Children's nutritional powder

Children's nutritional powder is by no means a must-have for all children. It is only suitable for children who have been evaluated by a doctor/registered dietitian and have indeed nutritional intake gaps, feeding difficulties, or are recovering from illness. Healthy children with a balanced daily diet do not need additional supplements. Blind consumption may increase metabolic burden and interfere with normal eating habits.

Last week, I was enjoying the cool downstairs in the community and happened to meet several mothers gathering to unpack the express delivery. Sister Zhang was holding three cans of nutritional powder with cartoon patterns on it and complained to me, saying that her baby has been outrageous in eating recently, even touching vegetables, and is two centimeters shorter than his classmates. The host of the live broadcast room said that if he drinks it for three months, he can catch up with the average height. She stocked up on Xiaoqian's products when she got crazy, and now she is afraid that they contain hormones and dare not give them to her baby.

In fact, many parents have a vague understanding of children's nutrition powder. After all, there are too many such products on the market. I have seen several types: one type is complete nutrition powder that belongs to formula foods for special medical purposes. It is prepared for children with clear disease problems, such as cow's milk protein allergy combined with growth retardation, children who cannot eat during the recovery period after surgery, or children with severe feeding disorders. These types of products can only be purchased with a prescription from a doctor. The nutritional ratio is strictly in accordance with medical standards and cannot be bought casually. There is also an ordinary dietary supplement type, which belongs to the category of ordinary food. It is based on milk powder and adds nutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc, DHA, and vitamins. At most, it is a nutritional supplement. Those that are touted to be able to chase high prices, improve immunity, and improve picky eating are basically the marketing halo of merchants.

Regarding whether to give nutritional powder to children, there are actually different opinions in different fields. Most pediatric clinical doctors are more strict. I asked a pediatrician I know well before, and he said that according to the dietary guidelines for preschool children issued by the Chinese Nutrition Society, as long as the child can drink 300-500ml of milk every day, he can eat cereals, potatoes, meat, eggs, vegetables and fruits. , the growth curve has been stable at its own percentile, let alone nutritional powder, and you don’t even need to take additional vitamin supplements. Indiscriminate supplementation can easily cause problems. For example, too much vitamin A can cause chronic poisoning, and excessive calcium intake can not only cause constipation, but also affect the body’s absorption of iron and zinc. However, some nutritionists who provide dietary guidance for children feel that many parents are now busy with work and sometimes do not care about the food mix when cooking for their children. If a child is particularly picky about meals for one or two months in a row, does not consume enough types of ingredients, and the growth curve has dropped by more than two percentile, and it is not yet to the point of needing medical intervention, it is better to use regular nutritional powder to make up for the gap, which is better than long-term nutritional deficiencies that affect development. There is no need to kill them with a stick.

There are two typical examples around me. Last year, my best friend's baby suffered from hand, foot and mouth disease. After recovering from the disease, her appetite was very poor for most of the month. She cried when she was forced to feed her, and she lost 1.8 pounds in weight. When she went for child care, her growth curve dropped from the 50th percentile to the 25th percentile. The doctor prescribed a can of medical complete nutritional powder, and she drank 150ml between meals every day. After drinking it for less than three weeks, she regained her weight. Later, her appetite returned to normal and she stopped becoming dependent. There is also Sister Li downstairs. Her baby was eating well. Last year, she watched a live broadcast and heard a blogger say that children's nutrition powder can supplement DHA to make children smarter and less likely to get sick. She made a cup for her baby every morning and evening. As a result, her baby felt so full after drinking it that she couldn't eat dinner. She didn't gain weight for three months and was constipated all the time. She went to the hospital for a checkup and found that the blood calcium exceeded the standard. The doctor said that she was supplementing too much. After stopping, she gradually got better.

If you really need to buy nutritional powder for your children, don't listen to the lies of the anchors. I have encountered many pitfalls when I helped my relatives choose. Many products are branded as "exclusively for children". The first three ingredients in the ingredient list are all maltodextrin, white sugar, and food flavors. They are so sweet that they have no effect except gaining weight. Just look through the ingredient list when choosing. The first choice is whole milk powder or skim milk powder. There are no additional added sugars, flavors, or preservatives. If you choose medical ones, you have to look for the "Formulas for Special Medical Purposes" registration number on the outer packaging. Ordinary supplements are also available. Look at the nutritional label. The content of various nutrients must comply with the national standards for supplementary food for children. Don’t buy those micro-commercial products that claim to “grow 3 centimeters in a month.” There is a high probability that illegal ingredients are added, which may harm your child if eaten.

After all, you don’t need to be too anxious about raising a baby. Don’t just follow what others are offering. Look down to see if the food in your baby’s bowl tastes delicious. Measure your height and weight regularly and draw a growth curve. If you are really unsure, just sign up for insurance and ask a doctor. It’s much more reliable than ten hours of live broadcast planting. After all, for healthy children, eating well is better than any supplements, right?