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Feeding children and failure to thrive |
My
child is not eating well. What can I do? What must I do?
Healthy,
active children know instinctively how much food they need. In these
children it is much more important to look after the diversity of
their food intake. After the age of six years their food habits
become difficult to change so introduce them to a wide variety of
foods as early as you can. However, a child who just eats different
vegetables but not fruit, and vice versa, should still get all the
vitamins and minerals they need. Eating five portions of fruit and
vegetables a day (including fresh, frozen, canned and dried
vegetables, fruit and fruit juice) is important for children too.
Children
develop a natural preference for the foods they enjoy the most, so
the challenge is to make healthy choices appealing. Ensure that your
child's diet is as nutritious and wholesome as possible, even while
allowing for some of their favourite treats. The Food Standards
Agency suggests that about a third of a child's diet should be
fruit and vegetables, a third starchy foods like rice and potatoes,
and a third split between proteins (meat, fish, eggs and pulses) and
dairy products, with just small amounts of foods high in fat or
sugar. According to the Food Standards Agency's most recent
research, it may not necessarily be worth buying organic food for its
health benefits alone. However, organic food can taste better, and
organic production methods are generally better for the environment.
Babies
and children learn by watching others and this applies to their
eating habits as well so lead by example! It can help to read them,
or encourage them to read, books on the topic of healthy eating
written for children. Give them ample time to finish eating, but
never force them to eat or finish everything on their plates. Keep in
mind that toddlers have very small stomachs. It may be better to feed
them 5-6 small meals a day, rather than three large ones. It is
perfectly normal for your child to be ravenous one day and not want
food the next. Don't worry if your child's diet isn't good
every day, just as long as they seem satisfied and are getting a
well-rounded diet overall.
However,
some children have difficulty utilising the nutritional content of
their food, or even keeping it in their body long enough for it to be
absorbed. For these children weight gain is minimal or even at a loss
in which case they have a condition called 'failure to thrive'. Any
long term deficit of nutrition can have detrimental effects on the
long term physical and psychological health of children and may
result in learning difficulties or problems with communication,
social interaction and not reaching the milestones expected at
certain points in their life.
Consult
your doctor if:
- your
child is failing to grow or to gain weight
- your
child always seems tired
- you
child is less interested in playing
- your
child, especially as an adolescent, develops behavioural changes.
At
Richmond Practice our consultant paediatrician provides growth and
weight assessments, as well as blood tests for metabolic disease and
vitamin and mineral deficiencies. We also help with eating problems
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