Winter supplementation for children
Release time : 01/18/2025 18:13:27
Parents often ask, "Why is my child so prone to illnesses and frequently catching colds?" This is mainly related to their constitution.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views that children who are physically weak have poor constitutions and are prone to illnesses. Winter is a good time for nourishing the body in children. How can one help children enhance their physical constitution? For some children, whose constitutions are relatively weak or who have developed bad eating habits, parents can use winter as a season for reasonable nourishment to help the children adjust appropriately.
1. Symptoms of children who are picky eaters, have aversion to eating, or suffer from anorexia include poor appetite, anemia, zinc deficiency, and slow weight gain; they are prone to indigestion, often experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, and fatigue.
This is primarily due to spleen and stomach weakness and poor digestive function.
Principle of Supplementation: It is advisable to consume foods that benefit the spleen and stomach, aid digestion, and promote transportation.
Appropriate foods for replenishment: Japonica rice, wheat, sesame, spinach, ginger, white radish, plum, apple, kiwifruit, Chinese yam, white lentils, eel, etc.
For children with anorexia, porridge made with Chinese yam and japonica rice can be used to nourish the spleen and stimulate appetite.
2. Symptoms of children who are frail and sick and have low immunity: Small and thin, often suffer from respiratory infections, coughing, diarrhea, etc., poor appetite, and frequent repeated attacks affect their health.
Principle of supplementation: Adequate protein, suitable amount of vitamins and trace elements have immune regulatory function. Focus on supplementing vitamins A, C, E, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, and copper, iron and zinc.
Because the vitality of the immune cells is supported by proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins, the first principle of dieting is to adhere to a balanced diet.
Foods suitable for toning: Ganoderma lucidum, fresh radishes, mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus, Agaricus bisporus, black fungus, white fungus, lily bulb, shiitake mushroom, etc. can enhance immunity and are appropriate for children who are weak and often ill.
3. Symptoms of calcium deficiency in children: Growth pain, limb and toe spasms, fatigue, easy sweating, some may also experience night terrors, low immunity.
Advice on Supplementation: The best way to supplement calcium is through dairy products, and exposure to sunlight and increased physical activity are essential for successful calcium intake.
Foods for nourishment: milk not only contains a high content of calcium but also has a high absorption rate.
Children with calcium deficiency can consume 500g of milk daily, which should be consumed in two portions, one in the morning and one in the evening, or in smaller amounts throughout the day. Children who do not like milk can choose yogurt.
It is advisable to consume foods rich in calcium, such as soybean products, shrimp skins, fried fish, kelp, shiitake mushrooms, and wood ear mushrooms; additionally, it is important to select foods rich in vitamin D, such as egg yolks and animal liver.
4. Symptoms of Yin Deficiency and Fire Excess in Children: Yellow complexion, red tongue, no tongue coating, easily sweaty, easily agitated, easily irritable, and unrestful sleep at night.
Principle of Supplement: Avoid consumption of ginger, fennel, leeks, chilies, and garlic.
Appropriate Foods for Replenishment: This child is suitable to eat the porridge of glutinous rice and Chinese yam, as well as leeks. However, leeks should not be fried, as they nourish Yin, eliminate dampness, reduce fire, moisturize dryness, etc.
5. Symptoms of Spleen and Stomach Weakness in Children: Pale complexion, emaciated physique, lack of energy, and aversion to food intake.
Principles of Supplementation: It is advisable to choose foods that nourish the spleen and kidney, as well as those that clear and supplement Qi and blood. Foods rich in calcium, iron, and zinc are recommended.
Appropriate Foods for Replenishment: Pork Ribs, Black Fungus, Jujubes, Shiitake Mushrooms, Agaricus Mushrooms, Soybeans and Their Products, Bean Pods, Kelp, Eggs, etc.
Commonly used herbs for strengthening the spleen and stomach include Codonopsis, Malt, Saccharin, Hawthorn, Solomon's Seal, Chinese Yam, Plum Kernel, Lotus Seed, Poria, etc. These herbs have effects on strengthening the spleen and promoting digestion, which can be frequently brewed in children with weak spleen and stomach, and the dosage is not too much. For children over 3 years old, 10-15 grams per time can be enough.
