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Show WHAT to EAT and WHY C. Houston Goudiss Discusses the Child Who Has a Lagging Appetite; Tells What to Do for the Finicky Eater By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS IT HAS been well said that with the knowledge of nutrition now at the command of practically every mother, there should not be one ill-nourished child in our land. Unfortunately, Unfor-tunately, statistics show that possibly one-half of the children in this country are either underweight, undernourished or malnourished. Many factors may be responsible for this state of affairs. Some children are fed incor- rectly owing to the fact that the family income is small and the mother has not learned how to utilize low-cost foods that are rich in protective minerals and vitamins in place of those that are higher priced. In other families, the mothers do not u 1 realize the importance impor-tance of providing a well-rounded diet for growing children. chil-dren. But the problems prob-lems of these homemakers are more easily remedied, reme-died, perhaps, than those of mothers who plan a well-balanced well-balanced diet, but find that their child lacks interest in, or even refuses to eat the food that has been prepared pre-pared so carefully. Developing the Right Attitude Strange as it may seem, such difficulties often arise because a mother fails to give the necessary consideration to developing in the young child a proper attitude toward to-ward food. Some children need to be taught that they must eat enough food for their body requirements. re-quirements. It is part of the training they should have in early childhood, so that they develop a willingness to eat what is put before be-fore them, to try new foods when offered, and to become increasingly increas-ingly independent in making a wise selection at mealtimes. If a child has been properly conditioned con-ditioned in these respects from his earliest years, mothers will seldom sel-dom find themselves faced with a "child who will not eat." Problem of Anorexia All normal children will, at times, exhibit a lack of appetite. We are not concerned here with occasions when a child who usually usu-ally eats well feels no desire for food. Such lack of appetite may mean the beginning of a cold or some other illness and should be carefully investigated. Unfortunately, Unfortu-nately, however, many mothers of young children are faced with a chronic lack of appetite in their children a condition that physicians physi-cians describe as anorexia. In order or-der to correct this condition, it is necessary to understand its causes and to use wisdom in helping help-ing to remove them. Find the Causes When a child chronically lacks interest in food, the mother should set about systematically to learn the reasons why. Possibly the cooperation co-operation of your physician will be required, for sometimes obscure ob-scure physical causes may be responsible, re-sponsible, such as faulty elimination, elimina-tion, diseased tonsils or teeth or some other focal infection. On the other hand, it frequently occurs i that a changed attitude on the part of the mother in presenting food is all that is necessary to alter completely a child's attitude in regard to his meals. It is interesting to note, however, how-ever, that in studying a large group of children with poor appetites, appe-tites, one investigator found that 82 per cent of the children were more than average in height and narrow in body build. Faulty Diet May Destroy Appetite Frequently, a child's lack of interest in-terest in food may be traced directly di-rectly to poor choice among the foods presented to him. It has been repeatedly demonstrated, for example, that when the diet lacks vitamin Bi, appetite decreases, so that there is less desire for food of any kind. Then, too, when a child's diet contains too much fat, digestion may be delayed and this in turn may interfere with the appetite ap-petite for the next meal. While some children thrive better with a between-meal feeding, in others it seems to destroy appetite for the meal that is to follow. And with some children, "fussiness" at mealtimes may be due to the fact that their diet contains too many concentrated foods, too few crisp raw ones that stimulate appetite. ap-petite. Fatigue a Factor Occasionally, a child does not eat well merely because he is too tired. Even though he obtains adequate ade-quate sleep at night, too much or too prolonged exercise or excitement excite-ment may result in fatigue during the day. If a child spends too much time with adults, overstimulation overstim-ulation may be the result. And in the case of older children, their school work may be troubling them. Another frequent cause of lagging lag-ging appetite is the constant nervous nerv-ous tension to be observed in some households. If a child is allowed al-lowed to become unhappy, angry, or worried over some uncompleted uncomplet-ed school assignment, it may interfere in-terfere seriously with his appetite appe-tite and consequently with his nutrition. nu-trition. With younger children, the fact that they are able to attract at-tract favorable attention from adults by refusing to eat often stimulates them to repeat their refusal as long" as mother shows concern over their antics. Parents' Attitude Important This brings us to perhaps the most important factor in dealing with the young, finicky eater who eats sparingly and whose dislikes usually far outnumber his likes. Such a child must be encouraged tactfully to eat a wide variety of foods, but mothers must not be over-solicitous, nor must they become be-come obviously angry or irritated when the child refuses food. Scolding, punishment and threats i of punishment should be avoided, as they defeat their purpose. Remember, Re-member, too, that precept is a powerful teacher, and that a child's dislike for certain foods may have been instilled by a none-too-guardedly expressed dislike dis-like of a similar food on the part of an adult. ' Some Helpful Hints It may be necessary for the en-! tire family to live more quietly,' in order to give the finicky eater a chance to be quiet and relaxed.! There must be regularity of meals and mealtimes must be peaceful.! Keep the table conversation gen-J eral and impersonal in character ( before older children. See to it that younger ones eat by themselves. them-selves. I Often a short rest before meals will help a child to become re- laxed completely. And frequently, frequent-ly, a new method of presenting foods will result in a changed ai-titude ai-titude on the part of the child. ! Foods for young children should not be seasoned too highly. In general, condiments should be avoided. Strong-flavored vegetables, vegeta-bles, as a rule, are not well liked, and if introduced in the young child's diet should be combined with some familiar, and mild-tasting food. In cooking vegetables,' keep the pieces large enough so that the child can identify what he is eating. Include a crisp food in each meal. Finally, remember that a child's eating habits cannot be changed overnight. Changes should be introduced gradually, so that he is scarcely aware of what is going on. WNU C. Houston Goudiss 1938 40. |