Tips to Ease Nutrition Decision-making for Parents

With advice and differing opinions from different platforms, parents might need some help in assuring nutritional adequacy. To make the decision process easier, prep-work is required. Tips to ease include consultation, reading food labels, knowing possible child nutritional supplements (eg. Pediasure) and highlighted vitamins and minerals to support your child’s specific needs.^{1, 7}

Consulting a pediatrician will provide a good base

Though you know your child best, you sometimes need an expert’s opinion to better keep your child’s growth on track. They will ask about your child’s current diet, eating habits, amount of daily physical activities, medical history, and take notes of height and weight. Once this information is provided, you will be informed whether your child is under height, or weight, with recommendations of daily nutrition that you need to look out for. Every child is different, so there could be more than one consultation with a time period in between for the recommendations to play out.¹

Take stock of what your child is already eating  

Is your child getting proper 3 meals a day with snacks in between? Is your child a picky eater? These questions matter because taste is the number one factor that affects nutritional intake. Worry not as there are many alternatives’ ones they refuse. If they do not like bitter kale, try Chinese cabbage or any other leafy green for Calcium, fiber, iron, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin K, all important for growth.⁴ You as a parent control the supply line for what to buy and when to serve. But ultimately, your child is the master of their own appetite, so it is up to you to provide options they can choose from. Kids learn from their parents, so if you want your child to eat healthy, model it yourself.^{1, 4}

Know your Child Nutritional Supplement Options          

Before considering nutritional supplements, learn to read food labels and note important vitamins and minerals to watch out for. Make sure that they have the essential ones that support bone quality and muscle tissue building, such as calcium, vitamin D, K, and zinc. Supplements should also have healthy fats, amino acids and high-quality proteins to support muscle health and aid in absorption of other nutrients. For example, MCT (medium-chain triglyceride), fat extracted from coconut, is quickly metabolizable, thus providing energy and maximizing the impact of nutrients.^{2, 3} Keeping these points in mind, parents can trust the formulation of Pediasure to support nutritional gaps with food. With 37 essential nutrients, including MCT, vitamin D, K, and calcium, PediaSure can provide support for even the pickiest of eaters for optimal growth.^{3, 7}

It may all seem daunting at first, but with some prep, you know what to look for good nutrition. Nutritional supplement brands differ in specific amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients. Because of its adaptable product format (powder to liquid), choosing PediaSure can help your child enjoy tasty drinks to their liking with full nutritional benefits. challenges of childhood.

Head on over to Pediasure Myanmar for additional information, available products, and to request samples.

Request a free sample today!