Is Your Child's Appetite Right?

By Suparna Chakaraborthy

Monday, February 28, 2011, 16:55

The biggest trouble with children is loss of appetite. They just don't want to eat, no matter which ever time of the day it is. Loss of appetite is basically for all the nutritious food. I see my aunt suffering everyday both during lunch and dinner to make her son eat a plateful. This loss of appetite in children is not a good sign and if ignored may lead to severe weight loss, lack of energy and also may be a step forward to another disease.

Research says that the loss of appetite in children is basically due to a sense of boredom from the regular food, too much dependency on snacks, stress, internal illnesses and digestive system disorder. Steps to enhance appetite in children -

1.Eating Schedule – The first way to enhance appetite in children is to regulate their eating schedule. Diet timing plays a very important role which in case of most of the children is not true, due to school timings. Ideally children should have four meals a day. Children should eat when they are hungry. For example, there are few children who cannot eat a heavy breakfast, then the nutrition needs to be managed in the tiffin. If he comes late from school them lunch should be kept light, as possible as heavy lunch in late afternoon can create health issues. It is quite possible that he will be hungry after playing in the evening. This is the apt time to serve him his whole meal. The timing is correct as his metabolism rate is at it's peak and thus, will enhance his digestion.

2.Vitamin – One of the major reasons for loss of appetite in children is the lack of Vitamin, thus , the way to enhance appetite in children is to include vitamin rich food in the diet. The rich source of vitamin are dairy products, green vegetables, eggs, soya products etc.

3.Eating Portion – Some parents have the tendency of over feeding their children. This leads to avoiding food by the children. Thus, eating portion should be checked. Meals should stick to four meals a day and not more. Small meals for the whole day is for old people who cannot digest. Children can digest food but if your cramp their system with too much it will not enhance their appetite and also lead to formation of some internal illness.

4.Loss Of Taste – Sometimes due to stomach bugs or as the withdrawal of some previous illness, children loose taste of food. At this time the solution lies in bitter guard. Mash some bitter gourd with potato and serves a small portion everyday with meals. This not only improves the taste bud but being a natural antiseptic also kills the stomach bugs and other infections.

5.Fenugreek – Fenugreek is a natural medicine to enhance appetite in children. It can be consumed as in capsule or fenugreek powder can be mixed in water and consumed everyday in morning. This is the quickest method to improve appetite.

Use these five steps to improve your child's eating habits which will help his both physical and mental development. For persistent appetite problem, doctors advice should be taken.