7 Signs Of Nutritional Deficiency In Kids

Parents try to provide the best things for their little ones, whether it’s clothes, toys, or food. But, unfortunately, even after making a lot of effort, children experience one or more nutritional deficiencies. The lack of vital nutrients hampers the growth and development of the child. And it typically happens when the body cannot absorb the nutrients from regular meals. This is why some children have physical and psychological abnormalities in later years.

Many parents do not spot nutritional deficiencies early in their children as some of them look like normal children. It is pretty difficult to identify the nutritional gap in kids without knowing their signs. Also, the early symptoms of each nutrient deficiency are different. For instance, pale eyes and brittle nails are signs of low iron levels. On the flip side, dry hair and skin are the key signs of calcium deficiency. Doctors recommended multivitamins with iron pediatric drops along with a healthy diet for kids for optimum growth.

7 signs that make it easy to identify nutritional deficiencies in children.

• Depression & Anxiety

Depression and anxiety are the symptoms of nutritional deficiency in kids. Nutrients play a vital role in supporting cognitive functions and brain health. Children lacking amino acids in their diet often become fussy. Amino acids are present in protein, so it is important to feed protein-rich foods to your child regularly. Eggs, meats, and fish contain large amounts of proteins that are pretty easy to digest. However, if your child is a vegetarian, it would be best to encourage them to eat soy and nuts to fill the nutritional gaps. 

• Delayed Speech

Language and speech problems are quite common in children due to hereditary issues as well as deficiency of vitamin B12. Although supplements can be beneficial to improve speech, don’t use them before confirming with the pediatricians. However, you can increase the vitamin B12 intake of your loved ones by giving them chicken, fish, eggs, and other vitamins B12 rich foods. 

• Dry Hair

Dry and rough hair are signs of low calcium levels. Similarly, hair fall indicates low iron content. In such a condition, you should increase the iron and calcium intake of the kids. Nuts, green vegetables, and red meat are iron-rich products you can consider in a kid’s diet to elevate their iron stores. And to boost calcium in your loved one’s body, it would be best to feed them beans, spinach, dairy products, and tofu. Giving Multivitamin with Iron Pediatric Drops is another effective way to prevent children from becoming iron-deficit. 

• Poor Appetite

If your kids do not feel hungry after long periods of time, they might have zinc and iron deficiency. Apart from this, the chances of thyroid problems and constipation can be there. In such a case, you should not delay consulting the experienced pediatrician. Also, pay attention to your child’s diet to enhance their appetite. 

• Obesity

If you give unhealthy foods to your little ones, their body will not feel satisfied, and kids will feel hungry all the time, which in turn leads to obesity. Therefore, feeding a well-balanced diet to the kids works well to provide them with all nutrition and avoid obesity. 

• Low Energy Levels

Fatigue and lethargy are the other two noticeable symptoms of nutritional deficiency. If your child often feels fuzzy and is not able to perform well in sports and studies, there must be something wrong with their health. Provide them foods from all 5 major groups to make them active and fit. Also, try to feed them in short intervals instead of filling them all at once.

• Dental Problems

Most parents think that overeating candies or sugary products are the only reason behind dental cavities. Undeniably, large amounts of sugary foods cause dental issues, but it’s not always the reason behind cavities. Dental problems can also arise due to the scarcity of fat-soluble vitamins, especially in small kids. You should provide fat-soluble vitamin-rich foods like milk and green leafy veggies to your kids to avoid this problem.

The Bottom Line-:

The above-stated signs of nutritional deficiency are just the tip of the iceberg. Several other symptoms are associated with low nutrients in kids; your doctor can best guide you on this.

Originally published at https://articlewine.com on January 25, 2022.