Children’s Diet and Nutrition from a Chinese Medicine Perspective

Abstract

Over the 21st century, several shifts have taken place, which have
contributed to the move away from family-based models to more
capitalist structures and values. The result being that both parents
in a household often work and child-care has become a necessity.
This change has had a major impact, not only on lifestyle, but also
on the production, supply, quality and consumption of food for
communities and their children. Major health concerns have arisen
due to the increased stress; need for convenience; the reliance on
processed and fast foods / lack of nutritious food consumed; food
insecurity and inequality; and the lack of time for meal preparation
and consummation. In the current food landscape, the built-in
innate wisdom of traditional medicine systems could offer insights
on how to bring back elements of balance and proper nourishment.