**What does malnutrition in children mean?** Malnutrition means the child's reluctance to eat some familiar foods (foods that the child has already tried) or to try new foods... Also, in this situation, the child strongly prefers some foods and only wants to eat them. **What are the causes of malnutrition in children?** Some of the reasons that lead to malnutrition in children are: ### **desire to have a sense of independence** Since children are trying to feel independent, they prefer to choose their own food, so they are selective in choosing foods.... In this situation, if they are under pressure or forced to eat, they may resist eating. Consuming a lot of drinks such as milk or juice or sweets can also reduce the child's appetite and take the place of high-calorie and nutritious foods. Also, the continuous consumption of small amounts of food with short intervals between planned meals can negatively affect the child's appetite... ### **Forcing the child to eat with inappropriate strategies** Sometimes refusal to eat may be caused by improper feeding techniques of the child. Strategies such as coercion, threats, scolding, punishment or begging can have a negative effect on the child's eating, while verbal encouragement or a loving look has a positive effect on developing interest in eating. Most children tend to imitate others. the other If he refuses to eat certain food, our child may also imitate this behavior... he accepts it is effective.... ### **improper food conditions** The conditions governing mealtime also affect the child's eating behavior. Child tolerance will have a positive effect, while control will have a negative effect.. Insisting on certain behaviors and food habits while eating that are not appropriate for the child's age may also interfere with the child's eating.. - Osteoporosis at an older age. - Cardiovascular diseases: eating foods rich in fat, sugar and salt in childhood can increase the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and atherosclerosis in adulthood. **How ​​to solve the problem of malnutrition in children?** Malnutrition in toddlers is usually a common problem.... After the rapid growth during infancy, when the baby's weight triples, the growth rate and appetite of the toddler decreases.... Also, toddlers prefer some foods to other foods.... In this situation, parents should try to make healthy foods available to children, over time, the child's appetite and nutritional behaviors will be balanced... In other words, parents should choose nutritious and textured food with an age-appropriate taste. choose the child and prepare the right foods and snacks and let the children decide for themselves what food and how much to eat and as long as their child grows properly, be flexible in front of the child's preferred food behavior. Withhold for him because it will lead to reinforcement behavior or food preference.. Malnutrition happens in children.. Try to include at least one child's favorite food in every meal and in general even if the child refuses balanced food. His dislike of In addition, if the child has eaten a lot of breakfast or lunch, he may not be interested in eating much during the day.. ### **Repeated attempts to feed the child** Don't give up when the child refuses to eat... It may be necessary to introduce a new food or a food that the child does not like ten times or even more to get the child to accept its taste... Regularly planning meals and limiting snacks can help ensure that the child is hungry when the new food is introduced... ### **Include a variety of foods* in the child's diet** Include a variety of healthy foods, especially vegetables and fruits, in your child's meal plan... Also, include protein foods such as meat in your meals at least twice a week and make them more delicious by adding vegetables and spices to simple foods... Toddlers show interest in foods that are arranged in an attractive and creative way.... Try to arrange foods in attractive and colorful forms so that the child cannot resist eating them... **Foods Cut the solid into small pieces so that the child can use his own food.... Similarities ** When the child accepts food, try to introduce foods with the same color, taste and texture to the child and in this way increase the diversity of the child's food... Try to combine unfamiliar foods or tastes that children do not like at first (such as sour) with familiar foods and tastes that children naturally prefer (such as sweet and salty)... ###* Children's planning ** Children are very interested in making their own choices.. So it is better to let our child participate in choosing the necessary ingredients to prepare food.... Also let children (under our supervision) participate in some cooking tasks (steps) such as sifting or stirring.... **What role do supplements play in increasing children's appetite?** We must always be careful that the child receives the nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper functioning of cells, growth and development with proper nutrition.... If our child does not have proper and high-quality nutrition, we can use supplements containing vitamins or minerals, but these supplements cannot replace healthy nutrition in children.... Some of the compounds we mention below also play a role in increasing jelly on children.... Does the child have an appetite?** Royal jelly is a natural compound that is produced by honey bees and is considered as a nutritious and invigorating substance that has many properties... One of the most important properties of royal jelly is to help stimulate appetite in children... A child who is anorexic suffers from problems caused by an improper diet... It helps to maintain his health... This substance also has anti-inflammatory properties and acts as a natural anti-inflammatory... ### **Which plant compounds help to increase appetite slow?** The effective role of some plants in increasing appetite has been proven in studies. Some of these compounds are: Coriander: which increases the secretion of saliva, gastric juice and other active digestive enzymes... It has antioxidant properties and plays an effective role in increasing appetite... The use of herbal compounds should be done in consultation with a physician, because the consumption of non-standard amounts of these compounds can lead to side effects. Minerals necessary for the growth and development of children are available to help increase appetite and ensure that they receive sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals, which can be obtained from a pharmacist or doctor. Let's consult.. doctor, let's use them.... While noting that malnutrition is a common behavior in childhood, the tips presented in this article can help parents and children easily pass this stage.. ***F This general information is a limited summary of diagnostic, treatment and/or drug information. It is not intended to be comprehensive and should be used as a tool to help the user understand and/or evaluate potential diagnostic and treatment options. This information does not include all information about conditions, treatments, drugs, side effects or risks that may apply to a particular patient and is specific to the patient. Talk to your doctor about medications... This information does not endorse any treatment or medication as safe, effective, or approved for the treatment of a particular patient... Teenagers have a specialized board* > * Among the medical services provided in the clinic are periodic examinations of children, periodic monitoring of children's growth and physical development, treatment of various infectious, digestive and respiratory diseases in children and adolescents, nutritional counseling, education and periodic care of premature babies, monitoring and treatment of all periodic problems during infancy, periodic mental and physical evaluation of children. > > *special services of Dr. Mehdi Afshari: specialized office circumcision, home visit and online consultation* > > *Practice address: No. 193, South Mehrabad, Southern Air University, Tafarsh East, Tehran > > *Contact number: 021-66602506*