Help Picky Eaters Ascend to New Heights

Kids who are picky eaters may stunt their growth. Here’s how you can help!

Whether they’re building on their social skills, exploring hobbies, and learning about their likes and dislikes, kids are in the experimental stage of their overall growth and development. This, of course, extends to the very food that they consume. Expanding their palate by introducing different kinds of food and cuisines is one thing, but more often than not, choices that are bland in taste and unusual in texture may automatically be a no for them.

The thing is, having an open mind in eating a wide range of food—from fruits and vegetables to getting protein (whether from meat or legumes), and the like—can help set the foundation for having good eating habits and making nutritious choices as our kids grow older.

Reasons why kids are picky eaters

But what makes kids picky eaters in the first place? For one thing, picky eaters have a limited range of food that they’re willing to eat. This can affect how much vitamins and nutrients they’re getting, which is all the more important for our kids, as they are growing.

1. Kids eat food “with a taste that kids love”: Just as we enjoy eating food that we love, kids gravitate towards what tastes good. This is why they should be introduced to a wide variety of food and avoid or lessen intake of added sucrose or table sugar as much as possible as this may lead to diabetes or cavities in the long run.

2. Kids learn from us parents: As role models to our kids, we can shape their eating habits. By eating a variety of nutritious food ourselves, we can teach our kids to eat healthier, while encouraging adventurous eating.

3. Kids look for what’s familiar: What we eat at home is what our kids will become accustomed to. This is why it is important early on to introduce nutritious options so that it becomes their habit to go for a nutritious choice. And this can cause picky eating since being exposed to something unfamiliar, to them, disrupts their routine.

Being a picky eater can affect our kids’ growth and development

Picky eating, in the long run, can lead to a wide range of problems growing up. Nutrition deficiency is a big concern. When our kids aren’t getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diet, they can miss out on important vitamins and minerals like Vitamins A, B, and C, along with micronutrients like iron and calcium, among others.

More than affecting their physical growth, being a picky eater means that their overall health and well-being are hit hard, too. This can also cause their immune system to weaken, making them susceptible to sicknesses.

What’s more, they become more at risk for diseases when they grow older—such as osteoporosis because they didn’t get enough calcium growing up.

One way of helping kids who are picky eaters catch up on growth is by supporting them with foods that can nourish their body along with proper diet and exercise.

That’s where Wyeth Ascenda Kid comes in— it has 100% dairy protein, high-quality carbohydrates like skimmed milk powder and lactose, the predominant kind of sugar naturally found in milk, and 38 growth nutrients, clinically proven to help deliver faster height growth in as early as 3 weeks, vs. Leading premium 3+ brand, study conducted among toddlers, 2 servings per day together with a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet. All these contributing to the Growth Plus Advantage found in Wyeth Ascenda Kid.

Your kid’s growth today, his advantage tomorrow! Unleash the #AscendaEffect!

* This finding was based on a study conducted among toddlers who took two servings per day, paired with a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet.

For more information, learn more about Wyeth Ascenda Kid in the ParenTeam website, Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Ascenda® Kid is not a breast milk substitute but a growing-up milk specially suited to children 3 years and above. Breastfeeding should continue for as long as possible.

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