Will picky eating affect children's intelligence? The harm of picky eating in children

Nowadays, family life is better, and children are spoiled in every way. Children are also generally picky about food. Parents are worried whether picky eating will affect their children's intelligence. What are the dangers of children's picky eating? Let's take a look!

Will picky eating affect children's intelligence?

Picky eating is a common bad eating habit among children. Generally, children do not have high requirements for food in their childhood. However, due to the doting of their parents, children are picky when eating, and it is easy for them to develop the habit of picky eating. Picky eating seriously affects the physical health of growing children, not only making their physical fitness worse, but also affecting their intellectual development. Why does picky eating affect children's intellectual development? Let's find out together!

Nutritional deficiencies

The reason why picky eating affects children's intellectual development is because of the lack of multiple nutrients. Lack of nutrients that are beneficial to brain development will slow down brain development and affect children's intelligence. Children's brain development has reached 90% before the age of ten. If there is habitual picky eating behavior in early childhood, it will seriously affect the child's brain development in the later stage and hinder the comprehensive development of the child's intelligence.

Developmental delay

Most of the nutrients our body needs are obtained from food, and the development of the human body requires a variety of nutrients to work together. If you develop a bad habit of picky eating, some essential nutrients will be lacking, and then the body will have some problems, not only physical and intellectual development will be delayed, but also immunity will be low, making it easy to get sick.

Pay attention to prevention

The physical and intellectual development of children is the focus of every family's attention. Therefore, parents should eliminate factors that affect their children's intellectual development. Among them, picky eating is relatively easy to prevent and treat. Correcting picky eating behavior habits requires parents' patience and then taking some measures to correct their children's picky eating behavior.

The dangers of picky eating in children

1. It is impossible for a few foods to contain all the nutrients, so picky eating cannot meet all the nutrients needed for children's growth, resulting in nutritional imbalance and the child cannot grow and develop healthily and quickly. Studies have shown that malnutrition, eating less or excreting more, and picky eating are most likely to cause potassium deficiency.

2. Picky eaters often play while eating, and often take more than an hour to eat a meal. This not only affects the intake of nutrition, but may even cause gastrointestinal dysfunction and affect digestion and absorption. If not corrected, the child's growth and development may be delayed or even stagnant.

3. Children do not take in enough nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and fat, are underweight and grow slower. Studies have found that the incidence of low weight in picky eaters is twice that of babies with a normal diet.

4. Being picky about food can cause children to lose their appetite, which in the long run can lead to malnutrition and nutritional anemia, reduced disease resistance, and susceptibility to infectious diseases and digestive tract diseases.

5. Picky eating can also cause various vitamin deficiency diseases. For example, not eating whole-fat dairy products, egg yolks, beans, liver and other foods, or not eating carrots, tomatoes, green vegetables, etc., can cause night blindness due to vitamin A deficiency. In severe cases, it can cause corneal opacity, softening, ulceration and even perforation, eventually leading to blindness. Lack of trace elements such as zinc, chromium, copper and selenium may cause visual impairment and myopia in children.

6. Children who like to eat meat but do not eat fresh green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and fruits may suffer from skin diseases due to lack of vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C. Scurvy may also be caused by severe lack of vitamin C in the body. In mild cases, the gums may bleed, and in severe cases, it may cause subperiosteal, intra-articular and intramuscular bleeding. Children will suffer from limb pain, refuse to be hugged, and their limb activities will be affected. In severe cases, fractures may be caused.

7. Not eating foods rich in vitamin D such as fish, shrimp, egg yolks, and mushrooms can lead to vitamin D deficiency. If not supplemented and treated in time, mild symptoms include sweating and crying at night, while severe symptoms include convulsions and bone deformities such as "pigeon breast", "O"-shaped or "X"-shaped legs, etc.

8. Picky eating affects children's intellectual development. The intelligence development index of normal children is 14 points higher than that of picky eaters. Picky eaters are also prone to inattention.

What to do if your child is picky about food

1. First of all, the place where children eat should be fixed. Before eating, parents should try not to arrange children to watch TV, listen to the radio, read books, play with toys and other activities. The TV should be turned off and toys and books should be put away.

2. Parents should eat with their children. Studies have shown that children who often eat without their parents or other relatives will develop a sense of loneliness and abandonment, which will affect the healthy development of their personality. Moreover, children who eat alone will generally choose food according to their own preferences because they do not have the discipline and guidance of their parents. They will eat more of the food they think is delicious and leave the rest alone. Children who eat with their parents and other relatives will not only develop good hygiene habits, but also stimulate their appetite when they see others eating with relish, and will unconsciously eat more food.

3. Create a quiet and relaxing dining environment for children. Parents can ask children to follow the necessary dining rules and set an example. Parents should not quarrel during meals and turn the dining table into a battlefield; do not use drastic means (such as scolding, beating, and intimidation) to force children to eat certain foods, so as not to cause their frustration and affect their appetite. Facts have proved that a harmonious and peaceful dining atmosphere can reduce children's tension and rebellious psychology and promote their appetite.

4. Adults should set an example and not be picky or anorexic. This includes pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. For the health of the next generation, they should try their best to choose food scientifically and diversify food to ensure balanced and comprehensive nutrition.

5. The variety of food should be diversified. Pay attention to the type, color, taste, shape and combination of food to cultivate children's good eating behavior.

6. Food should be fresh, hygienic, and eaten immediately after cooking. Do not eat leftovers. Choose more easily digestible foods, more fish and shrimp, and vegetables and fruits cannot be interchangeable. Choose more dark green, red and yellow vegetables and fruits.