What ingredients and recipes for winter nourishment for babies? Nutritional science believes that consuming seasonal foods is the way to follow nature in a healthy diet.
Let's take a look together, and see what nutritionalists recommend for winter nourishment in babies. How can we eat these ingredients more healthily?
Cauliflower has significant health benefits.
Broccoli belongs to the crucifer family and is rich in phytochemicals, with significant health benefits.
Either cauliflower or broccoli can stimulate the secretion of a kind of anticancer enzyme in human body, and has some effect on cancer.
Vitamin C is also abundant and has the function of enhancing immunity.
Broccoli is more calcium-rich.
The common types of broccoli available on the market include cauliflower, which is commonly referred to as cabbage or cauliflower.
Among them, cauliflower has richer calcium content; while broccoli has more impressive beta-carotene.
Stories are more nutritious than flowers.
Broccoli is very easy to cook and is perfect for adding to baby's first foods.
Some mothers worry that the stem of the broccoli isn't easy to chew, so they only give their baby the florets.
In fact, the ribs are denser and contain more calcium and other nutrients.
Therefore, as your baby's ability to chew and swallow increases, you can also try to eat the cauliflower stem.
Cabbage has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
Cabbage is a cruciferous plant that has certain antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.
The content of trace elements such as copper and manganese in cabbage is relatively high, which has a certain promoting effect on blood circulation.
Vitamin C is also rich in content, and it has a certain help to strengthen the body's immunity.
The content of pectin in cabbage is very high, it can adsorb harmful substances in the body, promote the excretion of them and help to grow beneficial bacteria, so as to strengthen the resistance of harmful bacteria.
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that cabbage has the functions of alleviating irritability, quenching thirst, and promoting urination.
Appropriate for the initial stage of supplementary feeding.
Either making it into a soup or into a puree is suitable.
When boiling vegetable water, my mother must cook it for a longer time to help extract as much nutrients in cabbage as possible.
When making vegetable puree, try to choose a variety of cabbage that is easy to boil soft and rotten. Green cabbage generally has a higher fiber content, which will be more difficult for the baby to chew and difficult to boil.
Pickles and pickles are not suitable for babies.
In winter, many people like to use cabbage to make pickles and pickles, because there may be nitrite residues in pickles and pickles, which is not good for the baby's health, so it is not suitable for the baby to eat.
Broccoli is higher in calcium than cabbage.
Chinese cabbage does not have as much cellulose as Chinese cabbage, so it is easier to chew in taste.
Chinese cabbage is richer in carotene, which is very helpful to protect your baby's cardiovascular and respiratory health.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that the calcium content in cabbage is also very rich, and babies with calcium deficiency can eat more appropriately.
Apples are one apple a day and the doctor doesn't come to me.
Apples are rich in vitamin C, which helps improve the body's immunity.
The content of pectin is also considerable, which can help remove the metabolic waste in the body.
Apples contain substances such as citric acid and tannin, which have certain health benefits.
Apples contain a relatively low sugar content, moderate caloric value, and are not particularly worrying for overweight babies.
Apples also contain a good amount of potassium and zinc, which are beneficial for your health.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, apples are neutral and not excessively cold, making them very suitable for babies.
At 6 months, try adding it.
Although Apple is a relatively safe fruit for Chinese babies, suitable for adding to baby food at the early stages of weaning, it's still too early to start introducing apples to babies as early as four or five months.
Even though apples are relatively bland fruits, they still have a sweet and rich flavor compared to vegetables.
From the perspective of flavor development, it is not advisable to add fruits too early, as this may affect the baby's acceptance of light-flavored vegetables.
Generally speaking, it is better to add fruits such as apples after 6 months.
Walnuts are suitable for babies and expectant mothers.
Walnuts are rich in nutrients, containing essential elements and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and many trace elements and vitamins like carotene and riboflavin.
Walnuts contain a high amount of linoleic acid, which has skin health benefits, hair moisturizing effects and brain-boosting properties.
Beware of Nut Allergy.
