anorexia is a condition in which children do not consume enough amount and type of food needed to meet growth needs, directly affecting height and weight. This is often manifested through a few common signs such as:

• Children refuse to finish their portion or meals take too long (more than 30 minutes).

• The baby suckles and eats less than usual.

• Children hold food in their mouths for a long time and refuse to swallow.

• Children do not eat certain foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fruits.

• Children refuse to eat and run away when they see food.

• Children see food and have a nausea reaction.

• Growth indicators such as weight and height do not meet normal growth levels, for example, no weight gain or even weight loss.

4 common factors that increase the risk of children having anorexia that parents often overlook

The causes of anorexia in children can come from many different problems. Among them, the following 4 common factors are contributing to anorexia in children but parents pay little attention:

1. Imbalance of intestinal microflora

The human digestive tract is home to more than 100 trillion microorganisms, creating a rich and diverse intestinal microflora. The intestinal microflora includes microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, etc., along with their living environment inside the digestive tract. Although microorganisms are very small, they contribute greatly to the overall health of humans in many different ways. The intestinal microflora can participate in many important functions such as:

• Support the digestion and absorption process: For example, probiotics help the body absorb, synthesize and metabolize many nutrients such as bile acids, fats, amino acids, vitamins and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)...

• Support immune function: Probiotics contribute to protecting the intestinal mucosal barrier; regulate immune response; fight harmful bacteria/germs through many mechanisms such as competition for nutrients, competition for adhesion sites, secretion of antibacterial peptides, and effects on cell signaling pathways...

• Appetite support: The gut microbiota is a rich community of microorganisms that interact closely with the host body. The gut microbiota not only influences appetite-regulating hormones through the role of the brain-gut axis, but also contributes to the central nervous system through neurotransmitters, thereby regulating hunger and satiety and influencing eating behavior.

Studies show that the balance of intestinal microflora not only plays an important role in overall health but also affects children's appetite. If the intestinal microflora is unbalanced, it can cause digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, etc. These conditions can reduce children's appetite, leading to anorexia.

2. Children's diet is not reasonable

Children with poor appetite and eating little at main meals may have an inappropriate diet, including:

• Before or near meals, if mothers give their children too many drinks such as milk, fruit juice or eat too many cakes or candies, it can reduce their appetite.

• Snacking between meals and snacks can also affect your child's appetite.

• Feeding children does not meet the recommended intake for their age and physical condition. For example, the average energy requirement of a 3-year-old boy is about 1,300kcal per day. If parents overfeed their children, they may become less interested in subsequent meals.

• Children's diets are unbalanced, lacking in variety in portions and taste. This problem is manifested by mothers limiting food to the foods their children love, not introducing new foods to their children or not having new ways of preparing them.

3. Children are forced to eat and unscientific feeding methods of parents

Some parents think their child looks small or is at risk of malnutrition, so they overreact when their child eats less. Many parents do not understand the physiological decrease in appetite that occurs in children from 1 to 5 years old, leading to pressure on children, forcing them to eat more than they need and making them afraid to eat.

In addition, children tend to imitate the behavior and eating habits of adults. For example, if someone in the family "refuses" a certain type of food, children are likely to form similar habits. If parents do not recognize this behavior early and continue to maintain a lack of diverse eating environment, it can affect children's eating preferences. In addition, behaviors such as forcing, scolding, and threatening children when they refuse to eat often cause psychological pressure, reducing their appetite instead of improving it.

4. Physiological anorexia

Anorexia nervosa is a condition in which a child undereats or avoids eating, but is not an eating disorder. Most children experience anorexia, but the condition usually improves over time.

What to do when children are picky eaters? Good tips for parents to help improve their children's picky eating

Studies show that the gut microbiota can support children's appetite. The gut microbiota can influence hormones that regulate appetite through the role of the brain-gut axis and can act on the central nervous system through neurotransmitters, thereby regulating hunger and satiety and thereby influencing children's eating behavior.

Thus, to help improve the condition of anorexia and picky eating, an important tip for parents is to find ways to improve the health of the child's intestinal microflora by adding probiotic-rich foods to daily meals such as yogurt or yogurt drinks. Supplementing probiotics not only helps increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the intestines but also contributes to reducing oxidative stress and intestinal inflammation, thereby promoting the recovery of digestive function and improving appetite.

For young children, parents can consider giving them a delicious orange-flavored probiotic yogurt drink, suitable for their preferences and taste buds, helping to stimulate their appetite, helping them eat well and gain weight. However, parents should note that not all probiotics can survive after overcoming the harsh environment of the stomach. Therefore, when choosing a probiotic yogurt drink for children, mothers should prioritize products containing tens of billions of L.CASEI 431™ probiotics. from Europe proven by more than 90 scientific and clinical studies on its ability to survive gastric juice and reach the small and large intestines.

Currently, there are some live yogurt drinks on the market that contain probiotics L.CASEI 431™. Each 65ml bottle is made from about 13 billion probiotics L.CASEI 431™, supporting good digestion and contributing to increased resistance. In particular, in addition to supplementing probiotics L.CASEI 431™, These products are also supplemented with 104mg of lysine, zinc and B vitamins (B1, B2 and B12) to help support appetite, eat well and support weight gain. Mothers can give their children to drink after each meal, regularly 2 bottles a day to help improve digestion, support children to eat well, contribute to improving the condition of anorexia and anxiety at mealtimes.

In addition to giving children probiotic yogurt drinks to help them eat well, parents should also develop a reasonable diet, suitable for their age and physical condition to help children increase their interest in eating such as:

• Changing dishes regularly helps your baby eat a variety of foods, combining all the necessary nutrients for each meal.

• Change the way you cook and decorate your food to make it more beautiful and attractive.

• Limiting meal time to 20-30 minutes per meal helps children focus on enjoying the food and not get bored at the next meal.

• If your child refuses to eat a new food, do not force him to eat it immediately, but try again at another time. The best way is for the mother to feed the child on demand, and can let the child exercise before eating to increase the feeling of hunger.

• Let your child eat with the family, encourage and praise when your child eats well and is confident with eating.

• Good oral hygiene for children, brush teeth 1 to 2 times per day.

• Parents should be a good example of healthy eating for their children to learn and follow.

Children with poor appetite and picky eating are common concerns of many mothers with young children. Although this problem often causes stress, if mothers understand the cause and how to handle it, they can still help their children overcome it soon. The important thing is that mothers need to be patient, build a scientific diet, and create a happy meal atmosphere so that children gradually form positive eating habits and improve the condition of poor appetite.

Note: Live culture yogurt drink products are not for children under 1 year old.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/tre-bieng-an-phai-lam-sao-nguyen-nhan-va-dau-hieu-pho-bien-cha-me-hay-bo-qua-724633.html