The Long-Term Impact of Picky Eating and Stunted Growth
Picky eating is a top health concern for many Filipino moms.1
It can be a challenge, especially when kids won’t eat anything except their favorites, which often lack essential nutrients, leading to stunted growth and development.
In 2021, a survey on malnutrition among kids in the Philippines found that stunting ranked high on the list of malnutrition manifestations, followed by being underweight.2 Stunting happens when kids do not receive enough nutrition. Your kid may be considered stunted if their height-for-age measurement falls below the fifth percentile on the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards.
According to the WHO, stunting is generally irreversible. A kid cannot recover height in the same way that they can regain weight.3 So, recognizing the signs of picky eating and early signs of stunting is crucial during early childhood.
Signs of stunting
Besides height, there are other signs of stunting to watch out for. One is appearing underweight or thin for their age. Another is delayed milestones, like walking and talking later than other kids their age. This is because stunting can affect kids’ overall development in the long run, leading to learning difficulties and poor school performance.2
Furthermore, kids with stunting issues also have an increased risk of obesity and elevated blood pressure.4
Impact of picky eating
While picky eating may initially seem harmless, consistent picky eating habits lead to a lack of nutrients necessary for growth and development. So, it’s best to intervene as soon as possible. Your kid's growth is critical during early childhood,3 so malnutrition and stunting during this period can have lasting effects on your kid’s life.
Stunted growth in early childhood can negatively impact your kid’s development in several domains, including sensory-motor capacities. This can decrease the chances of success later in life, resulting in lower wages and lost productivity in adulthood.3
Furthermore, stunted growth later in childhood, when combined with excessive weight gain, can increase the risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases in adult life3, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension.
How to support your kid’s growth
Exposing your kid to various healthy foods as early as possible is crucial. Choose different colors and textures to widen your kid’s palate. Once your kid shows signs of picky eating, reversing that can be challenging. However, there is hope.
Wyeth Nutrition’s MORE Superior growing-up milk for catch-up growth — the NEW ASCENDA® Kid — brings your kid’s essential micronutrient levels close to 100%, making it perfect for picky eaters who miss out on essential nutrients. It gives them the advantage they need for a healthier, happier life.
Wyeth ASCENDA® Kid is clinically proven to help deliver faster height growth in as early as 3 weeks!5 With a taste that kids love, it is the ONLY premium growth brand that has the Growth Plus Advantage–-100% dairy protein, high-quality carbohydrates like skimmed milk and lactose (no added sucrose or table sugar), and 38 essential growth and development nutrients that are easily absorbed.
Picky eating and stunted growth are major health concerns that can have long-term effects on your kid’s development. So, it’s essential to identify the signs and intervene as soon as possible. Support your kid’s growth by introducing them to various healthy foods and supplementing their diet with Wyeth ASCENDA® Kid. Your kid’s growth today is their advantage tomorrow. So, unleash the ASCENDA® effect today!
Resources:
1. Based on NIQ Bases and social media listening
2. Prevalence of malnutrition among children under-five (0-59 months): Philippines, 2021
3. World Health Organization. “Stunting in a nutshell.” Accessed May 2, 2024, https://www.who.int/news/item/19-11-2015-stunting-in-a-nutshell.
4. Francesco Branca and Marika Ferrari, “Impact of Micronutrient Deficiencies on Growth: The Stunting Syndrome,” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 46, no. 1 (2002): 8-17.
5. Based on the Oral Nutritional Supplementation combined with dietary counseling promotes growth
