When a child has a cold and is sick, they often lose their sense of taste. Some parents give them sugar to increase their appetite, or to mask the taste of medicine. In fact, this is the wrong approach.
Can eating sugar increase a child's appetite when they have a cold?
When a child has a cold and a fever, they often lose their sense of taste. Some parents give them sugar to increase their appetite. In fact, this is the wrong approach.
When a child has a fever, the secretion of digestive fluids decreases, the activity of digestive enzymes is reduced, gastrointestinal movement slows down, and digestive function is impaired, often manifesting as a loss of appetite. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that "sweetness can damage the spleen." If a child eats too many sweets at this time, it can lead to the depletion of a large amount of vitamins in the body, and the amount of saliva in the mouth will decrease, leading to an even poorer appetite. Especially if they eat a lot of sugar before meals, it can cause blood sugar levels to rise, making the child lose their sense of hunger and be unwilling to eat when it's time for a meal.
Eating too many sweets can also lower immunity
A large amount of sweets contains rich components such as sucrose and fructose. When human blood sugar exceeds a certain level, the following two situations can occur:
First, it promotes the rapid growth and reproduction of pyogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, leading to skin infections like boils;
Second, when sugar breaks down in the body to produce heat, it produces a large amount of acidic metabolites such as pyruvic acid and lactic acid, causing the body to become acidic. An acidic constitution not only makes one more susceptible to infections but can also lead to other childhood diseases, such as rickets, beriberi, chronic indigestion, and irritability. In severe cases, it can even trigger immune system diseases.
The correct approach is that when a child has a cold and a fever, they should rest more and drink more water to help lower their body temperature and expel harmful substances from the body. Their diet should be light, easy to digest, and nutritious.