Loss of appetite or loss of appetite in children

Loss of appetite or loss of appetite occurs when the craving for food decreases.
With loss of appetite, correlating symptoms can also be observed, such as:

• weight loss,
• Malnutrition.

These can have serious consequences if left untreated. That is why it is important to find the reason for the decrease in appetite and treat it.

Loss of appetite for psychological reasons can have dangerous consequences for health, especially in adolescent girls and boys.
If an adolescent refuses food, a doctor should be consulted immediately.

Loss of appetite in children

There are situations where children can lose their appetite or don’t feel like eating at the moment, especially in the evening.
This can discourage and worry parents.
There are easy ways to make meals enjoyable for mother, child and the whole family.

Poor eating habits are hard to change
Eating in a positive atmosphere helps children maintain a healthy attitude:

• to eat
• and to build oneself.

Eating together is a way to help the child develop a healthy attitude towards eating.

Causes of childhood loss of appetite

• Disease sometimes leads to loss of appetite. If the child has a sore throat, rashes, fever or other symptoms, he may lose appetite.
  The doctor should be notified or consulted if the child is unwell and does not improve.
• There is another cause of lack of appetite in children: returning from vacation.
  Since children are creatures of habit, it is quite possible that returning home after a month of vacation will show symptoms, such as:
  • Nervousness
  • loss of appetite,
  • headache,
  • Tiredness.
• The one-year-old child has to process a hexavalent vaccine that bears this name because it protects against six diseases:
  – whooping cough, – diphtheria, – tetanus, – polio, – hepatitis B,

  -Haemophilus influenzae type B. Up to two days after vaccination, the child may suffer from loss of appetite.

Other causes of loss of appetite in children

If no disease is the cause of a lack of appetite, there may be various other reasons why the child can not eat.
Reasons can be:

• The child eats between meals.
• The child drinks fruit juice or other drinks (except water) during meals.
• The child has less energy than usual.

In children who are at least one year old, there is an increase or decrease in appetite depending on:

• Age
• energy level,
• Growth
• Season.

If the child appears healthy and happy, there is probably no reason to worry about a temporary decrease in appetite.

How to increase appetite in children

There are a few ways to encourage the child to eat:

• • The meal should be a pleasure. Meals are important social moments in the child’s adolescence. You have to try to make this moment of the day enjoyable for the child.
    You can offer the child different foods and allow him to choose the food he prefers.
    One should not focus on what the child does not eat, but on what the child feeds on.
    You can show by examples that eating is fun and pleasant.
  • Sharing of responsibility. Nutritionists encourage parents to adopt a theory called “sharing responsibility.” According to this theory, the parents are responsible for providing the food and the child for how much he eats.
    The parents try to offer the child food and help him to a balanced offer.
    As the child grows up, parents choose and prepare the food, offer snacks and regular meals, make this moment pleasant and give the child a good model of how to enjoy the food during meals.

• Parents should forbid the child to snack between meals and should encourage them to drink only water instead. This theory ensures the child the necessary nutrients from the food he chooses.
• Serve small portions more often. Children have a smaller stomach compared to adults. They do not eat much during meals.
  Five or six small meals or snacks can best meet the child’s energy needs. This can reduce problems during meals.
• Vary the child’s menu. When preparing meals for the child, according to nutritionists, the foods from each of the four basic food groups should be taken.
  • Whole grains such as bread, pasta, rice, cereals and other grain products fortified with iron, folic acid and other B group vitamins, including niacin, thiamine and riboflavin.
  • You can offer the child a lot of fruits and vegetables cut into pieces.
  • Milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products create a balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, calcium and vitamin D.
  • Lean meat, poultry and fish, as well as tofu (soybean curd), beans and lentils give the child’s body proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals such as iron.
• A child may have their favorite foods, but new foods must be added step by step. You have to expect that the child will reject the new foods at first.
• The child must not be forced to eat. Meals should be a pleasant time for the whole family.
  Forcing the child to eat against his will does not make sense. It can keep the child from eating certain foods in the future.
  Ordering the child to eat the whole plate empty can have the same effect.
  Refusal of food can be a way of the child asserting his independence. Nutritionists say that most children eat what they need.
• Avoid distractions. Television should be avoided while eating. Other distractions such as toys or books should not be brought to the table while eating.
• The avoid drinking before eating, because if the stomach is filled with water, the child too quickly achieves a feeling of satiety.

Other helpful tips to make meals more enjoyable

Prepare the child for meals. It is important to let them know 10 or 15 minutes before serving that you are about to eat.

• Encourage the child to help prepare food. It can wash the vegetables or mix the ingredients together.
• Serve drinks only after the main course, so that the child can not fill his stomach with it.

Healthy eating habits for the child:

• The child should eat nutritious foods slowly.
• Never use food as a reward or punishment.

Only in case of vitamin deficiency or malnutrition can you take vitamin supplements such as Haliborange.

An effective homeopathic remedy is Natrium muriaticum, which is indicated in the case of:

• lack of appetite,
• weight loss and dehydration,
• in convalescence after illness.

Key

1. If the child appears healthy and happy, there is certainly no reason to worry about temporary lack of appetite.
2. Make meals a pleasure.
3. Often offer small portions.
4. Vary the child’s menu.
5. Do not force to eat or use the food as a reward or punishment.
6. Avoid distractions during meals.

Causes of lack of appetite in infants

Loss of appetite in infants always worries parents, but the newborn is often expected to eat more than it should eat.
Causes of loss of appetite in the newborn are:

Acid reflux
Acid reflux is a reflux of gastric acid into the esophagus.
Heartburn can lead to:

• Irritability
• Ache
• and loss of appetite.

Allergy to milk sugar An allergy to cow’s milk proteins (not to be confused with lactose intolerance) is a disease in which the newborn’s immune system reacts to casein and whey, the protein present in milk.
This can cause symptoms every time the child consumes dairy products, such as:

• stomach pain,
• Swellings
• Itch
• Shortness of breath.

Infections
Newborns do not have a mature immune system and are therefore more susceptible to infections. Viral and bacterial infections can cause loss of appetite in an infant.

Teething
The majority of children get their first teeth between the ages of 4 and 8 months.
Symptoms of eruption of teeth include:

• Gum swelling;
• Irritability;
• refusal of food;
• Insomnia.

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