Why Does Zinc Matter for Children?
Zinc is one of the nutrients we consider when assessing a child with a very restricted diet. It is needed for normal growth, immune function, tissue repair, taste and smell.
Taste and smell are particularly interesting when we are trying to understand why a child has become increasingly selective with food.
What Does Zinc Do?
Zinc contributes to:
- Normal growth and development
- Immune function
- Tissue repair
- Normal taste and smell
- Numerous enzyme processes throughout the body
What Does Zinc Have to Do With Taste and Smell?
Taste and smell influence appetite and food acceptance. If food does not taste or smell appealing, expanding a child’s diet can become more difficult.
That does not mean zinc explains every fussy eater. When a child’s diet is extremely restricted, however, it makes sense to ask whether everyday foods provide enough zinc.
Which Foods Contain Zinc?
Useful sources include beef, lamb, chicken, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, tahini and legumes. A child who eats very few of these foods has fewer opportunities to obtain zinc through the diet.
Why Do Zinc and Fussy Eating Sometimes Overlap?
A restricted eater may consume fewer zinc-rich foods. At the same time, because zinc contributes to normal taste and smell, nutritional intake is one of several factors worth considering when food acceptance continues to narrow.
The answer is not simply to pressure the child to eat meat. We need to understand why the child is refusing food in the first place.
What About Growth and Immunity?
Zinc contributes to normal growth and normal immune function. This creates an important overlap in children who are both very fussy eaters and frequently unwell.
Rather than assuming zinc is responsible, we assess the child’s whole diet.
Should Every Fussy Eater Take Zinc?
No. Fussy eating can involve appetite, constipation, sensory preferences, food routines, milk intake, fear of unfamiliar foods, digestive discomfort and many other factors.
Zinc is one part of the nutritional picture, not a standalone explanation.
Related Reading
- fussy eating in children
- poor growth and appetite
- recurrent infections
- Why Does My Child Keep Getting Sick?
- Why Is My Child Such a Fussy Eater? The Nutritional Factors Worth Considering
- Growth Spurts and Nutritional Needs: Why Children’s Needs Can Suddenly Change
- Food and ADHD: What Should Parents Actually Look At?
Ready to Better Understand Your Child’s Health?
If these patterns sound familiar, our team can look at your child’s nutrition, digestion, sleep, growth and lifestyle together to understand which factors may be relevant to their individual presentation.
The Children’s Naturopath supports children and families through consultations at our St Kilda clinic in Melbourne and by phone throughout Australia, New Zealand and internationally.
