Healthy eating at any age is based on getting a balance of good foods. The amount of food in a serving is what varies by age.
Everyone has heard the “Strive for Five” slogan. We should all eat 5 fruits and vegetables every day. You may also have heard the “5-2-1-0 song” to encourage children to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, to have 2 hours or less of screen time (television, computers, video games) per day, to have 1 hour of vigorous physical activity per day, and NOT to have any sugary drinks (soda, sugary sports drinks, juice) in a day.
Good nutrition as a child can establish lifelong healthy eating habits that keeps your child healthy and strong. This will help them to live a full and energetic life.
It is easy to worry about your child’s eating habits, which may create bad practices like forcing your child to clean their plate. Or in the rush of the day, it is easy to forget about nutrition all together and let your child eat more junk food than is healthy.
One easy way to encourage healthy eating habits is to set a good example. Have family meals together many times each week, sitting together at the table, with television and other media turned off. For tweens and teens, there should be no cell phones at the table. Try to make a well balanced meal, including vegetables. Set a time limit where everyone has to stay at the table – maybe 5 minutes for a toddler, and up to 15 minutes for older children and adults. This is a great time to “talk about your day” as Cramer says in old Seinfeld episodes!
Limit take out and fast foods to less than 1 time per week. We’ve all had times trying to feed the family on the go, and advertising makes it sound so wonderful to the child, but most times choices are not healthy.
If you’re not a cook, try a rotisserie chicken from the store, accompanied by microwaved rice , vegetables and jarred applesauce (natural – no sugar added of course)! It can be very easy to “assemble” a healthy meal.
But what about HOW MUCH to eat? What is a serving size for a toddler (ages 1 – 3 yrs old)? Generally, you can think that 1 tablespoon per year of age is considered a serving. Children don’t grow as fast from ages 1 – 2 years, as they did up to age 1 year old, so they require less food. It’s common for toddlers to skip meals. To sit still for 5 minutes to eat is an eternity in their world! You really need to look at the toddler’s intake for 3 – 4 days. Generally, offer your toddler 3 meals and 2 – 3 healthy snacks a day.
Don’t push food on a child who is not hungry. Also, toddlers and children shouldn’t be allowed to eat on demand all day long. Children should be allowed to listen to their own internal cues for hunger and fullness. This may include eating very little at some meals.
You, the parent, decide what variety of healthy foods to serve and your child decides which of these foods to eat, how much to eat, and whether to eat at all. Children will not starve themselves but may hold out for dessert if they see you eating it!
See www.babychaser.com and www.myplate.gov for more information.
