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They Are What You Eat!
Teaching through examples extends to every aspect of what we do when we are with children we care for. If we constantly eat junk food we cannot expect the children to eat fruit, if we do not exercise, children will automatically follow our lead, so it is important to think and act positively. Now a days, as we have so many factories making food and advertising about sweets or chocolates, we need to counter this with positive experiences of taste. If your child gets used to too many sweets it is difficult to break the habit. Some children are not offered a healthy diet and throughout their early days have problems resulting in boredom with food, obesity, and losses in a range of nutrients, notably vitamin B and C, iron and other important minerals.
Food For Thought
If we eat in front of the television, we are concentrating on the programme not on the food we are eating. On the subject of enjoying food, it is very important to ensure we are sitting down at the table and allow time for us all to both eat and enjoy food. If we have got into the routine of eating on the run, or in the car, this is a bad habit, which promotes the idea that we need to have something in our mouth through the day. This leads to eating snacks and refusing meals when we sit down at the table.
As food is an essential part of every day life, spontaneous discussions can occur at meal times. We should encourage these conversations and learning times, for example children do not only learn social manners from each other but also learn new words like, crispy, soft, hard, smooth, crunchy, tasty, sweet, chewy, etc… Older children enjoy helping themselves from serving bowls placed on the table at meal times and make them feel grown up! There should be fresh fruit cut into sized pieces kept on a plate on the coffee table, to encourage children to eat healthier.
The Healthy Connection
Doctors say that nutrition plays a major role in many health conditions (even from a very young age) such as Diabetes, Heart Diseases, Obesity, some types of Cancer, High blood pressure, Digestive Disorders, and Dental Diseases. Dietary excesses and imbalance are also causes of health problems.
Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta -
This group is the base on which we should plan our meals as they are the main source of energy for the body and provide carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and small amounts of naturally occurring fat and sugar.
Grains are the seed-
Among the other choices are wheat, barley, corn, oats, etc… Each grain comes in several
different forms -
Fruit Group -
Fruits have Vitamins, Minerals, and Carbohydrates. Fresh fruit contains a natural
sugar. While some cartons of fruit drinks have added sugar -
Juice on the Loose
"If raw fruits and fruit juice contains natural sugar, why are children's teeth not put at the same risk of decay as when they eat sweets and processed food?"
Raw fruit and fruit juice drinks pass rapidly over the teeth while sweets often stay in the mouth longer, and in this way the teeth are bathed in the sugar content for a longer time. Crisp raw fruits and vegetables, which need chewing, also aid the healthy development of strong jaw muscles, which in turn determine the permanent teeth erupt satisfactorily.
To encourage children to eat fruit, offer dried fruits such as apricots, prunes, figs, or raisins as snacks. You can also serve stewed fruits in pudding or add fresh fruits to yogurts or make fresh fruit cocktails, banana milkshakes.
Vegetable Group -
Vegetables are nutritious powerhouses of Vitamins, Minerals, Carbohydrates and dietary fibre. Studies show that a diet high in fibre can lower a person's risk of developing cancer. Some high fibre foods are apples, berries, mangoes, okra, onions, peppers, prunes, raisins, rhubarb, spinach, or sprouts.
Milk, Yoghurt & Cheese Group -
Milk and food made with milk, such as cheese and yoghurts provide minerals, protein, and a few carbohydrates. Many milk products are good sources of Vitamin A and Vitamin D. Children under the age of 5 should not have low fat milk.
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Egg, Dry Bean and Nut Group -
This group includes both plants and animal foods that supply the body with protein. Dried beans and peas are richer in protein than any other plant food and include lentils, peanuts, soybeans or chickpeas. Try to include more chicken and fish in the weekly diet, unless you and your family are vegetarian.
Fats, Oils and Sweets -
Our bodies need certain amounts of fat and sugar. The body needs fat to store energy, carry vitamins, and protect internal organs. Fats carry food flavours and give us a sense of fullness, and sugar gives us energy. The problem is not the fat sugar but too much fat and sugar. Too much sugar causes tooth decay and too much fat carries health risks to the heart and blood vessels.
When you think of fats, think of these foods, cooking fats and oils, salad dressings, butter, margarine, fat on meat, fat in ice cream, cheese, and egg yolks. Significant amounts of fat may be present in baked products, snack foods, and friend foods. Read the food labels carefully.
Iron
Iron is a substance found in a wider variety of readily available food, from breakfast cereals to tuna and cauliflower. It is a vital to our diet. Iron Deficiency Anaemia is the most common nutritional disorder of childhood.
Iron helps form health food. A deficiency, therefore, is indicated by a fall in Haemoglobin levels and is associated with poor health and slower physical and mental development. Symptoms, however, are not likely apparent, some anaemic children appear listless and have no appetite, while others are normally active.
Iron exists in two forms: Heam iron, which comes from meat sources such as beef,
lamb, and some fish, and non-
Have you looked at your mealtimes lately?!
Regards,
Christine O'Connor
Nursery Director
HEALTHY YOU -
