Patient's question:
My friend's child is already eight years old this year. Recently, I don't know what's wrong, but they haven't been eating much. Usually, the child eats two big bowls of food, but now they refuse to eat for no reason. They've also started being picky about food. Is it possible they're zinc deficient? What should we do about it?Doctor's answer:
Eat more foods rich in zinc, such as seafood, lean meat, nuts, etc. Oysters in seafood have the highest zinc content. If the baby is being breastfed, the mother should also eat more zinc-rich foods to ensure higher zinc content in the milk. Food should be as unprocessed as possible. Over-processing can damage the heart. Therefore, it is necessary to control the heat during cooking to avoid zinc loss. If the baby's zinc deficiency is more severe, in addition to complementary foods, oral zinc supplements may be required for treatment. Gluconate zinc or licorice zinc can be chosen, and the zinc supplement period should be at least 1 to 2 months.