Weaning menu for babies with digestive disorders

Digestive disorders are very common diseases in young children in the age of weaning. The most common causes of digestive disturbances are dietary changes, for example from breast milk (liquid, sweet taste) to powdered solids (thicker, salty taste). Besides. food is not nutritious, rancid or due to the use of antibiotics.
Symptoms of digestive disorders are common such as abdominal distension, flatulence, heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loose stools. This long-term condition makes the baby tired, eat poorly, anorexia, which leads to weight loss, stunting, and malnutrition. Due to anorexia, or vomiting, children with digestive disorders often have weak resistance and are susceptible to infections such as respiratory infections.
Children with digestive disorders need a more special diet to supplement the nutrients necessary for the body's development and strengthen the immune system. The weaning menu for babies with digestive disorders needs to be built in a scientific and simple way, including easily digestible foods so as not to put pressure on the stomach and intestines but still ensure enough nutrition for the baby. have the necessary energy. Some principles of food selection to build a weaning menu for babies with digestive disorders are as follows:
To help your baby quickly recover from illness, the dishes on the weaning menu for babies with digestive disorders need to be safe. , full of 4 groups of nutrients including: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Rice, porridge, noodles, ... : is a source of starch to ensure the baby's quick recovery. Eating porridge helps your baby's stomach and intestines easily digest and absorb nutrients easily. Some nutritious porridge is suitable for babies with digestive disorders such as lotus seed porridge, carrot porridge cooked with cheese. Protein: found in meat, fish, shrimp, eggs, milk, soy products and other legumes. Children with digestive disorders need to increase protein supplements to provide the body with essential amino acids. This is the raw material for the body to produce cellular components of the immune system such as white blood cells, lymphocytes.. Children under 1 year old need 100-150g of meat and fish per day, children from 1 to 3 years old need 150-200g. meat and fish every day. Fat in baby cooking oil (sesame oil, olive oil) or vegetable fat. In particular, Omega-3 is a very useful fatty acid for the development of the baby. In addition, omega-3 also benefits the heart, eyes, skin. In the weaning menu for babies with digestive disorders, it is necessary to have foods rich in omega-3 such as sea fish, catfish, seaweed and dried nuts such as almonds, walnuts, ... pureed for children. into porridge, flour. Supplementing with foods rich in zinc is good for the digestive system, helping the baby eat better and absorb better. Zinc is abundant in cereals, beef, shrimp, crab and animal liver. Vegetables and fruits contain a lot of fiber and micronutrients such as calcium, iron, and zinc necessary for the baby's development. Green vegetables such as amaranth, spinach, broccoli, and spinach add fiber to help intestinal bacteria grow, thereby strengthening and supporting the digestive system. Especially vitamins A, B, C from green vegetables and fruits will help strengthen the resistance, limit the risk of allergies for the baby and infectious diseases; Helps the body eliminate toxins, digest unhealthy fats and help your baby absorb iron better. Therefore, adding fruits and vegetables to the daily weaning menu will help your baby's digestive system stay healthy, effectively prevent digestive disorders and constipation. Fruits such as bananas, apples, papayas, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, dragon fruit ... help to supplement your baby's vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Drinking fruit juice both rehydrates and adds nutrients. Parents should feed their baby 1 to 2 bananas a day to help keep the digestive system healthy and reduce the risk of digestive disorders. Powdered milk contains a variety of nutrients, rich in fiber to strengthen the digestive system. If the baby has digestive disorders due to unsuitable milk, parents need to change to another milk suitable for the baby's digestive system. Yogurt contains many fermented bacteria that help balance and develop the microflora in the intestinal tract, maintaining the baby's digestive system healthy.

In this case, parents should divide into many small meals or feed the baby with meals, choose foods that are easy to digest and should not force the baby to eat too much, especially when the baby does not want to eat anymore.

Children with diarrhea should be rehydrated and electrolytes for the baby with oresol packets mixed with water, given enough amount and drink little by little. At the same time, parents should give the baby food that is diluted like flour, porridge but still full of nutrients.

