Healthy Food and
Nutrition for Children
The
well-being of a child depends on the types of nutrients that are taken into the
body, as well as the child’s eating habits. Once young children start to eat
solid foods it is the responsibility of the adults they are around to provide
nutritious food. “Adults are responsible for controlling what food comes into
the house and how it is presented to children” (Robertson, 2012, p.305). It is
not always easy to get a child to eat what we give them, but as a parent or
educator you cannot give up. I will be explaining why children need good
nutrition, good eating habits, and why adults need to reinforce good eating
habits. I will provide some nutritious recipes for adults to make with
children.
“Adequate nutrition during childhood is necessary to
maintain overall health and provide growth” (Robertson, 2012, p.213). The USDA
developed the food pyramid in 1992 as a tool to help parents and educators
provide healthy food to children. On the pyramid it showed how much fruits,
vegetables, oils, dairy, and meat/beans one should consume for proper
nutrition. In 2011 the USDA replaced the food pyramid with my plate, which is
being widely used in education settings. Children receive the nutrients to help
them grow and develop from the foods they consume. Children need the right
amounts of nutrients daily to ensure that they reach each developmental stage
when they should. There are two types of nutrients that children obtain from
food macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats
and protein, which provide a child with energy. “Energy is needed to maintain
life, for growth, to regulate the body, and to perform voluntary activities”
(Robertson, 2012, p.229). Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals and water.
Micronutrients “must be present in sufficient quantities for macronutrients to
perform properly” (Robertson, 2012, p.232). A child’s bones, teeth, hair,
muscles, blood, immune system, brain, skin, nervous system, eyes, digestion and
internal organs rely on macronutrients and micronutrients to perform properly.
A child with good eating habits
can consume the right amount of nutrients for their bodies to grow and develop
properly. If a child’s body is functioning well than the child is happy and
well. If an infant does not receive food they cry and are upset; once they are
full you have a happy infant. Toddlers and preschool age children need the
correct nutrients to insure that they grow well in each development stage.
Toddlers and preschool age children will often be cranky and unhappy if they do
not receive the proper healthy diet. School aged children need proper nutrition
to help them learn in school and develop physically, because their bodies are
changing from children to adolescence to adults. If a parent or adult
establishes healthy eating habits at a young age then it easy to reinforce it
as the child grows. A routine schedule can help establish health eating habits,
using meal times as family time and making it enjoyable. Meals should be a
relaxed atmosphere and a positive atmosphere. This helps create an environment
that children are not afraid to enter. Toddlers are learning independence and
if one provides a fun food environment then healthy eating is easier. Talking
with children about what is in food, and what is good for your body helps a
young child make good decisions. If a child grows up with healthy eating habits
it can transfer into adulthood.
The younger a parent or adult involves a child in
preparing their own food the better food choice a child can make. Once a child
reaches preschool age they can start helping to prepare and cook their own
food. This can lead to opening doors for the understanding of what is good for
a child’s body. When allowing a child to help prepare and cook an adult or
parent must not worry about the mess, because children are learning. Toddlers
and preschool age children love to be helpful, and when they are involved in
cooking their food it helps build self-esteem. When cooking with younger
children use plastic bowls and wooden spoons for stirring. Have a stool that
they can use to get up to the counter to help you stir the food. Depending on a
child’s fine motor skills allow them to crack the eggs. After you measure out
the ingredients have them help pour the ingredients into the bowl. Be creative
when letting them help at a younger age, because as they get older they might
continue to be helpful in the kitchen. This can translate into healthier eating
and shopping habits. Developing a foundation of fun in the kitchen can help an
adult establish good healthy eating habits. Below are some recipes to try with
your child.
Peach-Oat Muffins (Myreceipes.com)
Ingredients
¼ cup chopped pecans 1
teaspoon baking soda
1 ¾ cups uncooked regular oats ½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar 1
cup peach nectar
½ cup canola oil 1
cup nonfat buttermilk
2 large eggs 5
cups wheat bran cereal
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup chopped dried peaches
Preparation:
1.
Heat pecans in a small nonstick skillet over
medium-low heat, stirring often, 2 to 4 minutes or until toasted
2.
Process oats in food processor or blender, about
45 seconds or until finely ground
3.
Beat sugar and oil at medium speed with an
electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs, 1 at a time until blended after each
addition (Mixture will be yellow)
4.
Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, and
salt in a small bowl. Stir together peach nectar and butter milk in a small
bowl. Add oat mixture to sugar mixture alternately with peach mixture,
beginning and ending with oat mixture. Stir until blended after each addition. Gently
stir in bran flakes, dried peaches, and toasted pecans. Spoon batter evenly
into lightly greased muffin cups, filling three-fourths full.
5.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden
brown.
Nutritional Information
Amount per
serving
Calories: 176 Calories from
fat: 0.0%
Fat: 6.6g Saturated
fat: 0.6g
Monounsaturated fat: 3.6g Polyunsaturated fat:
1.8g
Protein: 3.5g Carbohydrate:
27.5g
Fiber: 2.5g Cholesterol:
18mg
Iron: 3mg Sodium:
180mg
Calcium: 21mg
Oats
and Buttermilk Snack Cake (Myreceipes.com)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1/2 cup steel-cut
oats
1/2
cup oat flour 1
cup all-purpose flour
1
teaspoon baking powder 1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt 2/3
cup packed brown sugar
1/4
cup butter, softened 1
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1
large egg Cooking
spray
1
tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)
Preparation
1.
Combine
buttermilk and oats; cover and refrigerate 8 hours.
2.
Preheat oven to
375°.
3.
Lightly spoon
flours into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking
powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
4.
Place sugar and
butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and
fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat until well blended. Stir in oat mixture; beat
until well blended. Add flour mixture, beating just until moist.
5.
Spoon batter into
a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes
or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in
pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.
Nutritional
Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 176 Calories
from fat: 27%
Fat: 5.2g Saturated
fat: 2.8g
Monounsaturated fat: 1.5g Polyunsaturated fat: 0.4g
Protein: 4.1g Carbohydrate:
28.9g
Fiber: 1.4g Cholesterol:
29mg
Iron: 1.3mg Sodium:
266mg
Calcium: 69mg
Peanut Butter-Banana Spirals (Myreciepes.com)
Ingredients
1/2
cup reduced-fat peanut butter 1/3 cup
vanilla low-fat yogurt
1
tablespoon orange juice 2
ripe bananas, sliced
4
(8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas 2
tablespoons honey-crunch wheat germ
1/4
teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
1.
Combine peanut
butter and yogurt, stirring until smooth. Drizzle juice over bananas; toss
gently to coat.
2.
Spread about 3
tablespoons peanut butter mixture over each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch
border. Arrange about 1/3 cup banana slices in a single layer over peanut
butter mixture. Combine wheat germ and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over banana
slices. Roll up. Slice each roll into 6 pieces.
Nutritional
Information
Amount per
serving
Calories: 245 Calories
from fat: 28%
Fat: 7.7g Saturated
fat: 1.5g
Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g Polyunsaturated
fat: 2.4g
Protein: 9.1g Carbohydrate:
31.3g
Fiber: 3.9g Cholesterol:
1mg
Iron: 0.8mg Sodium:
275mg
Calcium: 37mg
The Peach-Oat Muffins are a great breakfast
food for children. It covers my plate nutrients, thus you can rest assure your
child has the correct nutrient in the meal.
The Oats and Buttermilk Snack Cake is a good snack and dessert for a
child, without an extreme amount of calories and sugars. The Peanut
Butter-Banana Spirals is a little higher in calories, but it is filling and
gives child energy to play.
In
conclusion, adults are responsible for teaching children about good nutrition
at an early age. A child’s development depends on the nutrition they receive
from the foods they intake. Creating a good foundation of healthy eating as a
child can help an individual development as they grow into adulthood continuing
on into the senior years. Adults need to
make meal time fun and relaxing. Allowing a child to help prepare, cook and set
the table gives a child a sense of pride and responsibility towards their own
healthy eating habits. Adults need to be good role models, and must stay
involved in a child’s nutrition to help them learn and grow, so as adults they
hopefully will make the right health decisions.
Reference
Robertson, C. (2013). Safety,
nutrition, and health in early education (5th ed.). Belmont,
CA:
Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
MyRecipes.com (2012) Smart kids snack,
Retrieved on September, 26, 2012 from
I enjoyed readin your blog. It is very informative. I love the recipes that you included I am thinking about trying them in one of the preschool nutrition classes I teach. Thank you for the information.
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