Six tips to help your children have a good appetite in summer

Pay attention to nutritional balance

Babies’ appetite decreases in summer, so more attention should be paid to nutritional supplements. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as fish, meat, eggs, milk, etc. rich in high-quality protein every day. Use easily digestible cooking methods such as steaming and stewing to maintain the color, aroma and taste of food, and pay attention to the combination of coarse and fine grains and dry and liquid foods.

Mothers should also pay attention to cooking methods, avoid using too much oil or meat, and ensure the taste is good and the color combination is pleasing. You can usually make some cool and refreshing foods, such as cold vegetables, vegetable puree, fruit puree, fruit juice, etc. You can also make some refreshing and nutritious snacks, such as making fruit salad with apples and mangoes.

Zinc supplementation

In summer, zinc in babies' bodies is continuously lost through sweat. At the same time, the baby has poor appetite and reduced zinc intake. Therefore, it is important to supplement children with zinc in summer. The baby's daily diet should include some foods that are high in zinc and easily absorbed, such as egg yolks, beef, mutton, lean pork, animal liver, seafood, etc.

Eat light, easily digestible food

In summer, babies should keep their diet light and eat more fruits and vegetables to replenish the vitamins and minerals lost in sweat. Do not eat or eat less fatty food. Because sweet, crispy, fatty and thick foods will hurt the stomach and intestines and affect digestion and absorption. A light diet can also help strengthen the spleen, clear away heat, and stimulate appetite and increase food intake.

Eating bitter or sour foods

Eat sour foods appropriately, such as tomatoes, lemons, strawberries, black plums, grapes, hawthorns, pineapples, mangoes, kiwis, etc. Their sour taste can reduce sweating, stop diarrhea and eliminate dampness. It can prevent excessive sweating from consuming qi and damaging yin, and it can also produce body fluids, quench thirst, and strengthen the stomach and aid food. If you add some vinegar to dishes, acetic acid can also kill bacteria and disinfect to prevent gastrointestinal diseases.

Bitterness stimulates the taste buds on the tongue with its fresh and refreshing taste, activates the taste nerves, and stimulates the secretion of gastric juice and bile while increasing saliva secretion, thereby increasing appetite, promoting digestion, and benefiting the body. Foods with bitter taste are mostly vegetables and wild vegetables, such as lettuce, romaine lettuce, celery, fennel, coriander, bitter melon, radish leaves, moss, etc. Among the dried and fresh fruits, there are almonds, peach kernels, black dates, tea leaves, mint leaves, etc. In addition, there are schisandra chinensis and lotus seed cores that can be used as both food and medicine. It is best to soak them in boiling water before drinking.

Pay attention to water supplement

People sweat a lot in summer, so they need to replenish water in time and drink small amounts of water multiple times. It is not recommended to drink a lot of water only when you are thirsty, because drinking a lot of water at one time will dilute the gastric juice and affect digestion. The best way to replenish water for babies is to drink boiled water, and avoid beverages.

Pay attention to salt supplementation

Children sweat a lot in summer, and the salt in their bodies is excreted. If the body lacks salt, it can affect metabolism, causing children to feel weak, tired, and anorexic. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement salt in moderation in summer.