Parents face the challenge of offering a diet that controls weight and provides all the nutrients, and achieve it without conflict. A challenge!
Each family can define what their strategy will be to teach children to eat, but there are seven aspects that should not be forgotten because they have proven effective in practice.
Respecting them often involves a change in family customs and even in the diet of adults. But these modifications are always for the good of all.
7 PHRASES THAT FACILITATE GOOD NUTRITION IN CHILDHOOD
These are the 7 phrases you should say to children (and the agreements that come with them) to start eating well.
1. “COME TO THE TABLE TO EAT WITH US”
A mistake that is made more often every day is that children eat earlier or later than the rest of the family. It is proven that children who participate in family meals, sitting at the table instead of on the sofa in front of the TV, eat more fruits, vegetables and cereals and like “junk food” less.
2. “TRY IT: IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, DON’T EAT IT”
To avoid conflicts at the table it is worth bearing in mind that almost all children show rejection, most often inexplicable, to certain foods. The smart thing is to encourage them to try it and not insist on the moment and try it after a few weeks.
Also, keep in mind that the original and fun arrangement of the ingredients (creating faces or other drawings on the plate), the bright colors (some children wrinkle their foreheads before the muted tones and, especially, in front of the green color) and the surprising shapes are resources to open the appetite.
3. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO FINISH EVERYTHING IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT”
It is not a good idea to force them to leave the dishes clean. The opposite teaches them not to take into account the satiety signals sent by the body.
- Do not use food as currency. It is not advisable to reward having eaten the first and second course with a sweet dessert.
- The child should not have the impression that the affection of his parents has any relation to what he eats or does not eat.
4. “YES YOU CAN EAT THIS, BUT WITH CONDITIONS”
From a nutritional standpoint, there is no reason for a food to be totally banned from the diet.
This does not mean that we do not try to establish a healthy eating style, but we should also encourage adaptation without major problems to other tables, whether grandparents, school, friends or restaurants.
Children have increased needs, but their hunger is usually moderate That is why it is important that meals have a high density of nutrients.
It is also recommended that you always have healthy snacks on hand, arranging trays of fruits and nuts in the dining room and living room.
5. “LOOK HOW I EAT IT”
Eating fruits and vegetables in front of them is sending the right message.
Another aspect of exemplary behavior concerns rations. We must insist more on how tasty and healthy a food is than on the grace of being gluttonous.
The basic principle is to always convey a positive approach to food.
6. “HELP ME PREPARE THIS DISH”
Most children, if left behind, enjoy making decisions about menu composition and participating in the preparation of dishes.
They can even participate in the purchase. It is the occasion to give them information about the basic principles of healthy eating and take into account their preferences.
7. “LET’S THINK ABOUT A MENU TOGETHER”
Establishing a meal and snack schedule helps children because they like to know what to expect.
Many people begin to worry about food when they have children and feel the need to offer them the best. They then enter the kitchen with admirable intentions, but discover that the children have their own idea of what is good at all times.
The little ones defend that freedom and the parents will do well to sit down to negotiate.
WHAT IF THE CHILD OVEREATS?
According to the latest data provided by WHO, 41 million children under five years of age and more than 340 million children and adolescents (aged 5 to 19 years) are overweight or obese.
The problem is multiplying at such an astonishing speed that it is already described as an epidemic. The figure indicates that Spain is only behind Greece and Cyprus in Europe in proportion of overweight children.
Many times, the problem is that parents do not have time and tranquility to prepare meals.
It also happens that culinary skill has been lost and the options for feeding have multiplied, often with new products, many of them rich in denatured fats, refined sugars and an excess of additives that mask their low quality or prolong their conservation.
To these factors are added others such as sedentary lifestyle and anxiety caused by school obligations or stressful urban environments.
Overweight problems in children are not addressed in the same way as in adults. They have to lose kilos.
Children, in the vast majority of cases, have enough to reduce the speed with which they gain weight, because growth is responsible for correcting the imbalance.
The ultimate goal of treating childhood obesity is to achieve an adult with adequate weight and correct lifestyle and eating habits.
Parents don’t have to convince the child that they have a big problem. On the contrary, we must downplay it and encourage it to eat moderate portions of healthy foods and have fun by exercising a lot.
1. FAT YES, BUT LITTLE AND GOOD
Fats are at the center of negotiations between children and parents. A sufficient dose of essential fatty acids is certainly necessary for the good condition of cell membranes and to absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, but not all fats are created equal.
Extra virgin olive oil, for example, is the most recommended for dressing salads and vegetable dishes because it is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which control and even reduce cholesterol, and provides antioxidant vitamin E.
Another healthy fat is polyunsaturated, especially abundant in omega-3 fatty acids, for its beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
According to recent research, omega-3 deficiency is associated, along with the consumption of food additives, especially dyes, with childhood hyperactivity. Foods rich in omega-3 are oily fish, flax oil and to a lesser extent nuts.
On the other hand, saturated fat is a problem because it favors the rise of “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and over time narrows the blood vessels. Until a few years ago cholesterol was a problem that affected only adults and of a certain age, but in recent years high levels are found in children. A quarter already suffer from excess cholesterol.
Saturated fat is abundant in ready meals and pastries with hydrogenated fats (liquid polyunsaturated fats that have been artificially saturated to make them solid), meats, full-fat dairy products and fried foods.
They are foods that should be under control: from time to time and in moderate quantity, being an exception but not a norm.
