Doc Health Plan -One of the most common problems with kids is loss of appetite and this worries a lot of parents from all over the world. There are kids who simply resent eating at any time of the day or insist on eating only his favorite. Usually, these favorites are not so healthy and a lot of children usually lose their desire to eat specifically when it comes to nutritious foods. Loss of appetite in children can be quite alarming especially if the child is starting to lose weight, seem small for his age or is always lacking energy. It may be an indication that a child is sick or it may lead to eating disorders.
There are several reasons for a child to not want to eat. The most common causes will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
1. Junk Food between Meals
There are kids who can be very picky. If they do not see anything interesting to eat on the dinner table, especially if it’s green and leafy, then they’d rather starve themselves. Appetite, gone with the wind! But when you present them with oh-so-colorfully packed and prepared junk foods, notice how they are more excited to eat this kind of stuff. Another thing, notice how they tell you that they’re hungry and request “snacks” (which are more junk food rather than healthy snacks) when it’s near dinner time. It will definitely ruin their appetite especially if they consume these foods right before the proper meal. If you know that your child gets hungry on a specific time before lunch or dinner, you can adjust his meal time or give him nutritious snacks that can increase the appetite. Avoid stuffing him with chips, juice, soda, sweets or chocolate drinks an hour before meal time. These foods will definitely drive his appetite away.
2. Flu
Influenza or flu is one of the most common reasons why kids lose their appetite. This is an obvious reason because aside from not feeling well and lacking energy to do other stuff, a person loses his or her ability to taste food. Children won’t eat what they can’t taste and especially if their little tummies don’t feel so well either. If your son or daughter usually likes eating and suddenly loses his or her appetite, then start checking the temperature. The child could be suffering from flu. Do not force the child to eat full solid meals, instead, treat him with soups and natural fruit juices. An occasional treat of his favorite food won’t hurt. Letting a child eat what he wants once or twice when he’s not feeling well will help him forget that he’s sick just for a little while.
3. Too Much Pressure
Pressure results to stress. Just like adults, stress can make desire for foods disappear. Look for signs of aloofness, sadness or irritability in your child. If he is going through some extreme pressure in school or having problems with his siblings or his best friend, this could be the cause of his lack of appetite. You may also want to assess yourself if you are giving too much pressure on your child when it comes to eating habits or other issues. Force feeding is never the answer. It can even lead to severe eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. If you don’t want your children to love eating junk or detest anything green, yellow or red in their meals, then start with feeding them what’s right and healthy. Once you let them get used to not eating veggies or eating fries and ice cream an hour before lunch which clearly causes them to not want to eat lunch anymore, then they will grow up with that eating habit.
4. Distractions
Television and computer games are two of the most distracting creations ever made. If these can distract adults from work or from doing other important things, then it could even more distract a playful child from mealtime. But sometimes, kids just follow what adults do. So, be a good example. If it’s time to eat, then encourage everyone in the family to sit down on the table and eat together as a family. You can let them get away with eating in front of the television sometimes, say, once every weekend. Don’t let these gadgets take away your child’s needed nutrition.
These are just some of the reasons why kids sometimes don’t want to eat. Be observant and be a responsible parent as well when it comes to feeding your child the right foods and in developing a healthy eating habit.
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