Some babies may be allergic to walnuts, and therefore, babies with an allergy should try walnuts only after 10 months.
For babies with low allergy risk, it is possible to add ground walnuts into porridge at the age of seven or eight months.
White radish It has the function of enhancing immunity and resisting infection.
As the saying goes, "The turnip in winter is as effective as ginseng soup, and no doctor needs to prescribe medicine," indicating that white turnips possess certain antibacterial and anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Radishes have a unique pungent flavor due to the presence of various phytochemicals, which have been shown to enhance immunity, fight against bacterial infections and cancer.
It can help relieve dryness, facilitate defecation, and aid digestion.
White radishes also contain enzymes that help to promote the digestion of fats and starch, which can also be beneficial in facilitating bowel movements and relieving constipation.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that white radish is flat in nature, neither too cold nor too hot, and is very suitable for use in autumn and winter to remove dryness. Don't worry about diarrhea or indigestion after your baby eats it.
Carrots are suitable as the first complementary food to add.
In the early stage of adding complementary food, the most important significance of adding food is not nutritional supplement, but the cultivation of taste.
Before adding other foods, first let your baby try carrots with a special flavor, which will be easier for the baby to accept.
When cooking the carrot puree, add some oil.
Carrots are rich in carotene.
Carotene is fat-soluble, and fat transports carotene.
Therefore, it is best to stir-fry carrots with oil to facilitate the absorption of carotene.
For babies in the early stages of adding complementary food, mothers can add some oil to the water when cooking carrot puree for their baby.
Eating carrot strips raw can help prevent dental caries.
When carrots are eaten raw, they have a natural crisp feeling and a light sweetness.
Eating raw carrots helps to exercise your baby's chewing ability, and has the effect of cleaning the mouth and removing food residue between the teeth, which can effectively prevent the occurrence of dental caries.
Precautions for Baby Winter Feeding: While appropriate winter feeding can improve a child's constitution to some extent, there are some precautions that mothers need to know when giving their children nourishment.
1. It is not advisable to supplement when a cold is still unresolved in the winter and autumn seasons; babies are generally prone to respiratory issues due to their weak lungs. When the external pathogenic wind and dampness have not been completely expelled, attempting to supplement can lead to recurring colds for the baby. Some parents tend to rush to supplement their child's weakened condition right after they catch a cold. This approach can actually exacerbate the child's persistent colds.
When a baby has not fully recovered from an illness, supplementation is not advisable, such as Astragalus, which is effective in boosting qi. It is used to treat night sweats in children.
Parents who notice an increase in sweating in their baby due to a cold might use it to make soup for the child.
This approach is not entirely appropriate. Astragalus is warm in nature, and it should not be used if the common cold has not been cleared. Unless there is clear evidence of qi deficiency, it should not be frequently used for daily soup preparations either.
2. There is a difference between nourishing babies and nourishing adults. Hot foods or medicines, such as venison, deer blood, ginseng, etc., are acceptable for adults, but not suitable for small babies, because these supplements will promote the baby's reproductive system. Development, premature overdose can cause precocious puberty.
The function of the baby's digestive system is worse than that of adults. Under cold stimulation, it can easily cause indigestion, and even nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
Therefore, when nourishing, some animal foods, such as mutton and beef, must be stewed well to make them easy to digest in order to achieve the purpose of nourishing.
3. In winter, it is advisable to nourish the body but should not overly enrich children with food and drink. Careful attention should be paid to symptoms such as nosebleeds from excessive irritation, constipation, and dry mouth after feeding in winter.
In the daily diet of babies, it is important to properly combine light and refreshing fruit and vegetable dishes. If a baby exhibits symptoms of excessive heat, it is necessary to provide adequate hydration and cooling measures for the baby.
Common dietary recipes recommended: For children, regardless of the season, a scientific and reasonable combination of dishes for three meals a day is the most important.
Moms should ensure that their diet is balanced, including a mix of meat and vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Here are some recipes for winter nourishment recommended for mothers.
