Recently, in the hot weather, my child often gets sick, feels tired, loses appetite, and loses weight. What should babies eat to improve their health? (Nhu Ngoc, Ho Chi Minh City)
Hot weather and rising temperatures cause children’s bodies to sweat more, easily losing water and electrolytes. Feeling tired and uncomfortable due to the heat makes children irritable and anorexic, causing malnutrition, reduced resistance, and increased risk of digestive and infectious diseases.
The general rule is that parents should feed their children a complete and balanced food group including starch (rice, porridge, vermicelli, pho), protein (red meat, poultry, seafood), fat (vegetable oils). vegetables, butter, fat), vitamins and minerals (fruits and vegetables).
Parents cook delicious dishes depending on each child’s preferences. Colorful dishes with eye-catching shapes stimulate your baby’s curiosity, excitement, and appetite.
Priority should be given to giving your baby milk or supplementing with dairy products (milk whey, yogurt, cheese). These foods are familiar to children, rich in nutrients, easy to eat, easy to digest, and can create a feeling of hunger quickly. Milk also helps children reduce thirst and improve dehydration.
In addition to main meals, you should supplement your child’s snacks with cool foods rich in vitamins and fiber such as lotus seed sweet soup, all kinds of bean sweet soup, fresh fruits, smoothies…
Make sure your child drinks enough water and limit going out or doing outdoor activities during hot weather. Supplementing micronutrients such as zinc, iron, lysine, digestive enzymes… helps children eat better, enhances absorption, balances the digestive tract microflora, and contributes to increased immunity.
Parents should take their children for regular nutritional examinations to check developmental indicators and determine whether micronutrients in the body are lacking or sufficient. From there, the doctor advises a nutritional regimen appropriate to each child’s age and health status.