Good eating habits
IF the saying “old habits die hard” is true, we must ensure that habits picked up by our kids are good. Then the good habits will accompany our kids into adulthood. When it comes to nutrition, there are lots of good habits to inculcate in kids. Let’s look at seven habits that pave the way to good health.
Regular meals: Toddlers and young children have small stomachs. A one-year-old’s stomach capacity is only 250ml. Hence young children need small but regular meals to supply them with continuous energy for their activities. Your child needs three main meals and two to three snacks daily.
Eating breakfast is a good habit. Breakfast replenishes your child’s energy and nutrients after a long overnight fast. Besides improving strength and stamina, breakfast lifts your child’s mood by improving his blood glucose level. He becomes more alert, attentive and learns better.
Enjoy variety: Between the age of six months and two years, kids develop taste preferences that persist for many years to come. Hence it is important to encourage them to eat a wide variety of foods, except those that they are allergic to.
By eating a broad spectrum of foods, it is unlikely your child will miss out any essential nutrients. Variety helps to balance his diet and makes him less fussy with food.
Choose nutrient-rich foods: As kids have small appetites, every mouthful counts. Junior’s food ought to be packed with energy and nutrients to make up for the smaller volume. Besides healthy main meals, snacks should also be nutritious mini-meals instead of empty-calorie treats.
Nutrient-dense food include infant cereals, fruits, dairy products, meat and eggs.
Go for fibre: Fibre is found in plant-derived food like fruits, cereals and vegetables. Fibre helps to prevent constipation, which is common in young children between six and 24 months of age.
Constipation makes the child feel irritable and uncomfortable, reduces his appetite and affects his digestive functions. From the time you introduce solids to your child, make fruits and vegetables regular items in his daily menu.
Prebiotics are another good source of fibre. Prebiotic fibre comes from plants like banana, garlic, onion, wheat and oats. Prebiotic fibre helps to make bowel movement regular.
Go easy on salt and sugar: Young children have more tastebuds and are more sensitive to tastes than adults. So there is no necessity to add sugar or salt to kids’ foods. Moreover, a sweet tooth grown in childhood may lead to obesity and its related diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. A child used to highly-salted foods may carry this taste preference into adulthood. High salt intake is one dietary factor linked to hypertension.
Enlist probiotic bacteria: Probiotic bacteria help to build a healthy digestive system and enhance the body’s immune defence. This is important for young children as their digestive and immune systems are still immature and more susceptible to attacks from harmful micro-organisms. A healthy digestive system is vital for proper digestion and optimum absorption of foods.
Avoid mealtime battles: Mealtimes should be happy times. Many parents are unaware that the negative effects of mealtime battles go beyond the dining table. A child who is forced to eat up although he is already full, does not get to heed his internal satiety signals. Over time, this may lead to obesity and defiance.
A child who is bribed or rewarded with food for good behaviour or denied food as punishment for bad conduct, will grow up having the wrong perception of food and discipline.
Mealtime battles are not entirely about food but more of a war of wills between an inflexible adult and an indignant child.
Regular meals: Toddlers and young children have small stomachs. A one-year-old’s stomach capacity is only 250ml. Hence young children need small but regular meals to supply them with continuous energy for their activities. Your child needs three main meals and two to three snacks daily.
Eating breakfast is a good habit. Breakfast replenishes your child’s energy and nutrients after a long overnight fast. Besides improving strength and stamina, breakfast lifts your child’s mood by improving his blood glucose level. He becomes more alert, attentive and learns better.
Enjoy variety: Between the age of six months and two years, kids develop taste preferences that persist for many years to come. Hence it is important to encourage them to eat a wide variety of foods, except those that they are allergic to.
By eating a broad spectrum of foods, it is unlikely your child will miss out any essential nutrients. Variety helps to balance his diet and makes him less fussy with food.
Choose nutrient-rich foods: As kids have small appetites, every mouthful counts. Junior’s food ought to be packed with energy and nutrients to make up for the smaller volume. Besides healthy main meals, snacks should also be nutritious mini-meals instead of empty-calorie treats.
Nutrient-dense food include infant cereals, fruits, dairy products, meat and eggs.
Go for fibre: Fibre is found in plant-derived food like fruits, cereals and vegetables. Fibre helps to prevent constipation, which is common in young children between six and 24 months of age.
Constipation makes the child feel irritable and uncomfortable, reduces his appetite and affects his digestive functions. From the time you introduce solids to your child, make fruits and vegetables regular items in his daily menu.
Prebiotics are another good source of fibre. Prebiotic fibre comes from plants like banana, garlic, onion, wheat and oats. Prebiotic fibre helps to make bowel movement regular.
Go easy on salt and sugar: Young children have more tastebuds and are more sensitive to tastes than adults. So there is no necessity to add sugar or salt to kids’ foods. Moreover, a sweet tooth grown in childhood may lead to obesity and its related diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. A child used to highly-salted foods may carry this taste preference into adulthood. High salt intake is one dietary factor linked to hypertension.
Enlist probiotic bacteria: Probiotic bacteria help to build a healthy digestive system and enhance the body’s immune defence. This is important for young children as their digestive and immune systems are still immature and more susceptible to attacks from harmful micro-organisms. A healthy digestive system is vital for proper digestion and optimum absorption of foods.
Avoid mealtime battles: Mealtimes should be happy times. Many parents are unaware that the negative effects of mealtime battles go beyond the dining table. A child who is forced to eat up although he is already full, does not get to heed his internal satiety signals. Over time, this may lead to obesity and defiance.
A child who is bribed or rewarded with food for good behaviour or denied food as punishment for bad conduct, will grow up having the wrong perception of food and discipline.
Mealtime battles are not entirely about food but more of a war of wills between an inflexible adult and an indignant child.
MOHD ADHA MOHD ZAIN (ADHA ZAIN)
Blogger Informasi
