Why do children love to eat hair? Maybe they are losing too much zinc!

Love to eat strange things, such as biting nails, chewing toys, eating hair, paper scraps, dirt, etc. It may be zinc deficiency in the body. According to data, about 60% of children in my country are zinc deficient. Insufficient zinc intake for children in the growth and development period will directly affect their physical and intellectual development. The following No. 5 website editor will show you why children love to eat hair? Maybe the child loses too much zinc!

Why do children love to eat hair?

Zinc deficiency can cause a variety of diseases or symptoms in babies, such as eating strange things, eating hair, eating toys, eating fingers, etc., which can lead to the following symptoms: taste disorders: anorexia, picky eating or eating strange foods; skin diseases: prone to oral ulcers, damaged wounds are difficult to heal, adolescent acne, etc.; poor growth and development: short stature, thin; decreased immunity: frequent colds and fevers; intellectual development is delayed.

What are the causes of zinc deficiency?

◆Unbalanced diet and insufficient intake

Compared with animal foods such as meat, eggs and milk, plant foods such as cereals contain less zinc, so vegetarians are prone to zinc deficiency. Pregnant mothers and nursing mothers also need more zinc. If they do not take in enough zinc, it can cause zinc deficiency in the mother and fetus. If total parenteral nutrition is not supplemented with zinc or the zinc is insufficient, it can cause severe zinc deficiency. When there is infection or fever, the zinc requirement increases. Loss of appetite and reduced intake can easily lead to zinc deficiency.

Malabsorption

Diarrhea caused by various reasons can reduce zinc absorption, especially chronic diarrhea, such as malabsorption syndrome, steatorrhea, cystic fibrosis, etc. Cereal foods contain a lot of phytate and crude fiber, which hinder zinc absorption. At the same time, if you often eat refined foods, you will also consume zinc.

Excessive zinc loss

Repeated blood loss, hemolysis, trauma, and burns can all cause large amounts of zinc to be lost with body fluids; cirrhosis, chronic uremia, and other conditions can cause hyperzincuria due to hypoalbuminemia; some drugs, such as long-term use of metal chelators (such as penicillamine) and repeated intravenous infusion of glutathione, combine with zinc and be excreted in the urine, all of which can cause zinc deficiency.

Genetic defects

For example, acrodermatitis enteropathica is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disease. Due to the defective function of the small intestine to absorb zinc, the zinc content in the body is reduced, including plasma (clear) zinc, erythrocyte zinc, muscle zinc, hair zinc and urine zinc. There are acral skin lesions, persistent diarrhea, alopecia, growth and development disorders, reduced immunity and susceptibility to infection.

What should pregnant women eat if they are zinc deficient?

Zinc exists in a wide range of foods, so people who are zinc deficient can supplement it through food. If necessary, they can take zinc supplements, because relying on food alone can hardly meet the needs. You can consider taking some Xinxibao zinc-selenium tablets. Protein zinc is also relatively safe, with a crispy and delicious taste. I have 22 years of zinc supplement experience, but you can still take a look at these zinc supplement foods:

1. Oysters have the highest zinc content among seafood, so pregnant women can consider eating an appropriate amount of oysters to ensure zinc supplementation during pregnancy. However, they should also be careful not to eat too much seafood, otherwise it will cause discomfort to the pregnant mother's body.

2. Among plant fruits, nuts are considered to have the highest zinc content. Therefore, peanuts, walnuts, etc. can be eaten appropriately by pregnant mothers during pregnancy and can be eaten as snacks.

3. Apples have the highest zinc content among fruits. As the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so pregnant mothers can consider apples more when choosing fruits during pregnancy.

4. Among the foods we usually eat, tofu skin, soybeans, white fungus, radish, cabbage, etc. are also foods with relatively high zinc content. Pregnant mothers can make a reasonable combination of them.

5. The zinc contained in lean meat is also considerable. A moderate amount of meat can help pregnant mothers supplement zinc.

6. Among traditional Chinese medicines, wolfberry, rehmannia, mulberry, ginseng, etc. are all rich in zinc. Pregnant mothers can use them in a reasonable way, but it is best to have the guidance of a professional.

How to supplement zinc for babies correctly

1. During the infant and young child period, before 4 months old, breastfeeding is sufficient. Breast milk contains a lot of zinc, which is enough to meet the needs of infants and young children. When breast milk is insufficient or breastfeeding is not possible, you should find some zinc-rich formula milk, etc.

2. After the baby reaches 6 months old, complementary foods should be added in time. You can give priority to foods rich in zinc, such as rice noodles, animal liver, scallops, oysters, peanuts, sesame seeds, nuts, etc.

3. When it is impossible to absorb nutrition through food, or the absorption is slow, you should supplement it with some zinc supplements. Xinxibao Zinc and Selenium Tablets can make the baby absorb it better and are better for zinc supplementation.

4. If zinc deficiency is caused by disease, you need to seek medical treatment in time, find out the cause, and receive treatment under the doctor's advice and guidance.

Notes on zinc supplementation

1. Do not use drugs to supplement zinc

In fact, Chinese medicine says that medicine is harmful to the body, and food supplements are the most effective. Medicine is three-point poison. Bangma recommends that pregnant mothers should not use medicine to supplement zinc if they are not extremely deficient in zinc. If necessary, they must be taken under the guidance of a doctor.

2. Food supplements

In fact, some nutrients can be obtained from food, and especially for pregnant mothers, the intake of nutrients must be based on food supplements. You can eat foods with high zinc content such as oysters, animal offal, fish, dried beans, walnuts, etc. Try to eat less or no overly refined rice and noodles.

3. Avoid overdose

Everything should be done in moderation, including zinc supplementation. Pregnant mothers should avoid excessive zinc supplementation. If too much zinc is supplemented, it can easily cause some adverse reactions, such as nausea and vomiting, and may also cause damage to the nervous system and liver, or cause some other bad diseases.

Recommended zinc supplement recipes:

Longan and Pig Heart

Ingredients: a little longan meat, pig heart, ginger, pepper, Shaoxing wine, salt, etc.

Production:

1. Cut open the pig heart, remove the fat and fascia, wash the longan meat and slice the ginger;

2. Blanch the pig heart, cool it, then add longan meat, ginger slices and appropriate amount of water;

3. Turn to low heat and cook, adjust seasoning.