2. CHOOSE HYDRATES WELL
It is still common to blame obesity on foods rich in carbohydrates, which should provide 60% of the energy needed by children, when in fact most consume them less than they should. However, a difference must be made.
Refined products (sugar, flours, pasta and white breads) cause a rise in blood glucose that once consumed can be followed by an anxiety to get more. This can lead to excessive consumption of calories, accompanied by few or no nutrients, which is associated with diabetes and obesity that today affect both the Western population.
But it happens that child like sweets. If they never took them, nothing would happen, but a sporadic treat does not hurt them either.
It is better than giving them frequent “sugar-free” sweets, where it is replaced by sweeteners that, in the case of children, can produce in the medium and long term the opposite effect to the desired one, according to recent research. That is, there is a risk that they favor overweight.
The reason is that sweeteners deceive the body because they do not provide the calories that usually accompany the sweet taste. The consequence is that the delicate system that controls intake becomes disoriented and the child ends up consuming more than he needs. It is important to avoid this “bad education” of the organism during its learning stage.
Among parents concerned about their health and that of their children, the sweet taste has a terrible reputation. It appears as the cause of all ills, but breast milk is sweet and no one has thought to say that it is not good. The sensible thing is to select the foods that provide it.
Those that are sweet by nature, by themselves, like many fruits or carrots, are not worrisome, but quite the opposite.
The main sources of energy should be complex or slow-absorbing carbohydrates, which gradually provide the fuel the child needs, without ups and downs in the rate of glucose in the blood. Foods rich in these carbohydrates are bread, rice and other cereals (always whole), legumes and most fruits.
3. AVOID EXCESS PROTEIN
Another dietary factor that favors obesity in many cases is the excess intake of proteins, which are usually accompanied by saturated fats.
They are necessary for the development and regeneration of body tissues, but 85% of Spanish children consume too much, due in part to eating large and frequent portions of meat.
According to the World Health Organization, children aged four to six need only about 24 g of protein per day, which is usually obtained by adding those provided by moderate rations of meat and fish, eggs, legumes, dairy products, cereals, nuts and seeds.
Are meat and fish essential to get all the protein they need? Studies show that lacto-ovo vegetarian children do not suffer deficiencies: only isolated cases are detected, due to poorly planned and little varied diets that also occur among omnivores.
Although doing without meat rarely leads to health problems, the fact is that most children like to eat it from time to time and even ask for it. If a plant-based diet is the norm, eating meat and fish once or twice a week is not harmful.
It also ensures that there is no lack of iron, a mineral that when found in meat is more assimilable than when found in vegetables. This is a reason not to give up meat more informed than protein, since iron deficiency is more widespread among vegetarians and even omnivores.
Deficiency can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which can affect school performance, and is more common among adolescents because they lose the mineral during menstruation. Good sources of iron are besides red meat, egg yolk, legumes, watercress, oat flakes, brown rice, apricots, raisins and figs.
The absorption of iron is favored when foods rich in vitamin C are consumed, such as citrus fruits, kiwis, raw peppers, strawberries or cabbages.
4. MORE FRUITS
A group of foods that practically only has advantages for children’s health and that hardly favors obesity is that constituted by fruits.
They are the most important source of vitamins, especially provitamin A (essential for the health of eyes, skin and hair) and C (prevents infections and prevents damage caused by free radicals, among many other functions).
Fruits also provide minerals such as potassium, which promotes the proper functioning of the kidneys, and fiber, which helps eliminate toxins and promotes the health of bacterial flora.
Children usually like fruits, which are tastier and healthier raw and if possible whole, that is, with skin and pulp. This takes advantage of fiber, all vitamins and also phytochemical nutrients that collaborate with the immune system, such as rutin, which is found, for example, in the white skin of oranges.
Homemade juices (always preferable to commercial juices from concentrate, with added sugar and synthetic vitamins) are also healthy, but it is advisable not to abuse them because they provide enough calories. It is not considered advisable to exceed 250 ml of juice daily.
Children find it a pleasure to bite into the skin of a fruit, but it may be contaminated with pesticides and preservatives used by farmers. These wastes overload the liver and kidneys and some are able to influence the hormonal balance and thereby produce alterations in development. Unfortunately, some of these contaminants pass through the skin and reach the pulp, so peeling or brushing does not eliminate all risks.
It is easy to understand that children’s organism is particularly sensitive. Therefore, in addition to balanced nutrition, they need quality food. For this, it is advisable to choose fresh seasonal products, in good maturation and if possible organic.
These are also preferable because they are free of traces of medications, antibiotics, hormones and artificial food additives (several studies relate them to nervous imbalances and hyperactivity). Some of these toxic agents are also common in meats and non-biological dairy products.
5. VEGETABLES EVERY DAY
Few obese (and non-obese) children consume the recommended servings of vegetables.
Many show what seems like an instinctive rejection of these foods, some scientists speculate that it is a self-protective measure to avoid infection of microorganisms that can accompany raw products. But they may also find their fibrous texture, complex flavors, or color strange.
Be that as it may, it is proven that they only bring advantages to the children’s diet, providing abundant vitamins, minerals, fiber and beneficial plant chemicals.
As each food contains a peculiar combination of these nutrients, it is important that there is a variety of them in the infant diet.
Ideally, you should eat vegetables raw or steamed. They can also be boiled, as long as you keep in mind that some vitamins and minerals go with the water. To take advantage of them, you have to reuse the cooking water in soups and creams.
