Healthy Food and Nutrition

Good nutrition for children is an important thing that is being fought for in many ways. There are a lot of programs that are trying to bring in to light the importance of feeding our children good nutrition. As adults we are the ones responsible for providing proper nutritious food for our children. It is important to know why good nutrition and eating habits are good for children, why and how we as adults should encourage healthy eating habits, and have access to healthy recipes.

            Good nutrition and eating habits are very important to children for many reasons. Poor nutrition can affect a child’s development as well as their growth. The thing that we need to remember is that a child’s development is all connected; when one area is deprived and not able to develop properly it will probably affect other areas of development as well, whether we know it or not. When children receive proper nutrition they have the energy to function in all that they do. It is important for infants to get the proper nutrition, because they need enough nutrients in their bodies to support the rapid growth of the first year. Toddlers need good nutrition because it helps them to grow, learn, and play.  When toddlers get proper nutrition, they have enough energy to support their busy life styles. It is important for preschoolers to receive good nutrition for proper growth, development, and disease prevention. Robertson (2013) supports the need for good nutrition in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers through this statement,
          Children need good basic nutrition for normal growth and development. cognitive function,
          immunity, and energy expenditure. Children need to be offered meals and snacks that include 
          foods that meet their essential nutritional needs and help them to maintain a healthy body
          weight. (p. 228)
This is important to remember when considering the importance of good nutrition for young children.
         
         It is important for adults to help children develop healthy eating habits, because children copy what they see. If the adults around them have good nutrition and eating habits then it is easier for them to do so. For all age groups, an important factor in “helping a child to develop good eating habits is to make mealtimes significant for the child” (Robertson, 2013, p. 307). This is beneficial because it makes meal time about more than just eating. It includes conversation, and inclusion of the child into the meal. Sitting with the child and talking about how the day went or what they did with their friends is one way to accomplish this. Another way to encourage healthy eating habits is to provide a positive environment for the child to eat in. If the child is afraid of consequences for messes or not liking something it makes a child not wantto eat. One way that can be accomplished is by including the child in setting the table or putting food on the table that is safe for them to carry. It is also important to let the child know that as long as they try the new food, that is all that matters. They do not have to like it or continue to eat it.

            Here are three recipes that can be prepared as a family. You can include a child in the preparing of these dishes by letting them do the stirring, the dipping or the rolling. Each recipe uses whole grains and fresh fruits. All three recipes are fun for kids to make, and healthy for them to eat. All three of these recipes can be prepared by preschoolers. The children really enjoy the last two recipes where they get to put their hands in the mixture to mix it.

Yogurt Parfait

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or thawed frozen fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, peaches, mango
3 cups nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 ½ cups granola

Directions:

1. If using fresh fruit, rinse, peel, and/or peel as needed. If using thawed frozen fruit, drain any
    excess juices. Cut fruit into ¼-inch thick slices. There should be about 3 cups total.
2. Layer ¼ cup yogurt into each of 6 cups or bowls. Top with ¼ cup sliced fruit and 2
    Tablespoons granola.
3. Repeat layers one more time, ending with a layer of granola.

Playgroup Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats                                ¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup packed brown sugar                 ½ cup honey
½ cup wheat germ                               1 egg, beaten
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon             ½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour                        2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and 
    salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using
    your hands. (Kids love this part.) Pat the mixture into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the
    edges. Cool for 5 minutes, and then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to
    cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Healthy Banana Cookies

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas                                                 1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups rolled oats                                            1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped (optional)    1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Stir in oats, dates, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. And allow to sit
    for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.

            It is important to keep good nutrition in mind when feeding young children, because they are growing, developing and good nutrition promotes all of that. Good nutrition helps to encourage healthy development in children, and starts a pattern that will last throughout their lives. It is important to prepare healthy recipes, and adults should encourage healthy eating habits in children; it is important to remember why healthy eating habits are important to children. As adults we need to do all that we can to foster good nutrition and healthy eating habits in children.

Resources

Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.