Lotus and Lotus Seed Porridge, Ingredients: 15 grams of lotus seeds, 15 grams of dried lotus flowers, 1 egg, and an appropriate amount of sugar. Method: Remove the core from the lotus seeds and place them in a clay pot with an appropriate amount of water. Boil on low heat until the lotus seeds are soft, then add the egg and sugar.
Eggs are ready to eat once boiled.
Key Points for Boosting: This can nourish the spleen and stomach, moisturize the lungs, and calm the mind and spirit.
Suitable for daily consumption by children.
Southern Ginger Lung Nourishing Decoction Ingredients: 12g of South American and 9g of North American apricot kernels, 4 dates, 200g of pig lung. Preparation: Peel the South American and North American apricot kernels, wash the pig lung and cut it into small pieces. Heat a little cooking oil in an iron pan, stir-fry the pieces until they are browned, then add an appropriate amount of boiling water. Place the date, apricot kernels, and pork lung together in a casserole and cook for 1 to 2 hours, ready to be served.
Focus on replenishing Qi, moistening the lungs, and relieving cough.
Suitable for children with dry weather or weak pulmonary qi, prone to coughing, and also suitable for the recovery period of pneumonia.
Euryale Seed and Carp Soup Ingredients: 15 grams of Euryale seeds, 15 grams of Henan Chinese yam, 1 carp (about 150 grams) Method: Remove the scales, gills, and innards from the carp, lightly fry it in a cast-iron pan with a small amount of cooking oil until it turns light yellow. Then mix with Euryale seeds and Chinese yam into a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water to cook for an hour, season with salt, and serve.
Key points for nourishment: Can replenish Qi, strengthen the spleen, and solidify the kidney.
Suitable for children with weak spleen and stomach, loss of appetite, and irregular bowel movements, can enhance spleen and stomach function.
Broad Wheat and Pig Heart Soup Ingredients: 25 grams of wheat, 5 dates, pig heart 1, and longan meat 6 grams Preparation: Cut the pig heart in half and clean it thoroughly. Remove the pit from the dates and add the ingredients to a pot along with an appropriate amount of water. Boil for one hour, season to taste before serving.
Key Points of Supplementation: It can strengthen the spleen and benefit qi, calm the heart and mind, and enhance brain function.
Shenshu Dazao Tang Ingredients: 10g Codonopsis pilosula, 20g poria cocos, 6g atractylodes rhizome, 5 dates, 1 fresh duck kidney Practice: Break the cloud poria, remove the core of the jujube, cut open the fresh duck kidney, wash the gold in the duck, place it in the pan with the top ingredients, add appropriate amount of water and cook for 1 hour, season and serve.
Key points of tonic: It can strengthen the spleen and replenish qi. It is often used in children with fatigue, poor stomach intake, and poor bowel movements.
General children drink it, but it can also strengthen the spleen and stimulate appetite.
White radish tofu jelly ingredients: 500 grams of water tofu, 1 white radish, proper amount of starch, refined salt, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Practice: Wash the white radish and cut it into short shredded pieces.
Blanch the tofu with boiling water and cut it into thin slices.
Wrap the shredded radish with starch, put it in a warm oil pan, stir fry, add water to boil, add water tofu, cook for 10 minutes, thicken, add refined salt, sprinkle with sesame oil, add some minced garlic, and mix well.
Focus on nourishment: Radish and tofu are excellent sources of calcium, which is beneficial for preventing rickets.
Radish can eliminate stagnation, transform phlegm heat, and relax the middle passage, treating symptoms such as food stagnation, distension, cough with hoarse voice.
There's an old saying in folklore: "In winter, eat radish; in summer, eat ginger. No doctor is needed to prescribe."
Besides calcium, tofu is a rich source of protein and nutrition.
Carrot and Pork Liver Stir-Fry: Ingredients: 200g carrots, 100g pork liver. Oil, green onion, ginger, and appropriate amount of chicken broth. Preparation: Wash the carrots and pork liver thoroughly, chop them into pieces and set aside.
Clean the scallions and ginger, cut them into sections, and slice the ginger.
Heat oil in a wok, add scallions and ginger slices, then stir-fry the carrot until it's slightly cooked. Add an appropriate amount of broth, wait for the carrot to be half cooked, add pork liver, continue to stir-fry until it is cooked.
