When meals turn into ordeals
Outwit, outlast, outplay. While this may be the catchphrase of the Survivor franchise, this could very well be the underlying intent of countless of parents who struggle with hard-to-feed (HTF) children at mealtime. Just like the hit reality show, feeding an HTF child often involves a fair share of ingenuity, rational manipulation, enticement (which sometimes borders on bribery), pleading and, most of all, persistence. For some, this may even entail the recurring physical challenge of chasing their kids all over the house with a spoonful of food in hand.
And so, the meal ordeal begins, with parents devising a multitude of ways to persuade their children to eat properly. Oftentimes, this takes the form of games (airplane, open the cave, lion’s mouth); incentives (finish your food and I’ll give you a candy or toy); or placing them in front of the television in order to divert their attention. In more extreme cases, exasperated parents have also resorted to threats, spanking, or simply relenting to their child’s failure to eat. Needless to say, countless pediatricians, child psychologists, and developmental experts have questioned the long-term effects of all these practices. In other words, what may be perceived as a short-term solution may actually be aggravating the bigger problem.
On the other hand, virtually all pediatricians agree that a complete and balanced nutritional supplement is essential for HTF children to compensate for whatever dietary deficiencies they may have. For non-HTF children, the benefits of such a supplement would further boost their physical and mental development.
In the Philippines, the number one pedia-recommended milk supplement is PediaSure Plus, and for good reason. PediaSure Plus is nutritionally complete with 28 vitamins and minerals (meeting 100-percent US Recommended Daily Allowances) and is a good source of essential fatty acids, linolenic and linoleic acids (which are precursors of omega 3 and 6), and contains taurine and choline for mental development. More, PediaSure Plus contains prebiotics (fructo-oligosaccharides) and probiotics (bifidobacteria and lactobacillus), or collectively known as synbiotics, to help strengthen children’s natural defenses against sickness.
