What do children eat to improve blood?

Iron is an essential mineral for many important functions in the body such as oxygen transport, gene regulation, DNA synthesis, brain and skeletal muscle activity. Iron is absorbed from food through the small intestine, stored mainly in the liver, spleen, skeletal muscle, bone marrow, and a small part as hemosiderin in other tissues. Iron deficiency makes it difficult for the body to maintain normal physiological functions.

Doctor Tran Thi Tra Phuong, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, said that children with iron deficiency can suffer from brain damage, impaired emotional health, immune disorders, and muscle weakness. , tired. Thyroid disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, restless legs syndrome, and visual defects are diseases that can occur when children lack iron.

Babies and children need 10 mg of iron, adolescents need 12-15 mg of iron per day. During the period of strong growth, boys need an additional 2.9 mg, girls need 1.1 mg per day. Newborns should be exclusively breastfed. Children from 6 months old can eat the iron-rich foods below.

Eat lots of meat: Beef, pork, chicken and turkey are good animal sources of iron. Other iron-rich foods include organ meats, fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables, dried beans, peas, whole wheat flour, fortified breads, iron-fortified cereals and peanut butter. If children are vegetarians, they just need to increase the amount of iron-rich foods in plants such as spinach, Swiss chard, kale…

Get vitamin C: Vitamin C is found in lemons, oranges, kiwis, guavas, bell peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, papaya, melons and strawberries. Adding lemon to dishes, drinking orange juice (unsweetened) or eating fruit with eggs for breakfast helps increase iron absorption for children.

Green leafy vegetables: Parents add cabbage, spinach or lettuce to their child’s daily diet to ensure adequate nutrients. In addition to iron, green leafy vegetables also provide potassium and fiber.

Beans: Soybeans, kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils are all rich in iron. Parents can use beans to cook bean soup and prepare bean milk for children to drink every day.

Nuts and dried fruits: Cashews, pistachios, dried fruits such as prunes, dates and raisins… provide children with abundant iron. Parents can add these nuts to fruit salad or give them as a snack for children.

If the diet does not meet the child’s iron needs, Dr. Phuong recommends that parents take their children to a nutrition center or hospital with a nutrition specialist for examination. The doctor makes a clinical assessment, orders a micronutrient test in the body using a UPLC high-performance liquid chromatography machine and checks for substances that the child is lacking or in excess of. After that, doctors provide guidance on building a suitable nutritional regimen for children.