Do Children Need To Take Nutritional Supplements?

The healthy growth of children affects every parent's heart. Even if all the indicators of their children's physical examination are normal, when they see friends taking calcium, multi-vitamins and other nutritional supplements to their children, their parents will follow suit with additional supplements. So do children need to take nutritional supplements? How to supplement nutrition for children correctly?

It is well known that children need a lot of nutrients for growth and development, and are prone to inadequate intake of multiple micronutrients. Ouyang Yingying, Ph.D., Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Health Institution of Hubei Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that if the dietary structure in childhood was unreasonable and could not be supplemented by other means (such as dietary nutrient supplements), nutritional deficiencies would easily occur. According to the report of Nutrition and Health of Children Aged 0-6 in China, calcium and vitamin D deficiency is still very common among children in China, but whether children should take nutritional supplements should be guided by professionals, combined with the growth and development of children and used as required.

In fact, as long as the dietary structure of children is reasonable, they can not take nutritional supplements. Li Pu, a specialist invited by the State Food and Drug Administration and a pediatrician at the New Century Women's and Children's Hospital, said that the nutrients needed by children could be obtained from a reasonable diet and there was no need to rely on so-called nutritional supplements. Additional nutrients alone can not fundamentally solve the growth and development of children's needs for various nutrients and vitamins, but from an early age to develop a good diet habits, not picky, not biased, intake of nutrients can be balanced and comprehensive, good eating habits will affect the health of children throughout life.

So, how to give children reasonable nutrition in daily life? Huo Junsheng, a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that due to the different physiological and psychological development characteristics of children at different stages, the common nutritional problems faced by children are quite different, and the nutritional needs at each stage are also different. It is suggested that step-by-step nutrition be supplemented.

From 1.0 to 6 months, infants should adhere to exclusive breastfeeding and take vitamin D supplements until they are 2 years old.

On the basis of breastfeeding, infants aged from 2.7 months to 24 months should add supplementary food scientifically instead of forcing them to eat. It is suggested that infants should start with muddy food rich in iron and gradually diversify their food

Children aged 3.2 to 5 years should ensure adequate food intake, balanced diet, daily milk and adequate water consumption.

School-age children from 4.6 to 7 years old should eat three reasonable meals without prejudice to gluttony, ensure the intake of calcium, iron and vitamins, and maintain a moderate weight gain. In a word, it emphasizes reasonable diet and balanced nutrition.