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PoorWeightGain

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Poor Weight Gain - FAQs

My child falls sick frequently and is not putting on weight. What could be the reason behind this?

Frequent illnesses hamper weight gain and growth, owing to dehydration and lack of nutrients. This, in turn, makes your child prone to frequent infections. Immunity medicines can help to a certain extent, but it is advisable to avail proper treatment.

My child eats very well and his appetite is good, but he does not gain weight. What can I do?

Your child appears to be nutrition-deficient; this can be due to insufficient calories or decreased absorption of food. This is commonly seen in overactive children and children who suffer from repeated worm infestations.

My child refuses to eat whatever is offered and seems to have a poor appetite. Please help.

Your child probably suffers from loss of appetite; this could be due to food intolerance, which makes one feel full. At times, if your child is under stress - a fight in school, some kind of threat or unknown fear - they may show symptoms of appetite loss. Therefore, it is best to consult our doctors for further evaluation.

My child often suffers from worms in the stomach. Can worms lead to poor weight gain?

Yes, infestation of worms is one of the reasons for poor weight gain. Worms can prevent nutrient absorption in the stomach, resulting in multiple nutritional deficiencies, frequent allergies and a decreased appetite.

Do medicines for increasing appetite work?

Yes, there are multiple homeopathic tonics available to improve appetite, and increase food intake and absorption.

My three-year-old daughter had typhoid six months ago. Since then, she has stopped growing in height and weight. Please help.

It is common to suffer stunted growth after high fevers, especially in cases of malaria and typhoid. Fever has a debilitating effect over a child’s body because it dehydrates, which prevents nutrient absorption and assimilation, resulting in growth retardation.

My five-year-old daughter stopped gaining weight ever since she started schooling, and she is prone to illnesses, especially before exams. I want to understand whether anxiety and weight loss are related.

Yes. Frequently falling sick can lead to poor weight gain as seen in your child. Moreover, your child seems to have the phobia of exams, which is accelerating ill health. Her psychological health will also have to be addressed.

My 12-year-old son refuses to eat homemade food; he prefers eating junk food instead. Are there any ways to change his habits?

This seems to be a behavioural issue and requires gradual behavioural training. Counselling helps children adopt healthy eating habits.

Myths and facts

  1. Children must eat wheat-based foods for healthy weight gain.
    If the child has wheat intolerance, it could be harmful. However, there are various other food substitutes to choose from, namely, soya, rice, multi-grains, etc.
  2. Eating bananas can help increase weight.
    While bananas are healthy, they only provide a few nutrients essential for growth. For healthy weight gain, it is essential to eat a balanced diet.
  3. If your child eats junk food, give them dry fruits for snacks to compensate for the essential nutrition.
    While junk food may taste good, its nutritional value is little to none, and it does more harm than good. Dry fruits are rich in healthy fats, minerals and calories. However, they aren’t a substitute for a healthy meal. It is important to follow healthy eating habits to have healthy weight.
  4. Fortified fruit juices and breakfast meals, such as corn flakes, are nutritious.
    Most breakfast foods and fruit juices provide high amounts of carbohydrates, and are rich in calories; it is best to avoid them.