Many children can eat well and even eat a
lot. However, their growing is also slow.
Therefore, nutritious portion of children
only adapts about quantity, not quality or in other word, children’s body
digests and absorbs food badly. The problem is in the part, so we have to find
way to solve so that it can help process of digesting and absorbing foods take
place best.
In reality, if children eat a lot of food
and quality of meal isn’t enough and balanced between nutrients, children won’t
have enough necessary materials to build up and develop their body.
Moreover, we also know that eating is a
movement that we bring food to digestive system of children through mouth. In
digestive system, food needs to be digested to nutrients that have form of
small molecules. These molecules are absorbed to blood and are used as
materials to build up children’s body.
Although
many children can eat well and even eat a lot, their growing is also slow.
Process of digesting flour takes place in
mouth before slaver is mixed with food. Then it will continuously mix with
enzymes that digest flour and sugar of pancreatic juice. Due to acid, protein
is digested with a part in stomach, then it is digested in bowel due to glaze
that can digest protein of pancreas.
To digest easily, fat needs to be moved to
small intestine. This thing is due to gall juice that is secreted by liver and
glaze that can destroy fat and it is pancreas secretes. After being digested,
nutrients will be absorbed through wall of small intestine and they will move
to blood. In large intestine, although it doesn’t have enzymes, useful bacteria
help ferment redundant food and it can absorb more a part of nutrient to blood.
Hence, to help food digest and be absorbed
well, children’s digestive system needs to be developed completely, enzymes are
plentiful and digestive pipe must be untouched, normal and doesn’t have any
injury.
Reasons that lead to bad digestion and absorption of
children
The time that you let children eat to
provide isn’t appropriate (too early). At this time, digestive system and
enzymes of children aren’t improved to digest foods besides milk. As a result,
it will lead to injury and disorder of digestive system – absorption of food at
that time and then.
Cool foods that aren’t appropriate with
immature digestive system. To little children, their food needs to be cooked
into flour, soup, chopped fine or simmered to help them digest and absorb
easily and it can avoid hurt digestive system of children.
To
little children, their food needs to be cooked into flour, soup, chopped fine
or simmered.
If children catch pernicious diseases such
as respiratory inflammation, ear inflammation, infection of bowel or disorders
about physiologies such as teething and vaccinating are one of the reasons that
make digestion and absorption of food to children reduce. Therefore, when
children catch this disease, they will have fever and high fever will reduce
secreting and activities of enzymes as well as peristaltic of bowel. As a
result, it will reduce the process of digesting and absorbing.
Especially, inflammations about bowel will
hurt and cause disorder bacterium system that can affect digestion and
absorption of foods to children directly. Besides, when children have disease,
they have to treat with antibiotic medicine. This is also an element that
causes disorder for bacteria of bowel and it will affect digestive system of
children.
The other reasons that reduce enzymes of
bowel peristaltic of bowel and constipation and make digestive process of
children reduce. As a result, it will lead to reducing absorption of nutrients.
What should we do to help children digest and absorb
better?
Ensure about quality of children’s meal.
You have to balance nutrients including protein, flour, sugar, fat and ensure
to have enough vitamins and minerals.
The time that begins to let children eat to
provide is appropriate. When children are 6 months old (180days), this is a
suitable time because it can ensure that children can digest other foods
besides milk and it doesn’t hurt digestive system as well as disorder of
digestion and absorption of children in the future.
Cook foods that are suitable with
children’s age. You shouldn’t give them foods that they need to chew carefully
when they don’t have enough teeth. Swallow without chewing carefully can make
below digestive system work a lot and heavier. It can make digestive system
tired and as a result, digestive system will “strike”, reduce secreting of
glaze and reduce peristaltic of bowel.
To ensure that children’s digestive system
healthy, you should help them eat enough nutrients and milk so that cells of
bowel can produce and develop healthily (protein, micronutrients such as Fe,
zinc and vitamin A…) to digest and absorb well.
You
have to balance nutrients including protein, flour, sugar, fat and ensure to
have enough vitamins and minerals.
Provide useful probiotics that can help
balance bacterium system in bowel, inhibit development of harmful bacteria. In
addition, it also helps digest food and improves resistance and prevents
constipation for children. Probiotics can be provided through nutritious foods
such as milk, yoghurt…
Providing Probiotics (fibers cannot be
digested, but it is food that helps Probiotics develop and grow) consolidates
and supports for development of Probiotics. In addition, it is also an element
that can help increase peristaltic of bowel and avoid constipation, support
digestion and absorption.
Prevent constipation for children.
Constipation can make movement in bowel jam. In addition, it can make harmful
microorganisms develop and useless substances are stagnant. Lacking fiber and
fat can make children have constipation. Moreover, drinking less water can lead
to decreasing peristaltic of bowel. For children that are under 6 months,
demand about daily water is provided through mother’s milk.
Because of any reason, and because children
have to drink milk with replacing formula, you need to pay attention to
elements that support for digestion and absorption of children such as Synbiotics
(including Probiotics and Prebiotics), B-palmitic acid and lactalbumin…
When children have disease, they need to be
treated absolutely and vaccinating is a way that can prevent diseases
initiatively. Especially, you should pay attention to suitable diet when they
are ill: not force them to eat when they are ill. You should let them eat with
a maximum quantity that they can absorb. Food needs to be cooked more
carefully, softly, well-kneaded so that children can easily swallow and digest.
You can let children eat to restore after ill period.
