The Four Food Groups provide the basis for planning the diet for young children. The following list indicates the range in the amounts that are ordinarily eaten.
2 to 3 cups vitamin D milk
3 to 4 per week eggs
1 to 4 tablespoons chopped meat, poultry, and fish; some cottage cheese or peanut butter may be substituted
1/3 to 2/3 cup citrus fruit juice; or whole orange; or twice as much tomato juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup fruits such as applesauce, peeled apple, apricots, banana pears, peaches, prunes, etc.
1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked vegetable; select dark green leafy or deep yellow vegetable at least every other day
1 serving raw vegetables: carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, rutabagas
2 to 4 tablespoons white or sweet potatoes
1/3 to 2/3 cup enriched or whole-grain cereal
1 to 3 slices enriched or whole-grain bread
Few foods need to be omitted entirely from the diet of children, but some discretion in food selection is necessary. The appetite is ordinarily a good guide, but parents have a responsibility to provide a choice of foods within the framework of the Four Food Groups. When the child is permitted to eat freely from sweets and other empty-calorie foods, he will not obtain sufficient nutrients.
Young children prefer plain, blandly flavored foods that are only lightly seasoned. Mixtures, as in casseroles, are well accepted only as the child becomes older. Some foods that require chewing are essential, but meats that are not chopped or ground may be tough for the preschool child. Lukewarm, rather than hot, foods are preferred. Vegetables arc least well liked of all food groups. Strongly flavored vegetables may not be accepted until late school years; some children never learn to like them.
Children sometimes go on food jags; that is, they will eat only certain foods—for example, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. Usually these diversions of appetite do not last too long if the parents make no particular point of them. If milk is refused as a beverage, it can be given in puddings, or will be accepted if it is occasionally flavored or even colored with vegetable color! American cheese is a good substitute.
Children require snacks to provide for their relatively high energy needs and to avoid excessive hunger at mealtimes. The snacks should be selected largely from the Four Food Groups: fruits and fruit juices; milk; cheese cubes; crackers and peanut butter; raw vegetables; small sandwiches.
By the time a child is ready for school his food likes have increased, but he faces other problems relative to maintaining good nutrition. Mornings in many homes are too often rushed, so that breakfast is a hurried meal or may be skipped entirely. A child who is ill at ease at school may eat poorly at lunch. A short lunch period may be upsetting to the slow eater. Children or this age, who are extremely active may become unduly tired before meals.
Observation of the following points will encourage good food habits.
1. Serve meals in a pleasant place and a calm unhurried atmosphere.
2. Provide meals that are colorful, varied in texture and flavor, and attractively served.
3. Don't serve the same food over and over again even if it is a favorite. Even well-liked foods can become tiresome.
4. Provide eating utensils and dishes that are easy for the child to hold and to use. Many vegetables, fruits, meats, and bread may be served as finger foods.
5. Allow sufficient time for meals; breakfast need not be hurried if children are awakened early enough.
6. Don't let the child become too tired before meals. Plan for adequate rest and early bedtime.
7. Plan for snacks as carefully as the meal. Snacks can provide good nutrition. They should not be eaten so close to meals that the appetite is spoiled for the meal.
8. Remember that appetite decreases as the rate of growth slows down during the second, third, and fourth years of life. The toddler may refuse certain foods at this time in trying to assert his independence; don't make too much of this.
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GENERAL HEALTH
June 3rd, 2010 |
Tags: General health