If your child is underweight i.e. having low body weight as per his/her age, it suggests of a calorie imbalance in the diet. This means that the intake of calories is less than the demand. An underweight child has to be fed well because at this stage, he is at the most crucial stage of development. Data suggests that 35% of children under five years of age are underweight in India.

Look at some guiding points for healthy weight gain in your child:

1. A formula mixture

The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad has formulated an energy protein rich mixture for the underweight child which provides around 330 kcal and 11.3 g protein per serving.

Whole wheat (roasted) - 40g

Bengal gram (roasted) - 15g

Groundnut                    - 10g

Jaggery                        - 20g

2. Nutrient-dense meals

A child eats in small portions. So always make it a point to give give calorie-dense and nutrient loaded foods. Add more of fat/oil and sugar/jaggery in the meals to increase the calorie density. Prepare hot cereal with milk instead of water to add on the protein and calories. Go for full-fat dairy products for your child.

3. Add some protein

A healthy weight gain and body’s growth and development demands more of protein. Include dairy products, eggs, pulses and beans in your child’s diet. If your child doesn’t drink milk, feed him milk in other ways, for eg; knead dough in milk, make fruit custard, kheer, milk sheera, any smoothie for your kid.

4. Watch out for drinks

Keep an eye on the drinks your child is consuming. Feeding more of milk or juices can be a probable reason that prevents your child from eating properly at meal time. Juices and other sugary beverages fill up the child without providing energy, fat or protein.

5. Show some love and care

Make mealtime a fun part of the day for your child. Try to make time for breakfast and dinner and eat together as a family.

    6. Encourage healthy snacking

Healthy snacking can boost up a child’s calorie intake. Add sandwich, cheese sticks, mashed potato, dried fruits or custard in snack time. Calorie-rich but nutrient-poor foods are not the answer to healthy weight gain.

    7. Variety is the key

Variety is important not only because it offers best range of vital nutrients, but also because it keeps the mealtime interesting. If the mealtime is a chore or bore, it will be more difficult to make the child eat.

The final word

The food gap between energy requirements and energy intake has to be filled up. Increasing the meal frequency in the child’s diet and offering calorie-dense meals leads to healthy weight gain. But keep in mind not to consume the junk foods for weight gain.