The Importance of Feeding Young Children the Right Foods

We have all heard doctors and nutritionist talk about the importance of getting a well balanced diet. How many of us believe that we are eating correctly? What about our children? Why is it so important for a child to eat healthy food?

Whatever we eat affects every cell in our body. Eating healthy helps us to grow and develop correctly. When you look at the children in underdeveloped countries who have a very poor diet, most of them are extremely thin with very large bellies. Many of these children do not make it to adolescence.

A typical diet should supply all the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins needed for proper growth and development. Proper nutrition carries its greatest influence during infancy to childhood, when the body is actively growing. There are many wonderful books available on nutrition. Your pediatrician should have literature on what to feed your baby as they develop from birth to childhood. If you are vegetarian, be cautious about placing your infant and young children on a strict vegetarian diet. Do your research.

Food contains carbohydrates (bread, cereal, rice, pasta, potatoes), protein (meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, nuts, milk, cheese), lipids (fats, oils), vitamins, minerals and water. All six of these nutrient groups are found in foods in varying amounts. A healthy diet may supply all the essential nutrients and calories for typical growth and development during childhood.

At least half of all calories consumed should come from carbohydrates. High carbohydrate food produces fuel and provide energy for the brain. Carbohydrates can be stored in the muscles and released as needed for energy.

Protein should be 10 to 15% of the total calories consumed. Protein provides amino acids which help with new tissue, hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. It also proceeds nitrogen, which helps to keep tissue healthy. Generally speaking, animal protein is higher in essential amino acids then plant protein. A lack of protein in the diet, especially during infancy, can lead to a reduction in growth rate and muscle depletion.

Lipids (or fats) are another important source of energy. They are also involved in the maintenance and well being of membranes, hormones and cellular signals. Fats produce energy, give food its taste, and make us feel full. Fats are also what generally cause us to gain weight, have cholesterol problems, and can cause blockage in the arteries. Infants require a higher percentage of fat calories then older children.

Vitamins stimulate metabolic reactions without being used up. Fresh food contains vitamins naturally, while they are added to processed foods. If a child is eating a well-balanced diet, they should not require vitamin supplements. Consult with your pediatrician before giving your child vitamin supplements.

We all need various minerals to ensure appropriate body functioning. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, help with the formation of bones, teeth and for normal muscle contraction. Potassium, chloride, and sodium maintain the body's fluid balance. Having a mineral deficiency, even in the minerals which you only need a minute amount of, can cause some major health problems. Talk with your pediatrician if you think your child may suffer from a mineral deficiency.

Water is essential for life. It is important in the prevention of constipation and dehydration. Water transports nutrients to and waste products from cells, helps to regulate the bodies temperature and is involved in metabolic reactions.

Fiber, although not listed as one of the essential nutrients, is important in your daily diet. Fiber, in the proper amounts, helps to keep your gastrointestinal track healthy.

You can find more detailed information on the Food Pyramid by visiting

www.mypyramid.gov There are also some very interesting website for kids that will help them make the right choices in eating.

Wendy Greif is a mother and graduate of USF in Special Education. She has taught children with various disabilities in both South Carolina and Florida. Mrs. Greif operates an informational website for parents and caregivers of children and/or adults with special needs ([http://www.specialneedschildrenandadults.com]).

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3 Tips For Getting Kids to Eat Right

There are so many things pulling our kids toward junk food these days. There are ads on television, vending machines in schools, and alluring displays of candy at the front of almost every store. How is a parent to compete? Is it possible to teach your children to eat right?

Of course you can. It takes education, creativity and patience. With these three basics you can teach your family about good nutrition and help them learn to love healthy food!

Education - To properly teach your family about good nutrition you need to be educated. Then, you can educate your family as well. Now we aren't talking about getting a college degree in nutrition, but you need to familiarize yourself with the basics of good health and the nutrition we need to achieve it. Be aware of the food pyramid guidelines, basic calorie counting and portion size.

It is alarming how fast the problem of childhood obesity is growing, but if you take a look at what we consider to be a portion it is no surprise. Teach your family that a double sized hamburger with large fries and a large drink is not an average portion size. Once we have a good understanding of true portion size it will be easier for the entire family to cut back.

Creativity - This is where the kids really learn. You could lecture them all day about the benefits of a healthy diet, but they are visual learners. Make the lesson fun and interactive and you will make an impression. You can find some fun children's books about nutrition and let the kids act it out like a play.

Use fun teaching tools to show them the difference between what the fast food joints would have us believe is a portion what is truly a portion. Perhaps take some clay and make a hamburger that is super sized and one that is a true portion size. Let the kids try and guess the calorie and fat difference. For a really good visual measure out the fat in a super sized hamburger meal using lard. If they see the amount of fat as fat it will make your family really think!

Patience - You may have just taught them a great lesson on nutrition using all kinds of great visuals, but your son still goes and gets a candy bar at the store. Don't give up! Eventually the things you teach will kick in and stick. We all can look back on the things our parents taught us and wonder why we didn't listen then. It is the same now, they will pick up a few things here and there but it will still be there in the back of their mind.

You can ensure they are getting good nutrition at home by offering plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks and with your meals. If you have a jar of cookies next to the fruit bowl, kids will go for the cookies. But if all the snack choices are healthy they will soon develop a taste for bananas and apples instead of chocolate and caramel!

It is up to parents to teach their children about the basics of good nutrition. We can fight childhood obesity and poor nutrition at home. Learn about it, teach it and then practice what you preach. Your kids will be healthier for it!

Jamie knows about the importance of making memories and remembering those who have left this life. She inherited a large box of slides from her grandparents that she wanted to share with family members so she really needed to find a way to preserve them. She uses a flatbed slide scanner to make the job easier. She also takes time to teach others how to use scanners for slides to preserve their family history as well.

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