What is anemia? How much does diet affect anemia in children? Does the food that the mother eats during pregnancy affect the health of children? Is there any connection between anemia and air pollution? This morning, we talk about these, but also other topics related to the problems of iron deficiency in children, with Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Sajkovski, a pediatrician from the private hospital "Acibadem Sistina".

When asked if the number of anemic children is increasing, the doctor says that it is a relatively standard problem.

– Anemia, in popular terms, is a relatively standard problem that is most often associated with relatively poor or poor nutrition from the first year onwards in a person's life. The causes of anemia can be different. There are also several congenital conditions. Macedonia is an environment in which there are some congenital anemias, for example, thalassemia. But what is most often seen, in reality, is the influence of nutrition on the occurrence of anemia. Today there is diversity in the basis of nutrition and if proper food is consumed, even while children are infants, anemia will not occur – says Sajkovski.

Regarding the symptoms, he says that you can immediately see if the child is anemic. There is paleness in the mucous membranes, eyes, nails, skin. After this, analyzes are immediately done to determine the type of anemia and what the key reason is for it. When asked if there are skeptical parents when it comes to children's nutrition, Sajkovski says that obesity, especially in school age, is a problem that is very common all over the world, and has been increasing in our country recently.

– Nutrition has a direct impact on whether anemia will occur or not. It basically starts in the first year of life, that is, when complementary foods are introduced to breast milk, and it is very important which complementary foods are introduced into a child's diet. I would like to take this opportunity, I have said this many times at our meetings. You know, Maxim Gorky said a very good sentence, be careful when reading medical books, you can die from a typo. Not only for anemia, this also applies to nutrition. So, what is a key rule is the inclusion of meat in the diet. Man is a carnivore by structure. If we can call ourselves that. And food that contains meat products is basically the main source of iron and protein for the development of children – says the doctor.

He explains that today there are different ways of eating, vegetarianism, veganism. He appeals to all parents to understand that children should be fed normally, with food that contains meat and meat products, until the end of growth.

– Growth ends at 18 years of age. The child becomes an adult, and then he can decide for himself whether he should switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet. If a baby is not fed iron-containing foods, especially meat, on time, we should start giving him iron as a preparation, as drops, regardless of whether his blood count is good. These are recommendations from the United States, not ours – says Sajkovski.

He explains that the European Union, or rather all of Europe, has its own nutrition protocols, meaning for all age categories, especially for children.

-It's a document of some 130 pages, it says that over five years a child can eat salmon, in our country it is given over 6 months. In the whole Balkans, it's not just Macedonia, there are some habits that are very interesting. People give, for example, from the fifth month avocado, dates, kioa, which is okay. But on the other hand they don't give tomatoes, which are dominant in our area and are healthy - says the doctor.

He says there is no formula or dietary supplement that will boost immunity overnight.

– It must be defined what the anemia is from. Is it due to iron deficiency, is it poor nutrition, is it a deficiency of folic acid and vitamin B12. A laboratory should be set up that will help in that area. When we get the right information, supplements are added – says Sajkovski.

We also talked to the doctor about the flu. His experience says that this year there are severe cases in children.