It seems that now that living standards have improved, children are no longer lacking in nutrition, but this is not the case. The increasingly "popular" childhood obesity is actually a kind of malnutrition, and it often makes children lose their healthy growth at the starting lin

It seems that nowadays, living standards have improved and children are not lacking in nutrition, but this is not the case. The increasingly "popular" childhood obesity is actually a kind of malnutrition, and it often makes children lose their healthy growth at the starting line.

Which children are prone to malnutrition

There has always been a misunderstanding that children are obese, thinking that fatter is "overnutrition", which means adequate nutrition. The fact is that fat children are just overweight and often inadequate intake of other essential nutrients, causing another malnutrition.

Wuhan City once released a report showing that 70% of children with malnourished nutrition are small fat people. In fact, the essential nutrients in the human body are roughly divided into seven categories, among which fat and carbohydrate are the main dietary factors that cause obesity. High-quality proteins, various vitamins and minerals, not only will not gain weight, but are also related to fat metabolism and the synthesis of related metabolic enzymes in the body.

Survey shows that fat children’s dietary structure is usually unreasonable and prone to partial eating. For example, they prefer fine rice and flour rather than coarse grains; they prefer snacks and beverages rather than fruits and vegetables; they prefer fried chicken, barbecue, etc.... The stomach of fat children is occupied by these high-calorie foods, and the sources of other nutrients are limited, which leads to malnutrition.

"Report on the Status of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases of Chinese Residents (2020)" shows that the overweight and obesity rates of children aged 6 to 17 in my country are 11.1% and 7.9% respectively; the overweight and obesity rates of children under 6 years old are 6.8% and 3.6% respectively, and there is a trend of growth year by year.

Survey shows that in addition to being overweight and obesity, children in our country also face two major nutritional problems.

• is insufficient energy and protein , which is mainly manifested as weight loss, slow growth and low weight. In addition to genetics, disease and other factors, this type of malnutrition is mostly caused by unhealthy dietary behaviors, such as not loving to eat protein-rich meat, eggs, dairy products, etc.

• is the lack of trace elements, iron deficiency anemia is the most common. Children grow and develop quickly, and their demand for micronutrients such as iron will increase. If you do not pay attention to the intake of iron-rich foods, you will easily experience pale complexion, depression, irritability, etc., and in severe cases, iron deficiency anemia will occur.

Malnutrition affects intellectual development

Malnutrition will hinder the healthy growth of children, and the specific manifestations include reduced immunity, easy illness, shortness, etc. Childhood is also the golden period of brain development. If the malnutrition state is not improved, it will cause growth and development delays and poor academic performance, which will directly affect their intelligence and labor ability. Especially the lack of the following nutrients is more likely to affect brain development.

protein

protein is the material basis of life, participates in the composition of brain cell , improves neural transmission, and plays an important role in children's behavior and neurocognitive functions. study found that chronic protein energy malnutrition can affect children's performance in attention, working memory, learning memory and visual-spatial ability tests.

, especially the peptide , which has been very popular in recent years. It is an organic compound composed of multiple amino acids between a protein and a single amino acid . peptide usually contains the essential amino acid of the human body. can be better digested and absorbed by the human body compared to large molecules of proteins. Some small molecule peptides generally have specific activities due to their specific amino acid composition. For example, the walnut peptide in walnuts can not only participate in the formation of brain cells, but also stimulate the growth of synaptic , helping to improve children's memory.

carbohydrates

carbohydrates are not only an important source of life activities, but also the best source of energy to maintain brain activity. Children who have a long-term low-carb diet also have their thinking and activity ability decreases, resulting in inattention, fatigue, lethargy, , etc. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that 50 to 65% of the energy in the child’s diet comes from carbohydrates.

DHA

DHA is called "brain gold", the Chinese name is docosahexaenoic acid , and it is an important member of the omega-3 series polyunsaturated fatty acids. DHA not only helps the brain and vision development of infants and young children, but also delays the aging of brain and eyes of the elderly. The child's brain needs to constantly repair itself to promote the formation of new neurons, so it needs more omega-3 series fatty acids.

phospholipids

4 The brain and nervous system contain a large amount of phospholipids. It can be said that phospholipids are an important component of the brain and cerebral cortex. , especially certain components in phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine , that is, lecithin , phosphatidylserine (referred to as "PS") , etc. plays an important role in neural information transmission and is of certain help in to improve children's attention deficiency, ADHD, etc. sphingomyelin is indispensable in the myelination of the nervous system.

replenishes nutrition and helps brain development

Many children's brains are in a "hungry state". Doing the following points can help supplement nutrition and help brain development.

First, ensure the intake of high-quality protein every day, such as eggs, dairy products, meat, etc. When cooking these foods, you can put them in beautiful tableware with the food or seasonings that your child likes, cut them into smaller ones, which are convenient to eat.

Second, eat fish and beans frequently. Deep-sea fish such as salmon, sardine , salmon and other deep-sea fish are not only rich in protein, but also contain a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, which helps supplement DHA "brain gold". Beans such as soy milk, tofu, bean curd, etc. contain phospholipids and can also be eaten regularly.

, eat a certain amount of staple food for each meal, but pay attention to the combination of thickness and food is diversified.

, often eat walnuts. walnuts contain α linolenic acid , which can be converted into DHA in the body. Walnuts are also rich in vitamin E and polyphenols substances, which have certain antioxidant effects.

Brain tissue is very sensitive to oxidative damage, and it is necessary to consume sufficient antioxidant substances. It is worth noting that walnuts are high in calories and you can’t eat too much, just 2 to 3 pieces a day. If you can't do this in your diet, you can do it by supplementing relevant dietary supplements.

In addition, adequate sleep and proper exercise can also help brain development. Children who lack sleep for a long time are not focused and have poor memory.

Research by the University of London, UK shows that if there is no relatively fixed sleep time, or the sleep time is later than 21 o'clock, children's grades in reading, arithmetic, etc. will be relatively poor. In addition, the reaction ability and spatial cognitive ability will also be reduced.

In addition, exercise can not only enhance the body, but more importantly, it can develop the brain nerves of the child during exercise. Sports training is the best way to develop the right brain intelligence of infants and young children. Therefore, it is necessary to consciously stimulate infants and young children to grasp, hold, pinch, throw, catch, pat, run, and jump with their hands, especially to train their fine movements of their hands and feet to promote cerebellum development and balance.

And outdoor activities can increase children's knowledge, broaden their horizons, and promote the development of language ability through visual stimulation.On this basis, providing children with a warm and relaxed dining environment and family atmosphere can also help their brains be healthy.