Lysine is important in the role of cell and muscle growth. Our body is not able to produce lysine and we must get lysine from foods. A control study in Japan shown that getting sufficient of lysine everyday helps to enhance children’s appetite, grow taller and healthier (Fukui, T., Fukui, H. & Sasaki, T. Experiment of Lysine Supplementation in School Children Feeding. Tokushima Journal Experimental Medicine. 1960; 6: 269-274).

Have you noticed that infant or young children tend to have dental carries at their upper-front teeth, which lead to earlier milk teeth lost among the front teeth? This dental caries pattern namely Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD), is cause by longer bottle-feeding time e.g. infant feeding while sleeping and the position of tongue during feeding (Mahan, L.K & Escott-Stump, S. 1996. Krause’s food, nutrition, & diet therapy. 9th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company)

Studies have shown that child obesity has become a condition that threatens to put kids at risk of health problems due to high cholesterol, excessive sugar, salt and oil. Ensure that your children are in their ideal weight range, avoid indulging them in junk and fast food that only provide them with ‘empty calories’. Instead provide them with the necessary nutrients, vitamins and supplements that aid in their development.

Keep children physically fit by encouraging them to exercise. Be it cycling, walking, jogging or an afternoon of badminton, children need to exercise and it will not only help keep them healthy, it will also help them grow taller, stronger and more agile.