Growth & Diet Management
GROWTH AND DITE MANAGMENT
Children come in all shapes and sizes. But if you're noticing that your child is shorter or smaller than their friends at school, it's natural to wonder: Is my child growing normally?
Growth Matters
Slowed growth is not just a physical issue, it could also impact learning and development if the child is not getting the right nutrition. And it’s important to recognize that there are a lot of things that can affect a child's height and growth rate.
Physicians use pediatric growth charts to plot individual growth patterns and compare them to large-scale population data to make sure that a child is on track with their development. Any sizeable dip in your child's growth pattern may warrant a conversation with a pediatrician.
By staying proactive, though, you can spot signs of slowed growth in your child — and help them catch them up to their potential through a balanced diet that includes important nutrients to support growth.
Nutrition to Support Growth
Slowed growth doesn't have to be permanent, with kids as old as three and four years successfully catching up through nutritional intervention and dietary counseling.
Here are five ways to make sure your child is growing healthy, strong and on track.
Growth requires energy, which is why underweight children need extra calories in order to catch up. If necessary, add extra calories to food to help your child's growth patterns get back on track, but make sure they're not empty calories, i.e. junk food. For this, here at Chikitsa you can talk to a nutritionist or healthcare provider for guidance.
When adding extra calories to help fuel growth, it's important to make sure those calories are coming from a healthy blend of macronutrients — carbohydrates, protein and fat — the nutrients the body needs in large quantities.
Protein, in particular, plays an essential role in many bodily functions, including recovery and repair of tissues in the muscles, skin, organs, blood. More protein, such as lean meats and dairy products, at every meal or with healthy snacks to meet the daily recommendations.
During periods of growth, the body is highly dependent on iron, which helps to deliver oxygen to the body's cells. Increasing iron intake, both through foods and nutritional supplements like Pediasure, can encourage growth in iron-deficient children. Iron-rich foods include meat, eggs, seafood, beans, peas, fortified cereals and dark, leafy greens.
The World Health Organization notes that mild to moderate zinc deficiency may be fairly common around the world. Zinc plays an important role in cell growth, and in children, deficiency can slow overall growth and may also reduce resistance to infections. Consider adding beef, spinach, shrimp or kidney beans to your child's meals, as they are all sources of zinc.
Critical for the body's absorption of calcium, the sunshine vitamin promotes healthy bone formation and growth. Vitamin D is a common problem in children, but you can help get your kid’s levels where they need to be with extra outdoor playtime (sun exposure bolsters levels), vitamin-rich foods such as milk, dairy products and mushrooms, and, if needed, supplementation.
Nutrition and child development are closely connected, and though it might be easy to fall behind, it can be just as simple to catch up again with these tips in mind.