In case the baby is constipated, parents should let the baby drink a lot of water and eat a lot of green vegetables to stimulate bowel movements, help protect the digestive system for the best child.
In addition, parents also need to pay attention to some of the following things:
Choose a powder that is good for the digestive system of children. Grind vegetables and fruits for easy eating, digestion and absorption. . For babies who don't have enough teeth or can't chew yet, parents need to process soft and pureed foods so that the baby can eat easily, avoiding the digestive system having to work too much. Always make sure your baby drinks enough water, cooked food, boiled water. Combine weaning meals with green vegetables and fruits. Do not give your baby too much food in one meal. The time for each baby's solid meal should not last more than 30 minutes. If the child does not want to eat, parents should not force or intimidate the child. Choose food ingredients that are fresh and use the same day. You should cook each meal to ensure nutrients, limiting reheating food will reduce the quality of the food and easily affect the baby's digestive system. Ensure food safety and hygiene, regularly wash your hands before and after preparing food. Sanitize your baby's toys regularly, limit your baby's mouth with toys. Parents can also add probiotics and digestive enzymes to their babies to balance intestinal microflora, enhance digestive system support and better absorb food.
The improvement of symptoms can take place for a long time, so it is recommended that parents be calm and persistent when supplementing with nutrients for children, even through eating or functional foods. In particular, the use of functional foods should choose those of natural origin that are easily absorbed, do not allow simultaneous use of many types or continuously change the types of functional foods.

Children with digestive disorders should eat what is a common question asked by parents. Some suggestions for weaning menus for babies with digestive disorders, helping them to develop comprehensively both physically and mentally.

Banana is the first easy-to-digest food that is included in the list of weaning menus for babies with digestive disorders. Bananas are high in fiber and potassium, which improve the functioning of the intestinal muscles and prevent constipation. In particular, bananas contain pectin, a component that supports the function of the stomach, making it easier to digest food. Not only good for the digestive tract, banana is also a fruit that adds 6 essential vitamins, 11 minerals and provides energy when the baby is tired.

Rice, porridge or porridge are easy to digest. In addition, foods made from rice also help control digestive disorders without putting pressure on the baby's digestive system.

Yogurt is a rich source of probiotics, which help support the digestive system and improve intestinal disorders. However, if the baby is having a problem with digestive disorders due to milk (called lactose intolerance), parents should absolutely not give yogurt to the baby, because it can aggravate the digestive disorder.

Chicken is an easy-to-digest food that is indispensable in the weaning menu for babies with digestive disorders. Chicken meat contains a lot of protein, vitamins A, B1, PP, E, C and minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus but low saturated fat content. So, if cooked properly, chicken will become a food source that is both easy to digest and nutritious for your baby.

Whole grains such as green beans, soybeans, red beans, black sesame, oats, barley ... have high fiber content and almost no fat, so they are very good for babies with digestive disorders . In addition, whole grains are also a natural source of vegetable oils to help keep your baby's digestive system healthy, prevent constipation and enhance nutrient absorption.

With ingredients containing many healthy fats, rich in iron, potassium, fiber and vitamin D, avocado is a very good food for your baby's digestive system. Moreover, the processing of avocados is also very simple, mothers can crush or chop them and mix them with yogurt, breast milk or formula to feed babies.

When asked what baby with digestive disorders should eat, apple sauce is one of the ideal answers. Similar to bananas, apples are also rich in pectin, which effectively reduces the symptoms of digestive disorders. In addition, cooked apples will help your baby digest more easily, and the fiber content in apple sauce is good for preventing constipation.
For children with digestive disorders, besides adding foods that are good for the digestive system, parents should also avoid some of the following foods:
Fast foods such as fast food, hot dogs , hamburgers, sandwiches, canned meats, ... because they are very difficult to digest. Confectionery and soft drinks,. Eating only starchy, high-fat foods can make your baby's constipation worse, making stools harder and harder to pass. If your baby has lactose intolerance in formula, parents should consult a nutritionist to choose lactose-free milk or low-lactose treatment to suit their baby's digestive system.
For children to be healthy and develop well, it is necessary to have a nutritious diet in terms of quantity and quality balance. If children are not provided with adequate and balanced nutrients, it will lead to diseases of excess or lack of nutrients, which adversely affect the comprehensive development of children in terms of physical, mental and motor skills.
The period of baby eating solid foods is an extremely important period to help children develop comprehensively. Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiencies, causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption, etc. If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with supportive products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully 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 learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents please regularly visit the website vimec.com and make appointments with the leading doctors, pediatric specialists - nutritionists of Vinmec International General Hospital when needing advice on children's health.