Feeding a growing machine: Meeting children’s nutritional requirements at Her Active Life

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Feeding a growing machine: Meeting children’s nutritional requirements

Posted July 17, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Alexandra Haller

Section: Her Health, Her Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements, Weight Control, Workout Fuel, Special Features

food_pryamid_for_kids Children seem to grow taller overnight. Pants that fit well a month ago suddenly look like waders. Do they really grow that fast? During childhood (generally defined as the period of life from age 1 until puberty begins), a typical child will gain about 5lbs. and grow 2 to 3 inches in an average year. A 1yr old requires about 1,000-1,3000 calories a day. By age 10, their energy requirements have nearly doubled.

For our little monkeys, they can eat well if parents determine to follow a few basic guidelines. The rule of thumb when planning any diet is to eat a variety of foods in moderation. Apples are a typical lunchbox staple. They are healthy and easy to eat quickly. However, a smart lunch could alternate between apples, bananas, pears, mangoes and bags of berries.

Meeting recommended dietary allowances

Many of us remember Flintstones vitamins at breakfast time. But do children really need vitamins and supplements? If a child cooperates by eating a range of healthy foods, a well-planned diet should provide the necessary required nutrients. The possible exception is iron. Children usually consume a lot of milk. Packed with protein, calcium and vitamin D, milk is vital for growing bodies. However, remember the goal to eat a variety of foods in moderation? Milk is low in iron and interferes with iron absorption, so limit your little ones to 3 to 4 cups per day. Focus on providing meat and legumes since that is the best way for a body to absorb iron. Also, buy iron-enriched cereals.

As a parent try not to rely on supplementary vitamins. It does take time to plan and shop for well-balanced meals and healthy snacks, but the results are worth it. You are instilling habits and behaviors that will last the rest of their lives. It’s not difficult to accommodate their menus, if you remember that their balanced diet is not much different from yours. [Refer to usda.gov pyramid.] The obvious difference is portion size. An adequate serving of meat for an adult is the size of a fist. For toddlers that serving is about 5 nickels. For older children, that portion increases to the size of approximately two matchbooks. Children’s portions are one-fourth to one-half the size of an adult’s.

Fighting external pressures

The most insidious enemy a parent will have in the battle over their child’s well being is the television. It is no secret that advertisers target children with commercials for foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar. Restrict their TV watching time. Do not center meals around TV shows. Encourage your children to become more active by leading as a positive example. Parents who eat poorly and watch loads of TV will have children who do the same.

Be aware of the dangers in social events like birthday parties. These situations are rife with unhealthy foods like pizza, burgers, cake and candy. It is not wrong to indulge now and then but the key is moderation. Whether you host a big party or your child has a visiting friend, you can break these empty calorie cycles by serving child-friendly snacks that are tasty and healthy.

Picky eaters

kids-food-choices What if your little Tristan or Sophie is going through a phase of only eating blueberries or chicken? How do parents handle fussy eaters? Keep in mind that appetite fluctuations are based on growth. It is perfectly normal for kids to eat well one day and not the next. While children are experiencing physical growth, they are grappling with how to manage their emotions and to relate in a social world. They have limited choices regarding when they wake up, where they go, what clothes they wear. Often, the struggle for independence asserts itself at meal times. Kids are learning the power of ‘no.’ They are aware that people can’t force food into their mouths. They are struggling for a say in some aspect of their controlled lives. Children can be given decision-making power, if parents have first laid the foundation.
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Parents Decide:

-What food is offered. Only healthy options.
-When food is offered. 3 meals, 2 snacks. No grazing.
-Where food is eaten. At the table, not in front of the TV!

Kids Decide:

-If they will eat. If they miss a meal because they are moody, it’s okay. They will return hungry for the next one.
-What they will eat. If you provide 5 healthy foods, and they choose only two, that’s okay because they are nutrient rich.
-How much to eat. Again, children know when they’re full and when they’re hungry.

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As redundant as it may be, preparation for a well-balanced diet is critical. The mantra is to eat a variety of foods in moderation. Planning healthy meals takes time and many of us are already stressed for finding time for everything in a busy family. It’s vital, though, that parents make the effort. For some of us, our offspring may be our greatest contribution to the world.

Healthy Snacks:

-Cereal and milk
-Yogurt-based smoothies
-Raisins on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)
-Homemade pizzas on English muffins
-Hot chocolate with milk
-Veggies and low-fat dip
-Graham crackers and peanut butter

Resources:
American Dietetics Association: www.eatright.org
Discovering Nutrition, ed. P. Insel, R. Elaine Turner and D. Ross, Jones and Bartlett, Sudburry, MA, 2003
www.kidshealth.org