Keeping kids healthy

Nobody likes being sick, especially children who cannot be good patients. Young children dislike both the symptoms and the cures when they’re sick. The adage "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is really not enough to make sure that children stay healthy, both physically and mentally. Parents know that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to raise healthy children.

The first step to maintaining good health in children is to get them immunized. Today, thanks to immunization, children can be free from such illnesses as smallpox, whooping cough, typhoid fever, diphtheria, measles and hepatitis. Immunization has eliminated diseases that used to wipe out millions of young lives around the world throughout the years.

Good hygienic practices such as washing of hands give children added protection against diseases, especially if family members or schoolmates are sick.

Other good practices include teaching children to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing and using disposable tissues instead of handkerchiefs when sick.

Feeding children the proper food can be tricky because many children are finicky eaters. Every child needs an average of 900 to 1,700 calories a day, depending on their size and needs. This means a good combination of protein, calcium, green leafy and yellow vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other concentrated complex carbohydrates, iron-rich foods, high fats, salt and fluid.

Although it is tempting to resort to a shortcut when preparing children’s food, experts insist that children should not be given complete freedom of choice when it comes to the food that they eat. The best thing, they say, is to offer children only nutritionally worthy options and then let them make their choice.

Because many children have poor eating habits and a penchant for junk food, they do not get enough vitamins that are essential for the normal functioning of the body. The body cannot manufacture some of these vitamins by itself. Thus, it becomes necessary to obtain them from the diet and a multivitamin supplement.

Kiddi Pharmaton is a balanced vitamin and mineral formula from Boehringer Ingelheim, especially developed for growing children. Among the essential vitamins and minerals, it contains the combination of lysine, calcium and vitamin B-complex that are essential for growing children’s physical and mental development.

Lysine, the amino acid most often reported to be deficient in children’s diets, is important in bone development. It ensures absorption of calcium and the formation of collagen, which is the matrix of bone, cartilage and connective tissues.

Lysine is also the precursor of glutamate in the central nervous system. Glutamate is particularly important for a healthy mental development. Combined with the necessary vitamins and minerals, lysine also stimulates the appetite and contributes to the healthy development of children.