Nutrition For Kid’s

Feeding your child the correct foods can be a tricky situation. Many times parents are stuck between giving their child foods that the child wants to eat to avoid any tantrums versus giving their child the foods necessary to promote growth, proper brain development, and foods to help them focus. The most common nutrients that are lacked in child’s diet are calcium, iron, zinc, and important vitamins, such as vitamins A, C, B6, D, and B12. Providing your child with the correct nutrition is crucial in order to promote making healthy choices as maturation begins and to avoid any nutrient deficiencies.

A few key points to remember when transitioning to a healthy diet for you and your child are to choose whole, minimally processed foods, incorporate a variety of vegetables and fruits into the diet, and help your child regulate his or her appetite. Choosing whole foods over processed foods is crucial because there are minimal ingredients, less calories, and more nutrients. Processed foods are high in nonessential additives that have no real benefits. Some of these additives, such as flavor enhancers, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners have actually been linked to digestive, nervous, and respiratory disorders. Food coloring, a common additive in many foods and snacks marketed toward children, has been linked to hyperactivity in children as well. Instead of eating sugary foods high in food coloring, try opting out for natural sugars that are provided in fruit. 2-3 servings of fruit per day is ideal for consumption. Fruits are easier to incorporate into a child’s diet because they are more palatable than vegetables due to the natural sugars that are present. Because of this, it is important to not neglect vegetables. Vegetables are low in calories and provide essential vitamins and minerals, making them the perfect snack for your child. 3-5 servings per day is ideal for vegetable consumption. Because they may not be the most appealing food for your child, creativity is required to help sneak them in to dishes without your child even noticing. Soups and smoothies are a great way to do this. By blending or pureeing vegetables and masking the taste of them with stronger flavors, this is a great way to get your child to eat vegetables. Prepping meals throughout the week can help make vegetables and whole food consumption easier. It is always a great idea to get your child involved when preparing meals as well. Children can do the easier tasks, such as snapping off the ends of the green beans, mashing avocado, or tearing lettuce up for salads.

Americans are notorious for adding sugar into everything, which is part of the reason as to why childhood obesity is a growing epidemic. Cereals, yogurts, granola bars, and other snack foods are laden with unnecessary added sugars ranging from refined white sugar to the overuse of honey. Leaner proteins (3-5 servings per day), such as poultry and certain cuts of red meat, beans and legumes (2-3 servings per day), whole grains (2-3 servings per day), and healthy fats (2-3 servings per day), such as nuts, seeds, and avocado should be prioritized over junk foods. Water must not be neglected either. Many drinks that are marketed toward kids that may be seemingly healthy, such as fruit juices or sport drinks, are very high in sugar. Instead of sugary drinks, provide whole fruits with a glass of water. 

In order to avoid any nutrient deficiencies, eating a variety of beans, greens, fruits, and vegetables, can help increase calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. Grains, meat, fish, eggs, and dairy can help keep vitamin D, zinc, iron, and vitamin B12 levels up as well. By allowing your child to play outside in the sun, this is another great source of vitamin D. If the household is vegan, then it is important to remember that a vitamin B12 supplement is needed.

There are many ways to incorporate heathy and whole foods into your child’s diet, however, keep in mind a few strategies that are likely to not work. Try to have your child eat until no longer hungry rather than making them eat until they finish their plate. By making sure they have eaten enough of each section of their meal, this can help create a healthier relationship with food. For example, if dinner for the night is chicken, rice, and broccoli, make sure the child has eaten part of each section rather than only eating all of the rice and neglecting the other two parts or forcing the child to eat until the plate is clean. Bribing or offering food as a reward are also not recommended. All of these strategies will create an unhealthy relationship with food for your child at a very young age. Instead of these negative strategies, try more positive ones, such as avoiding rules with food. Monitor what your child is eating and teach them about moderation. By explaining to them that it is more important to eat a lot of vegetables and only a small amount of dessert foods, this can help the child think more about food instead of blindly being told that spinach is good and ice cream is bad. As a parent, it is your responsibility to provide for your child, but make sure not to neglect informing your child about what, when, and why certain foods are important.