Preventing Deficiency Diseases in Kids

Preventing deficiency diseases in kids is possible by ensuring that they have a balanced diet. Know about the common deficiency diseases in kids and what you must include in their diet to prevent such diseases.Deficiency diseases in children can often hamper regular growth and cause serious issues with health. Even though some deficiency diseases are labelled as pre-determined or genetic, there are many more which are caused by poor dietary habits and lifestyles. You have to bear in mind that the right combination of nutritive elements in the body is essential and there are some steps that you can adopt to prevent any kind of deficiency diseases in your kids. In this articleIron DeficiencyVitamin A DeficiencyVitamin B DeficiencyVitamin C DeficiencyVitamin D DeficiencyIron Deficiency Iron is essential for the growth and development of your kid and the lack of iron in the body is the leading cause of anaemia. In order to avoid iron deficiency in children and promote their mental and physical growth, it is important to breastfeed babies till they are 1 year old. Breastmilk is important for growing babies because the iron from breastmilk is easier for their delicate bodies to absorb than iron found in baby formula. Older kids can obtain iron from the iron rich food items like beans, pulses, fish, red meat, nuts, chicken and dark green leafy vegetables. Do not give more than 710ml of milk each day if your child is between 1 to 5 years old.Vitamin A Deficiency Children who suffer from acute deficiency of vitamin A are at a risk of develop gastroenteritis and respiratory infections along with delayed growth and development of bone. The lack of vitamin A in the body of children affects the skin, hair and eyes. The primary cause of vitamin A loss is prolonged dietary deficiency. A vitamin A rich diet in children will include chicken, eggs, beef, liver, mangoes, carrots, orange fruits, milk, sweet potatoes, spinach and other green vegetables. A minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables must be included in your kids regular diet for a proper distribution of carotenoids.Vitamin B Deficiency The lack of vitamin B in the body of children may lead to a wide range of disorders, ranging from the severe but uncommon beriberi disease to more common conditions like anaemia and dermatitis. There are different categories of vitamin B – vitamin B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B6, Folic acid, and B12 – are found in various food sources, including meat, fish, nuts, whole grains, dairy products, pulses, bananas, avocadoes, milk, dark green leafy vegetables, and liver.Vitamin C Deficiency Vitamin C is required by the human body to form collagen which is essential for the maintenance and repair of different tissues, including skin, bone, cartilage, teeth, blood vessels, ligaments and tendons. Extended deficiency of vitamin C in kids can lead to scurvy. Vitamin C deficiency can easily be prevented in children by ensuring that lots of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C are included in their diet, such as citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits, kiwi fruits, vegetables like red and green peppers, spinach, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes and cabbage, watermelon and berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackcurrants.Vitamin D Deficiency Vitamin D is required by kids and unborn babies for bone growth and development. This is owing to the fact that vitamin D helps absorb calcium. Serious lack of vitamin D in kids may lead to delayed motor development, pains and aches, fractures, muscle weakness and rickets. Vitamin D may be produced in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. It also naturally occurs in a few food items like egg yolks, fish liver oils, fish and fortified grain and dairy products.It is your responsibility to ensure that your children are eating right so that no deficiency diseases occur and they stayfit. Deficiency diseases can cause serious problems in the well-being of your child, so you should do your best to prevent them.What are the causes for the deficiency diseases in kids? Which are the common deficiency diseases observed in kids? How to prevent deficiency diseases in kids? Discuss here.