Key Nutrient: Pig liver is rich in Vitamin A, and carrots are also rich in Vitamin A. Therefore, they are particularly suitable for Vitamin A deficiency, which can help to maintain the baby's vision.
Buckwheat Chicken Soup: Ingredients: 250g chicken, 150g chestnuts, green onions, ginger slices, soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine, oil, and a little sesame oil.
Practice: Peel off the shells of the chestnuts and take the meat, chop the chicken into squares for later use.
Remove the oil pan, add the chicken nuggets and ginger slices, stir-fry for a while, add the green onion slices, soy sauce, sugar, and cooking wine, and cook until the chicken is cooked.
Remove the spring onions and ginger slices, pour the chicken into the pot, simmer over low heat until the chicken is crisp, add chestnuts and simmer.
Boil the chestnuts until they are crispy, collect the juice over high heat, and pour over sesame oil.
Key Points of Prescription: This chicken soup offers the benefits of warming up and nourishing the body, making it an indispensable choice for baby's "warm-up" during winter.
Pear is rich in starch and protein, as well as fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron and many vitamins, especially vitamin C, B and carotene, which are more than other dried fruits. It has the effect of strengthening spleen and kidney, which is beneficial to the absorption of chicken nutrients by babies.
Warm-Nurturing Porridge in Winter Eating porridge for nourishment has a long history in China, and it's no surprise that people welcome a bowl of steaming hot and delicious porridge during the chilly winter.
Moms can prepare some nutritious and delicious porridges for their children during the winter.
Chinese Yam Porridge Ingredients: 50g Chinese yam, 50g rice, appropriate amounts of honey and cooking oil. Chinese yam is a superior choice for nourishing the kidneys and spleen. Preparation: Cut the Chinese yam into small pieces and sauté them in oil. Add honey to the yam and stir-fry. Then cook the rice into porridge and add the sautéed Chinese yam before boiling. Enjoy!
Yam is a fine nourishment for the kidney and spleen.
Hazelnut Porridge Ingredients: 50 grams of peeled hazelnuts, 50 grams of rice, a pinch of salt. Instructions: Boil the hazelnuts in a pressure cooker with minimal water until cooked, remove the skin, mash them, and add to the washed rice. Then, boil it into porridge, season with salt.
Chestnuts can nourish the kidney, and are used in food therapy to treat symptoms of kidney deficiency such as soreness or pain in the lower back and knees.
Almond Porridge Ingredients: 20 almonds (removed from skin) and about 50 grams of rice. A bit of sugar or salt can be added for taste. Instructions: Rinse the rice and cook it into porridge, then add almonds when the porridge is almost done and continue to cook until it's done. Add a bit of sugar or salt for taste.
Almonds can help to relieve cough, stabilize asthma, and remove phlegm and moisturize dryness.
Walnut and Goji Berry Porridge Ingredients: 30g of walnut kernels, 15g of goji berries, 50g of rice. Instructions: Wash and grind the walnut kernels; clean the goji berries and rice, then add an appropriate amount of water to cook into porridge.
This porridge is a delicious remedy for nerves and incontinence.
Pear Porridge Ingredients: 3 pears, 50 grams of rice. Instructions: Wash and peel the pears, remove the seeds, and cut them into pieces.
Add an appropriate amount of water and boil for half an hour, then wash the rice thoroughly and cook it into a thick porridge.
Add the pear juice and pear chunks just before the fruit begins to cook down.
It has the effects of nourishing the lungs and clearing the heart, dispelling phlegm and reducing heat, and has a dietary therapeutic effect on cough in children due to lung heat.
Beef Intestine and Rice Porridge Ingredients: 200g beef intestine, 50g rice, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: Wash the cattle intestine with salt, cut into cubes, and cook with rice and water until it forms a thick porridge. Season with a little salt before serving.
For a child who is weak after illness, has poor appetite, and feels tired all over the limbs, there are some excellent dietary remedies.
*The medical information provided in this text is for reference only.
In the event of discomfort, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on an examination conducted in person by a physician.