Kid's Diets Healthy Sports Weightloss Exercise ADD Eating Food

“You can help your child if you: Make healthy food readily available and appealing and limit unhealthy food options by ‘running out’ and not replacing them.
Teach children to respect their bodies by eating well and set a good example yourself.
Encourage exercise as a family activity when they are young.
Play with your child.”
-Lea Stening

During the first five years a child’s meal pattern tends to follow a grazing pattern of five or six small meals a day to accommodate day- time sleep, play centre and family commitments. However major changes occur when a child starts school. The frequent snacking and constant play activities at home are replaced by more formal work and meal patterns and yet nutritional demands for growth and energy are great and can be easily missed.

Recent preliminary results of the New Zealand Ministry of Health Nutrition Survey of children (91 children 1-4yrs and 92 children aged 5-14 yrs) found that children lacked calcium and dietary fibre, their milk intake was poor, protein intakes could be improved and children eat takeaways regularly 2-3 times a week.

While we await the more detailed results of this national study there are some things that parents of young children can do to ensure nutrient adequacy.

Improve calcium intakes by encouraging children over the age of two years to drink at least 2-3 servings of (calcium enriched) low fat milk products or milk substitutes per day. One serving = 250ml of milk, 1 pottle of yoghurt (150g), 2 slices of cheese (40g).
Improve dietary fibre by offering children:
4-6 servings of bread or cereals per day.
(One serving = 1 bread roll (50g), 1 medium slice of bread (25g), 1 muffin (80g), 1 cup breakfast cereal).
5+ servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
i.e. 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit the size of their hand (not yours).
Protein intakes can be improved by offering children 1 serving of lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, peas and lentils.
(One serving= 1slice of cooked meat (100g), 1 egg (50g), 1 medium steak (120g) 1 chicken leg (110g), 135g cooked beans or chickpeas).
Fluids are essential to good digestion. Encourage children 1-3 years to drink approximately 90-100mls per kilogram of body weight and children 4-10yrs 85mls per kilogram of body weight. This fluid could include water, milk or milkshakes made with fresh fruit. If offering fruit juice occasionally dilute it with 5 parts water to 1 part juice.
Limit takeaways and support parent teacher initiatives at school that encourage healthier food choices.

Talk to Lea about your child's changing nutritional needs.

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