Feeding your kid can be a tricky task, particularly if he or she is a fussy and picky eater. You may also notice very unpredictable eating behaviors in your kid from time to time. The primary thing to know is that a kid’s food habits and preferences play an important role in influencing his or her overall appetite. And, the majority of children do not care to eat proper, healthy and nutritious foods. Hence, their overall health suffers. Especially, they may suffer from vitamin deficiency. Fortunately, you can include some of the vitamins to increase your increase child’s appetite. 

This article enlists all the essential vitamins for kids to increase their appetite.

Vitamin D 

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins needed for the proper functioning of your kid’s body. This vitamin even helps the body to absorb several other essential vitamins and minerals in the body. You can add fortified milk in the diet of your child as an appetite stimulant. But, if your child is lactose intolerant then you can give orange juice or eggs to increase the levels of vitamin D in your child’s body. 

It is one of the most beneficial vitamins to increase your child’s appetite; because a vitamin deficiency of Vitamin D is one of the leading causes of loss of appetite. So, incorporating vitamin D into a child’s diet would work as an efficient appetite stimulant. 

Fact– Vitamin D is an important nutrient that helps in the proper functioning of the kidneys.  

Vitamin B-12 

There are several vitamin supplements available in the market to boost appetite. And, if you read the label of these supplements, then you would find Vitamin B-12 enlisted as one of the most important ones amongst many others. This vitamin could also be listed with its other names such as cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin, etc. The vitamin helps the body to convert food into energy. Plus, it helps in the metabolism of protein and fats in the child’s body. These crucial tasks of vitamin B-12 make it one of the very important vitamins for kids to increase appetite.   

Dairy products, fish, red meat, eggs, and pork are considered to be rich sources of vitamin B-12. It is a water-soluble vitamin, hence, it is eliminated by the body through urine in case your child receives excessive amounts of vitamin B-12 through diet. Nevertheless, to overcome vitamin deficiency or to boost appetite, the secret lies in giving an appropriate dose of vitamin B-12 as an appetite stimulant.

Fact – Kids eating a completely vegan diet or skipping meals are more prone to develop a vitamin deficiency of B-12. 

Biotin 

Biotin is also referred to as vitamin B-7 or even Vitamin B-8. It is one of the vitamins from the vitamin B complex family. However, its importance is often overlooked. Nevertheless, it plays an important role to increase your child’s appetite. On the serious side of human health, biotin along with insulin maintains healthy blood sugar levels in the body. This crucial functioning of the body is debilitated when your child is suffering from vitamin deficiency. And, if the child’s body is unable to convert all the sugar into energy then he or she is more likely to suffer from loss of appetite.

Biotin can be absorbed by the body from a variety of food sources such as soybeans, legumes, organ meat, mushrooms, etc. 

Fact – Biotin is an important nutrient for hair growth, skin’s elasticity, and prevents hair discoloration. 

Vitamin D-3 

Vitamin D-3 is a more complex form of vitamin D. The role of vitamin D-3 is to build bones of proper density. You might only know that calcium is important for strong bones. But, vitamin D-3 is essentially needed along with calcium to build dense and strong bones. Also, it helps to prevent the development of osteoporosis at an early age.

But, did you know it is also an important appetite stimulant because it aids in the proper digestion of foods your child eats? Hence, vitamin deficiency of D-3 needs to be corrected to boost appetite.     

Yes, you can increase levels of vitamin D and calcium through supplements and dietary changes. But, appropriate levels of vitamin D-3 can be possible only if the child gets at least half an hour of sunlight. The rays of the sun convert vitamin D into vitamin D-3. 

Tip – You can take your child out in open with ample sunlight to play with him or her. It would not only boost appetite by increasing vitamin D-3 levels in their body but also the physical activity would act as an appetite stimulant.  

Vitamin C 

Vitamin C is not only a vitamin but also an antioxidant that helps prevent the body from many health issues. Also, it is an important vitamin for normal growth and development. Vitamin deficiency of vitamin C can slow down the development of your child’s physique. Besides, it is one of the most important vitamins to increase your child’s appetite because it helps in the absorption of Iron from the foods your child eats. Also, it boosts appetite by increasing the appreciation of taste.

The good news is that vitamin-C rich foods can be easily incorporated in the diet to increase your child’s appetite. The rich sources of vitamin C are tomatoes, winter squash, lemons, oranges, etc. These food sources can be mixed into interesting recipes while cooking so that your child eats them without any complaints. It would efficiently boost the appetite of your child if you offer sweet and sour orange juice every day as an appetite stimulant.

Fact– Adequate levels of vitamin C in your child’s body would protect him from seasonal flu, and allergies as well.

Apart from using vitamins to increase your child’s appetite, you could also use a few tips mentioned below to increase your child’s appetite.

•  Make sure that child never skips breakfast. 
• Try to make them drink a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal. 
• Instead of choosing a full diet 3 times a day, choose to give them food in an approximate interval of every two hours. 
• Offer small bites to your child to build metabolism which would in turn act as an appetite stimulant. 

Blending in the vitamins to increase your child’s appetite with these simple yet effective tips can help in recovering from vitamin deficiency as well as in boosting their appetite.