Keep your child on the path to a healthy life with these essential nutrition tips
We’ve all heard it before: what your child does now will become a habit for life.
But are you considering how your child’s nutrition may affect their future? Did you know poor nutrition can stunt children’s growth or that even children who are a good weight can still be unhealthy?
According to the World Health Organization, lack of appropriate nutrition can lead to poor school performance, impaired social development and chronic diseases.
Ola Mezher, dietician at Awazen Medical Center, says that children are always growing and learning, which is why it’s so important to teach them healthy habits like choosing the right food and staying fit, so they can continue down a healthy path for life.
But with so much info out there and everyone having an opinion this is easier said than done – so we set out to give parents a blueprint to a healthy diet for their kids.
A balanced diet
The key to helping to raise your child in a healthy fashion is ensuring they are regularly active and have a balanced diet with key nutrients and vitamins.
“When it comes to how and what to feed children, they should have a balanced diet, consisting of carbohydrates, protein and good fats in addition to some vitamins and minerals. There are very important nutrients for children to grow: protein, iron, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin C,” Ola explains.
Remember that recommended daily allowances vary depending on a child’s age, so if you’re unsure, ask your doctor about the recommended intake.
- Protein: Protein helps build muscles and other tissues while also boosting the immune system. Be sure to favour lean sources of meat – as opposed to fatty ones like sausages – as well as fish, eggs, nuts, milk and yoghurt.
- Iron: Iron helps produce red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. Deficiency can lead to anaemia. Iron can be found in red meat, beans, legumes, tuna, eggs, iron-fortified cereals like bran flakes and green leafy vegetables such as spinach.
- Vitamin D: Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is good for building healthy, strong bones. While it’s rarely found in food, except in fortified products like cereals, it can be absorbed from the sun. Because of the weather here, it can be difficult for kids to have sun exposure so Ola recommends considering supplementation.
- Vitamin C: Helping build kids’ brain and immune system while increasing iron absorption, vitamin C can be found in various fresh fruits and vegetables including oranges, kiwi, broccoli, cabbage and pepper.
- Unsaturated fats: Healthy, unsaturated fats help children’s brain and nervous system develop while providing energy. Healthy fats include olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados and nuts.
The right approach
“Parents are responsible for their children’s behaviour and can establish positive eating habits for their children,” Ola explains. “They should encourage them to eat healthy, cook with them and have healthy family meals.”
To help encourage your children to live a more healthy life, why not get them involved? Let them choose healthy recipes, take them to the grocery store to choose wholesome ingredients and then cook with them at home. You can also take the time to teach your children about healthy options such as vegetable sticks in place of crisps, or fresh fruit juice in place of soda; teach them that milk is rich in calcium, that whole fruits are full of fibre and the differences between healthy unsaturated fats compared to saturated versions.
Ola continues, “Encourage them to eat in the kitchen or dining room not in the living room watching TV, because kids might overeat, which can lead to them being overweight.
“Teach them to start the day with a healthy breakfast and that they should eat at least five meals a day like breakfast, lunch and dinner in addition to healthy snacks like vegetables, fruits and nuts.”
“Limit their intake of soft drinks and foods that are high in salt; children have to watch how much sugar they are having. Once in a while if they have sweets or candy it’s fine but let it be their last option (after whole fruit).”
Ola also stresses that rather than forcing children to eat and finish what’s on their plate, parents encourage children to stop when they’re full, remembering that portion sizes will differ depending on a child’s age and activity level.
Drink up
Whether your child is two or twelve, Ola says there are three drinks every child should be consuming:
- Milk: It’s very high in good sources of calcium, protein and vitamin B12
- Juices: But occasionally. I prefer that children eat fruits and consume it as a whole fruit rather than juice because of the high sugar content; plus fresh fruits are high in fibre.
- Water: We have to provide water as much as we can for them and if they are to learn to consume water at this age, they will consume it throughout their life.
