What should babies eat if they are zinc deficient?

It is a common phenomenon that children lack zinc. So what should babies eat when they are zinc deficient? In modern family life, many problems with the dietary structure or the children's own physical fitness lead to zinc deficiency in children. Then parents need to pay attention, change their children's eating habits, and give them more foods that supplement their bodies' trace elements. If a child is zinc deficient, zinc supplementation is necessary. Generally, foods such as beans or some seafood are beneficial for supplementing zinc, so parents are advised to understand this.

What should babies eat if they are zinc deficient?

When a child's zinc deficiency is not serious, dietary supplements are worse than medication. The best way is to eat more zinc-rich foods such as shellfish, red meat, animal liver, dried fruits and cereal germs. For example, oysters contain 71.2 mg of zinc per 100 grams, and animal liver contains about 11.25 mg of zinc per 100 grams, both of which can supplement daily needs.

Nutrition experts point out that too much or too little zinc is harmful to the body. You should not blindly supplement zinc for your child. If the child is seriously zinc deficient, he or she should seek medical treatment.

Pasta is more beneficial for zinc absorption than rice

Nutrition experts point out that children's zinc deficiency is related to their eating habits. In our country, it is a habit for most people to eat rice and noodles as staple food. But in fact, there is a substance called phytic acid in rice and noodles, which can combine with zinc to form compounds, affecting the normal absorption of zinc. Zinc deficiency in children and adolescents will affect their normal development.

However, phytic acid present in staple foods also has a characteristic: if it is fermented, the phytic acid will be reduced and will no longer affect the absorption of zinc. Therefore, eating steamed buns and bread is more conducive to zinc absorption than eating rice. Nutrition experts suggest that families who are accustomed to eating rice can let their children eat some pasta regularly.

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.

We have already mastered the content of what babies should eat when they are zinc deficient, so we can pay attention to letting children eat more foods that supplement zinc in life. Children's healthy growth requires a lot of nutrients. As parents, we should pay more attention to replenishing children's bodies with the substances they lack in their bodies in a timely manner, so as not to affect their healthy growth. Observe your child's behavior frequently.