Why Nutrition is Good for Your Child?

Category: Home Health Aides | Posted On: October 9, 2017

Nutrition is what your child eats and drinks. Eating healthy foods helps your child grow and learn, have energy and fight illness. Making sure your child is eating healthy can be an enormous challenge!

As toddlers, they seem to refuse everything except pasta and cheese. As they get older, they start making more and more of their own choices about what to eat. Even with the best intentions, some children will be adamant against eating anything their parents want them to eat. With a little perseverance, creativity and patience, your child undoubtedly will develop the taste for healthy foods. The most important thing you can do as a parent is cultivate your own love for healthy foods, and serve healthy food to your children, and keep offering! Healthy habits at a young age lead to healthy habits later

Why do children need healthy food?

• To grow and develop well
• For strong bones and healthy teeth.
• For energy to learn and play
• To prevent health problems like constipation, tooth decay and gum disease
• Help with brain and motor development.
• Helps prevent long term diseases such as, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease

Tips to Boost Your Child’s Health

1. Eat together Research shows that children who eat with their parents or caregivers are more likely to eat vegetables and try new foods than children who eat by themselves or with siblings.
2. Keep trying It may take up to 10 offerings before a child will accept a new food. Research shows that it may be best to offer new foods in a neutral way, without coercion, and let your kids move at their own pace.
3. Let them serve themselves. Many kids will gladly serve themselves vegetables and whole grains if given the opportunity. Try putting food on the table “family style,” with kid-friendly utensils. Many kids love tongs.
4. Get them involved. Take your kids to the farmers market and grocery store to let them pick out fruits and vegetables. Grow a garden. When kids get involved, they are more likely to eat healthy foods

Healthy Recommendations:

• Kids should eat 3 meals a day.
• Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
• Drink water instead of soda and juice
• Use sweets, chips and fast foods as a treat only, no more than once or twice a week
• A weight loss diet is not good for growing children. If you are worried about your child's weight, talk to a doctor, nurse or nutritionist
• Set a good example. Your child will eat what he or she sees you eat. Everyone should eat a variety of food from healthy food Pyramid.
• Focus on healthy eating and exercise habits—not on weight.
• Try not to use food as a reward or to show love.
• Buy less “junk food" such as chips, cookies and soda
• Have healthy ready-to-eat snacks available like pre-cut fruit or vegetables, cheese, yogurt, pretzels or low fat crackers
• Limit “fast foods” to no more than once a week. Eating fast foods will make it harder for you and your family to have a balanced diet.