Question
My friend’s child is now eight years old, but recently, for some unknown reason, the child doesn’t seem to have much appetite. A child who usually eats two bowls of rice isn’t eating at all for no apparent reason and has started to pick at their food. Could it be a zinc deficiency? What should I do?
Answer
Increase intake of foods rich in zinc, such as seafood, lean meat, and nuts. Oysters have the highest zinc content among seafood. If the baby is being breastfed, the mother should also eat more zinc-rich foods to increase the zinc content in the milk. Foods should be as minimally processed as possible, as over-processing can harm the heart. Therefore, it’s necessary to control the heat during cooking to avoid zinc loss. If the child’s zinc deficiency is more severe, in addition to complementary feeding, oral zinc supplements can be chosen for treatment, with common options including zinc gluconate or zinc glycinate. The duration of zinc supplementation should be at least 1 to 2 months.