Helping Your Child Eat Healthy Foods

Research has shown that poor nutrition during early childhood years has an effect not only on physical growth but also on the mental functioning of the child. Therefore, it is of vital importance that your child not only receives the proper amount of food but the right kinds of food as well.

It is best for children to be offered three meals a day at reasonably scheduled intervals. Breakfast is especially important for children before going to school. If your child has been playing hard before lunch or dinner a brief period of quiet activity before the meal will improve an appetite. Some children eat less and are finished sooner than others at the table. Other kids need more time. I suggest that children be allowed to leave or stay as long as necessary.

Children who eat well at mealtime also can be offered healthy snacks. These could include:

Drinks:

1. Natural fruit juices including orange, pineapple, grapefruit, and grape juice.
2. Skim milk, low fat regular or frozen yogurt.

Healthy Snacks:

1. Mini-pizzas, starting with toasted whole wheat English muffing and adding pizza sauce and melted low-fat mozzarella cheese.
2. Bran muffins with raisins.
3. Rice cake, plain or with peanut butter.

Everyone - young and old - needs properly prepared, nourishing food for health and energy. The way we look and feel is influenced by the foods we eat. The daily food guide below can help you choose the kinds and amounts of food necessary for your families good health. You will want to choose the foods your family likes from each of the four food groups.

The four basic food groups in the food guide works as a team to give us the food we need for good health. Choose foods from these four groups everyday!

The meals and snacks below are made up of food from the four food groups recommended in the daily food guide:

Breakfast - fruit or juice (orange, grapefruit or tomato). Cereal or whole wheat or enriched bread with margarine or butter milk.

Lunch - Egg, bread with margarine or butter, carrot sticks or Cole slaw, fruit, milk.

Dinner - Hamburger, mashed potatoes, green vegetables, bead and margarine or butter pudding, milk for children.

Snacks - Apple, banana or other fruit or peanut butter sandwich and milk, or milk and raw vegetable.

The four food groups are important because taken together - milk, meat, vegetable fruit, and bread/cereal - they will supply the nutrients that our bodies need:

Protein - for growth and repair of the body,
Minerals and vitamins - for growth and to keep the body functioning properly.
Fat, starches and sugars - for energy.

Most food contains more than one nutrient. But no food contains all the nutrients in the amount we need. Therefore, we need a variety of foods for good health. Preschool children need the same foods as all the other members of the family. The only difference is that they need smaller amounts. Small children also like small servings - with the assurance that they can have more. Large servings discourage small appetites. Bread and sandwiches can be cut into quarters, meat and vegetables into bite size pieces, and milk and juice can be served in small glasses. Sometimes a child can be encouraged to drink more milk by giving him a small pitcherful and letting him pour his own. Examples of suitable size servings are: about ½ cup of milk, a small piece of meat, 1 or 2 tablespoons of vegetables or of fruit, ½ to 1 slice of bread.

Little children usually do not like foods mixed together. They like to eat raw vegetables and fruits as "finger" foods. They like cookies with raisin faces or interesting shapes, and surprises like a piece of fruit in the bottom of their custard.

How foods look, tastes and feels in the mouth is very important to little children. They like the color, flavor and texture of these foods:

Chewy toasted cheese sandwiches

Soup with crisp toast stripes

Banana and tangy orange slices

Smooth puddings

Appetites of children, like those of adults, vary from day to day. Usually an older child will eat more than a smaller or less active one. And a happy child will eat better than an anxious or worried one. A tired, excited child cannot enjoy his food. He should relax and wash his hands and face before eating. Choose a quiet time and place to feed the child.

Points To Remember -

1. Offer food so that it is attractive to children.
2. Have a pleasant atmosphere at meals.
3. Help children learn to like the foods their bodies need.
4. Never punish children at the table.
5. Never withhold desserts as punishment or give as a reward. They are part of the meal.
6. Help children learn to like a variety of foods.
7. Serve food in forms so that it is easy for children to eat.
8. Accept some "spills" as a part of children's eating.
9 . Never insist that a child eat a certain food if he refuses it.
10. Make family meals enjoyable by having meals at regular times, serving well - prepared tasty foods, setting an attractive table, having good table manners, and eating in a relaxed/happy atmosphere.

Candy before meals spoil a child's appetite for the nourishing foods his body needs. Coffee, tea, and soft drinks are not good for small children. They also prevent them from drinking the milk they need to build strong bones and teeth.

Candy and cookies between meals fill up but do not provide the vitamins and minerals children must have for growth and development.

Food from the meat group is important to build body tissues, so children can grow. Meats are the most expensive foods and it is important to learn how to buy them for the least amount of money.