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Kids Nutrition Tips

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It is extremely easy for kids and teenagers to have access to all the wrong foods. A healthy daily food intake can come with parental education and influence. Kids often adapt the ‘monkey-see, monkey-do’ attitude. This is where they might see their mom or dad eating a specific food like potato chips, or drinking loads of sodas and end up doing the same.

Kids can break into these food patterns whether the kid at school, at a party, around friends at lunchtime, and at home.

There are many kids and teenagers that do not always have two or even one parent around for meals, depending on if they have a single parent or not. This can lead to yo-yo diets in their adult life, or basically a bad daily diet. The last thing you want is your child to become extremely overweight or underweight. Both dilemmas can lead to ill health, teasing, or isolation issues. This can all be prevented if you as a parent, or guardian, start talking about a healthy food intake and what it can mean for them in their daily activities. Kids and teenagers do not think automatically that having breakfast is brain food for the day. They learn and hear these types of comments from their guardians.

Schools have been showing kids the ‘Food Pyramid’ for decades now and some kids do pick up some healthy tips from it, but the majority of the time they lean towards the tasty bad food choices. It is difficult for kids to be around other kids whose parents allow them to eat ice cream and pizza. There is a way to make tasty meals at home without all of the trans and saturated fats. Here are some tips on how a guardian can provide their kids with the information they need.

Breakfast has been, and still will always be the number one meal of the day. No matter what age you are. It can give you a boost in your daily activities, keep your mind functioning, and keep your kid energized throughout the day. It also helps the metabolism to run at a higher rate and can keep you feeling refreshed. This is all important for kids to hear, as studies have shown that about 40 percent of kids do not have breakfast. Kids usually love cereal and milk in the morning, or yogurt, bananas, and berries. It does depend on what the guardian buys for the household and what kids can find accessible. There are many cereals on the market now that have no trans fat, no sugar, and can even provide vitamin C and other essential minerals for optimal health.

Snacks are ok as long as kids aren’t eating chocolate bars and potato chips all day long. These junk foods can provide a boost of energy, but then most people crash, or get irritable and moody once it wears off. Fruits and vegetables are a great idea for snacks as they have all the essential fibres, minerals, and healthy vitamins, and they provide a child (and adult!) with longer lasting energy.

Lunches do not have to be completely boring for a kid. Kids can enjoy healthier snack that ‘appear’ like other treats that have saturated and trans fats. (i.e. Bad fats) If a parent is cooking lunch for their child, mini pizzas or tuna melts might be a good option. The guardian can use brown multi-grain bread and calcium rich cheese for the tuna melt sandwiches, as well as pita breads for the pizzas. Add some healthy pasta sauce, some pepperoni and extras, and a kid will never know the difference!

Dinner does not have to always be meat and potatoes, although it is not a bad idea every now and then. Many kids do not start out liking Salmon, shrimps and other fish, so it is best to begin with green vegetables, beef if they can eat it, and whole grain brown rice. Add spices to give the meat and rice flavour. Meat is a great source of zinc and protein which is important for growth and strength. Add a glass of 1% milk, and some natural fresh fruit for dessert and you will have a healthy happy kid.

Article Last Modified Monday, March 1, 2010

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