Is slow weight gain in children due to lack of micronutrients?

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Hai - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital

Slow weight gain is a problem for many parents. The cause may be due to anorexia, malabsorption, digestive disorders or micronutrient deficiencies in the child's diet. Apply solutions to help children gain weight and supplement minerals for children to develop well.

1.1 Children with micronutrient deficiencies Children with slow weight gain due to a lack of vitamins and minerals in their daily diet such as potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamins A, B, D... making children malnourished. , short, underweight compared to children of the same age.
With infants, the most common cause of micronutrient deficiency is the mother's lack of milk. If the mother's milk is not abundant, the child will be hungry, slow to gain weight, underdeveloped physically and mentally. In addition, mistakes such as incorrect breastfeeding position, improper sucking of the baby, insufficient nutrients in breast milk cause children to slowly gain weight even though the mother has enough milk.
1.2 Digestive disorders Children often have digestive problems such as bloating, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, malabsorption due to incomplete development of the digestive system, abnormalities or diseases in the digestive system. . This is one of the reasons why children eat a lot but slowly gain weight.
1.3 Children anorexia Children anorexia, anorexia leads to a decrease in the amount of nutrients loaded in the body, which slows down the child's weight gain.
1.4 Improper food preparation Diet too much sugar or salt, fast food, and processed food also slow weight gain in children.
1.5 Unscientific way of taking care of children Bad habits make children slow to gain weight such as unreasonable eating schedule, no fixed time, eating a lot of fast food, arbitrary child care habits..
1.6 Children who are too hyperactive Children who are too active and eager to play often need more energy, so they need more nutrients.
1.7 Congenital diseases, chronic diseases Children with genetic diseases, chronic diseases such as congenital heart disease, heart failure, systemic disease... are often the possible causes that affect their ability to live. digestion, absorption as well as increase the body's energy consumption, causing malnutrition

Children with age-appropriate weight and height will be tall, healthy, active, with good intelligence and resistance. If the child is slow to gain weight, it is easy to have problems such as:
Delay in both physical and mental development. Children with developmental delays will have short bodies and are not agile and flexible. Children lacking micronutrients for a long time will be short, rickets, debilitated and difficult to achieve ideal stature when grown up. Reduced resistance, weak immune system makes children susceptible to infectious diseases such as digestive disorders, diarrhea, respiratory infections, ... making children skinny and weak.

3.1 Diverse and complete nutrition Adequate nutrition is a key determinant of a child's weight and growth. In order for children to gain weight well, children must eat a full range of essential nutrients from meat, fish, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fats. In addition, the way to prepare food also needs to be diverse, the menu rotates so that children are excited to eat, not bored when eating.
3.2 Vitamin and Mineral Supplements The daily diet is sometimes not complete with vitamins and minerals. To improve weight, in addition to children's meals, they should add vitamins and minerals from different food sources. Supplementing with vitamins and minerals promotes basic metabolism, helps children digest better, develops strong bones and joints, limits the risk of rickets, malnutrition, supports height and brain growth.
3.3 Add good fats in meals Fat plays an important role in providing energy for children's daily activities. Therefore, children's daily menu must be supplemented with unsaturated fats, which are vegetable oils exclusively for children to ensure their health. Adding 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil specifically for children to each cup of rice or porridge helps children eat more deliciously and provide more energy.
3.4 Divide meals and do not force children to eat Forcing children to eat a large amount of food at each meal will cause children to vomit, bring obsession and fear when it comes to meals. Instead, parents should divide into many small meals a day with a sufficient amount of food, which can be increased to about 5-6 meals a day. This both reduces pressure for the baby at the main meal, limits the child's anorexia and helps to absorb nutrients better.
3.5 Do not puree food but let children chew it themselves. Pureeing food will make children lazy to eat, picky eaters, lazy to chew. The process of chewing will help children feel the taste of food, and at the same time stimulate the digestive system to secrete more enzymes to digest food better.
3.6 For children to exercise regularly Practicing sports or participating in outdoor physical activities such as cycling, basketball, swimming helps children burn energy, eliminate toxins, stimulate the digestive system, Eat better and grow taller. In addition, physical activity also creates conditions for children to develop their brains, creative thinking, joyful, optimistic and sociable children.

3.7 Strengthening the digestive system Supplementing with beneficial bacteria to strengthen the digestive system is one of the important measures to help children gain weight steadily and safely. Supplementing beneficial bacteria from probiotics helps to balance the intestinal microflora, increase the number of beneficial bacteria for the digestive system and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. From there, the child's digestive system works more efficiently, increasing the ability to absorb nutrients, helping the baby eat better, gain weight faster, be healthy and increase resistance.
3.8 Do not arbitrarily give your baby nutritional supplements. Nutritional supplements for children with slow weight gain will stimulate the digestive system to produce enzymes, helping children eat more deliciously and eat more. Thereby better absorption of essential nutrients for the body, actively supporting the growth of height and weight, increasing resistance. However, the use of supplements for children with slow weight gain needs to consult with doctors as well as nutritionists, do not arbitrarily give children to use.
3.9 Examination helps to rule out chronic and genetic diseases. Slow weight gain and malnutrition in children when they have done well in care issues need to think about this cause. To be able to detect and treat early, it is necessary to be examined and treated in quality medical units.
In short, children's slow weight gain is a common problem, affecting the development of children as well as causing many concerns for parents. Applying scientific care, adequate nutrition and supplementing with vitamins, minerals and necessary nutrients to help increase children's resistance to grow steadily, comprehensively and optimally.
In the case of children with slow weight gain, malabsorption, etc., parents should supplement their children with supportive products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins. meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. The most important thing is that improving your baby's symptoms often takes a long time. Combining many types of functional foods at the same time or changing many types in a short time can make the baby's digestive system unable to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really patient with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.