Parents always want the best for their children and ensuring their growth and development is no exception. For this reason, parents like to know if their children are growing at the right height and want to make sure that they are eating the best foods to stay active and healthy as they grow.
The first five years is a critical window in a child’s life for growth, with 60 percent of the child’s adult height achieved during this stage. This period is also the time when a child is most likely to encounter barriers to growth such as poor nutrition, feeding difficulties or frequent illnesses.
However, in terms of growth, Filipinos grow up with many beliefs about how to achieve the height that they want. For example, jumping as soon as the clock strikes midnight during New Year’s Eve, or not stepping over a child because it will delay their growth are just some of the common superstitions, and almost everyone has participated in these practices in the hopes of growing even an inch taller.
Children falling behind with their height is a common concern and problem among Filipinos. According to a study released by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), 1 out of 3 Filipino children is stunted. However, parents will often shrug it off believing that Filipinos are genetically shorter, and it is just normal for their children will be short too. Being undernourished is not often thought of as a potential reason for growth issues, but a nutrition company is now saying otherwise.
Providing an oral nutritional supplement like PediaSure Plus can help provide the proper nutrition a child needs by helping fill nutritional gaps and helping them reach their full growth potential. PediaSure Plus has 37 vital growth nutrients and a triple protein complex clinically proven to support muscle and bone growth. A clinical study among Filipino children showed that drinking two servings of PediaSure Plus with three balanced meals each day resulted in visible growth within eight weeks of continued use, helping to improve appetite, weight, and height, reducing sick days and sustaining proportional growth.
Dr. Jose Rodolfo Dimaano Jr. – medical director at Abbott explains: “To support their overall growth and development, children require complete and balanced nutrition. PediaSure Plus provides essential macronutrients and micronutrients needed by a child to stay healthy and well-nourished. Its consistent use helps children who face nutritional gaps due to poor eating habits or frequent illnesses to meet their dietary requirements of key nutrients for growth. This is especially important if your child is not getting adequate nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin A and C – all needed to support the optimal growth of children.”