In order to promote the improvement of the nutritional status of children and adolescents, further reduce the growth retardation rate, help children and adolescents develop healthy eating habits, and give full play to their growth potential, the General Office of the National Health Commission recently issued the "Guidelines for Children and Adolescents with Growth Retardation (2023)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"). The Guide is based on food and nutrition, based on modern nutrition theory and relevant evidence, as well as the concept and recuperation plan of traditional Chinese medicine, and puts forward the basic principles and recipe examples of food and nutrition for children and adolescents with growth retardation with complementary multidisciplinary advantages. What is growth retardation? The Guide gives a clear definition: due to insufficient intake of protein or energy, vitamins and minerals in the diet, the height is lower than the age-specific height threshold of the screening standard, which belongs to long-term malnutrition. The Guide points out that growth retardation affects the physical and intellectual development of children in adolescence, resulting in physical decline and poor learning performance. In severe cases, it is easy to lead to diarrhea, pneumonia and other diseases, increasing the incidence rate and mortality of infectious diseases. In addition, it may affect their adult height, increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases, and reduce labor productivity. The growth retardation of children and adolescents is still one of the important public health problems that China is currently facing. How can children and adolescents prevent growth retardation? What if there is growth retardation? The Guide gives the principles and suggestions of food and nutrition: keep food diversity and meet the needs of growth and development. Children and adolescents are at an important stage of growth and development. We should ensure three meals a day, regular and quantitative, regular diet, and adequate intake of energy and nutrients. The food shall be diversified, and the meals of each meal shall include three or more kinds of food, such as cereals and potatoes, vegetables and fruits, livestock and poultry, fish eggs, milk and soybeans; There are more than 12 kinds of food every day and more than 25 kinds of food every week. For children and adolescents with growth retardation, on the basis of balanced diet, appropriately increase lean meat, aquatic products, poultry, eggs and other foods rich in high-quality protein. The growth retardation of children and adolescents caused by non-disease reasons often involves picky food, partial food and other reasons. In the daily meal preparation process, we should pay attention to the exchange of similar foods and enrich food varieties. Eat and recuperate the spleen and stomach according to people, place and time. According to different syndrome types, add appropriate food and drug substances into the diet, enrich the diet of children and adolescents, and improve digestion and absorption function; Eat and maintain according to local conditions, and choose appropriate food according to the geographical environment characteristics, eating habits and food supply characteristics of each region. Cook reasonably and cultivate healthy eating behaviors. Cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, stewing and simmering should be adopted, and frying, grilling and pickling should be less used. Children and young people should not be picky about food, partial to food, and not be hungry and full, choose snacks reasonably, drink enough water, and do not drink sugary drinks. Avoid raw, cold, greasy, hard and dirty foods, and eat less foods with high salt, high sugar, high fat and trans fatty acids. Maintain proper physical activity and ensure adequate sleep. Appropriate physical activities can promote the growth and development of bones and muscles and help the growth of height for children and adolescents in the critical period of growth and development. Children and adolescents with growth retardation combine traditional fitness methods with medium-intensity physical activities, such as Baduanjin and Wuqinxi