Balancing act: providing healthy meals for children

what it means

Feeding young children can be difficult because young children generally avoid unfamiliar foods and their food preferences change frequently. The preschool and elementary school years are important times to establish healthy habits regarding eating patterns and taste preferences, but parents often wonder if their children are eating enough and getting the nutrients they need. This often happens.

In this Mott poll, only one-third of parents rated the standard American diet as healthy for their children. This reflects parental awareness that the standard American diet is characterized by high amounts of saturated fat, added sugars, sodium, and refined carbohydrates, which can lead to excessive caloric intake beyond nutritional needs. It may be reflected. This can lead to excess weight and weight-related illnesses.

Family meal rules can either promote or hinder a child's healthy eating. Experts often recommend that parents give and children decide. This means that parents are responsible for providing healthy options and allowing their children to choose what foods they eat and how much they want to consume. Requiring children to eat everything on their plate or refraining from dessert until they have eaten all other foods can lead to overfeeding, especially if the portion size is too large for the child's age. there is. Food portions are key to reducing the risk of childhood obesity, but it can be difficult for parents to get their children the “right amount” of food. The USDA offers a visual called MyPlate to help parents estimate the recommended balance of major food groups and provides guidance on portion estimation.

An important role for parents is to make good choices when grocery shopping to help their children choose healthy meals and snacks. Many parents do not use this approach. Parents may have difficulty identifying unhealthy foods because foods marketed as healthy options may have added sugars or are processed. Some parents are wondering how much certain foods can negatively impact their child's long-term health, such as the link between “ultra-processed” foods and an increased risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. you may not understand. In other situations, parents may give in to their child's requests for unhealthy foods or prefer those foods themselves.

Although vegetables contain a variety of essential nutrients, parents often face the challenge of getting their children to eat them. Offering vegetables every day creates a sense of familiarity. Involving your kids in choosing and cooking vegetables, creative presentations and using healthy dips can encourage them to try vegetables that they might be resistant to at first. Parents should be persistent in the hope that over time, their children will become more willing to eat vegetables on a regular basis.

Many parents will cook something else if their child doesn't like what other members of the family are eating, but the substitute foods are often not very healthy. Rather than forcing children to choose different menu items, parents should provide balanced meals and encourage children to try at least small amounts of healthy foods that may not be to their liking. Additionally, children learn by watching and imitating, so parents need to model balanced eating behaviors until their children's eating habits and taste preferences mature.

Some parents consider Mediterranean, vegetarian, or plant-based diets to be healthy alternatives, but relatively few have tried them on their children. Parents may be unsure whether these meals provide adequate nutrition for young children or may have concerns about how to ensure that such meals meet their child's nutritional needs. Especially with diets that limit animal products, parents should ensure their children get enough protein through alternative sources such as meat substitutes, tofu, and legumes.

Although the ketogenic diet is popular among adults, it is generally not suitable for children. A ketogenic diet can help treat certain types of epilepsy. Outside of those specific circumstances, parents should avoid putting their children on a ketogenic diet. This is because a ketogenic diet puts your child at risk of lacking the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.