What to do if infants and young children are zinc deficient

Zinc deficiency is a very common symptom in children during childhood. If the child eats less and has not added complementary food, then the child is likely to be zinc deficient. If the child does not eat, the parents will be very upset. If the child does not eat, the body will not grow. In this way, parents will be particularly worried about the child's physical development and the child's lack of intelligence due to not eating. So what should infants and young children do if they are zinc deficient?

If your baby is growing up while breastfeeding, the chance of zinc deficiency is not very high, because breast milk can contain some nutrients that are not found in other dairy products, and breastfeeding is also very scientific and reasonable, and it is a nutritional drink that can meet the baby's daily growth needs. The absorption rate of zinc in breast milk is much higher, and the baby can more easily convert it into his own zinc. So unless there are special circumstances, stick to breastfeeding. It can help your baby grow up healthily.

Many people have insufficient breast milk. At this time, as a mother, you can eat more foods high in zinc. Through the conversion in your body, the zinc content in breast milk will become particularly high, making it easier for the baby to absorb.

Babies are the fastest growing group of people and look different every day. Therefore, older babies can no longer rely on breastfeeding to meet their nutritional needs. Their demand for zinc is also increasing. Eat more foods containing zinc to meet the baby's growth and development needs. You can eat more meat or other foods. Choose foods that can be easily absorbed and let the baby eat them as complementary foods.

Try to avoid eating refined foods for a long time, and pay attention to the combination of coarse and fine foods in your diet; eat more foods rich in zinc; such as: oysters, squid, red meat, animal liver, etc. People who are already zinc deficient must choose to take zinc supplements; with the development of zinc supplements, zinc supplements have gone through inorganic zinc, organic zinc, and protein zinc. The first two generations of zinc have a certain irritation to the stomach and intestines, and the absorption effect is not good. Protein zinc has greatly improved the defects of the first two generations of zinc, improved the absorption of zinc and has no irritation to the stomach and intestines. The main reasons are as follows: Zinc supplement preparations have gone through three stages: The first generation of inorganic zinc is mainly represented by: zinc sulfate, zinc chloride, zinc nitrate, etc. The most primitive zinc supplement products have low zinc absorption and utilization rate (only 7%). They combine with gastric acid in the body to produce zinc chloride, which is a strong corrosive agent that irritates the gastrointestinal tract and can easily cause nausea, vomiting, etc. Representatives of this generation of zinc have now been basically eliminated from the market and are rarely seen. They are mostly used in surgical operations to promote wound healing. The second generation of organic acid zinc mainly includes: zinc gluconate, licorice zinc, zinc acetate, zinc citrate, amino acid zinc, zinc lactate, etc. Weak acid and weak base salts have a zinc absorption rate of about 14%. When combined with gastric acid in the body, they can still produce zinc chloride, so there are certain side effects (such as nausea and vomiting). It can only be taken after meals to reduce irritation to the stomach and intestines. It contains a high amount of zinc, which can antagonize the absorption of other trace elements such as calcium and iron. Long-term use can cause symptoms such as calcium deficiency and anemia. Please follow the doctor's instructions. It is not recommended for children and pregnant women.

Zinc is mainly found in seafood and animal offal. Other foods contain very little zinc. There is almost no zinc in water, staple foods, and eggs that children love to eat. There are not many vegetables and fruits containing zinc.

Lean meat, pork liver, fish, egg yolk, etc. Among them, oysters contain the highest amount of zinc. According to laboratory tests, animal foods generally contain more zinc, about 3-5 mg of zinc in every 100 grams of animal food. In addition, the amino acids produced by the decomposition of animal protein can also promote the absorption of zinc. Plant foods contain less zinc. Every 100 grams of plant-based foods contains about 1 mg of zinc. Plant foods that contain relatively high levels of zinc include beans, peanuts, millet, radishes, and cabbage.

The above introduces the solution on how to treat children's zinc deficiency. When supplementing children with zinc, you must arrange a reasonable diet for the child, give the child more vegetables and fruits that are rich in zinc, and give the child more protein-rich foods. Also remember to give the child more milk. If the child is still young, then you must insist on giving the child milk, and you can stop eating when the child is older, so that the child can get rich nutrition.