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Feature/General
Good Nutrition
By Jennifer Burnell, Outpatient Nutritionist, ARMC
Feb/Mar 2001

Good nutrition is important to all people through every stage of life. As a parent, you are responsible for your child's nutrition the moment you contemplate getting pregnant until the time your child is ready to make the right decisions on his or her own. This duty poses quite a challenge to many parents and the methods to promote balanced eating are not always clear. So how do you get your kids to eat right? Let's take a look at different stages of your child's life, the problems parents face, and some possible remedies.

As soon as a woman considers having a child, her nutrition status is very important. However, many pregnancies are not planned. Therefore, the U.S. Public Health Service recommends all women of childbearing age take 400 micrograms of the vitamin folate - or its synthetic form, folic acid - daily.

Folic acid supplementation has been shown to prevent birth defects such as spina bifida, which can occur in the first month of pregnancy - before many women even know they are expecting. If a woman is trying to have a baby, she needs to take care of herself before conceiving. A healthy pre-pregnancy weight, along with a healthy lifestyle (eating a balanced diet, regular exercise), can prevent excessive weight gain and can increase the likelihood of carrying the baby full-term.

Once a woman becomes pregnant, adequate nutrition is a significant issue. However, "eating for two" only averages to an additional 300 calories a day. Make your calories count by choosing foods providing nutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc, and protein. Some examples of such a 300 calorie snack include: a bowl of bran flakes with skim milk and a banana, a turkey or roast beef sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of calcium fortified orange juice, or two ounces reduced fat cheese on whole grain crackers.

Once your baby is born, a mother discovers the challenges of a whole new mouth to feed. A newborn receives adequate nutrition from breast milk or formula the first four to six months. However, after this time, your baby requires additional sources of iron and is developing the motor skills to eat solid foods. It is important that your baby can sit and hold his head upright before attempting solid foods. Other motor skills are also essential, like moving his mouth in a munching pattern, grasping objects, and bringing them towards his mouth.

During this transition period, it is critical to pay attention to your child's behavior. Learn the differences between cries of hunger and cries of other discomforts. If food is always given to stop a baby's crying, the child loses the ability to discern hunger from any other distress. He then associates eating with satisfying all of his physical and emotional needs and may be creating a vicious cycle for weight problems throughout life.

When feeding your child, pay close attention to signs that he or she has had enough food. These satiety behaviors differ among age groups and include drawing away from a nipple, paying more attention to surroundings, shaking their head "no," playing with or throwing utensils, or handing the cup to the feeder. Children can regulate the amount of food they eat to ensure adequate calories, but if a parent or caregiver reinforces excessive intake ("finish the bottle - good boy!"), they may inadvertently predispose this child to having problems with obesity.

This stage of life also is vital in the development of a child's food likes and dislikes, as nearly all preferences are learned. Basically, children have an innate inclination for sweet and salt, but all other tastes result from the positive or negative consequences children perceive when the food is introduced. If a child is hungry and is fed green beans, he becomes satisfied and learns the preference towards that food. If a child is fed potatoes and later becomes nauseous, a distasteful relationship towards that food develops.

However, this learning phenomenon is not quite as easy as it sounds, as many mothers will profess. Children have a phobia for new things-especially when it deals with putting something in their bodies! It takes numerous exposures to a food (as many as 15!) for a child to become comfortable with seeing carrots on his plate and then attempting to taste them.

You see this response in babies when they spit out the first mouthful of a food-all they know is something strange is going into their mouths. Someone feeding the child may take this reaction as an aversion and not expose the child to this food again. Consequently, the feeder's reaction to the child's response (making a "was that yucky?" face to the baby or showing frustration over spitting out the food) may be the negative feedback that creates a true food dislike.

Another concern many parents face is not what their child is eating but how much he or she eats. Studies show that at age three, the amount of food presented to a child does not affect how much she actually eats - that is because her internal regulation signals are working and she stops when no longer hungry. By age 5, the portions placed in front of the child do relate to how much food she will eat. With the enormous portions of foods available at most restaurants and fast food establishments, it's hard to figure out how much food an adult really needs, let alone a young child.

For many foods, the portion size for a four-year-old child is approximately one-half of adult portions. So, some kids may actually meet their needs when they eat only half of their plate, even if a parent thinks they are "normal" helpings.

Portion sizes do not influence all children, especially if they are still in tune with their biological hunger and satiety signals. Ironically, the children who are more likely to overeat are those who have a more "restrictive" parent. Despite all good intentions, one that sets limits on junk foods, or is known to say "no dessert unless you finish your vegetables" is actually doing more harm than good. Statements such as these not only put vegetables in a negative context, but also make dessert more desirable (you always want what you can't have!). Studies show that the ability to regulate energy intake decreases in children whose parents impose significant control over their eating.

If restricting junk foods does not work, how do you get your child to eat healthy foods? Present foods in a positive context. Make them appealing to the eye and in a pleasant environment. Cut veggies into fun shapes and make dinner plates a colorful blend of foods. There should be no stressful discussions at the dinner table. Make this a pleasurable, supportive time. Don't make eating (or not eating) the foods an issue.

Young children need experience in selecting foods, yet parents and care providers need to make sure the choices are good sources of nutrients. Let your kids wash or cut the vegetables, or better yet have them grow a garden! Cut up different sizes of various fruits and vegetables, give them some toothpicks, and allow them to create "food art."

If all else fails, you may need to be a little more conniving. Sneak in a veggie serving here and there. You can blend or puree´ vegetables and add them to sauces, soups, chili or casseroles - or add a jar of baby food (carrots or sweet potatoes are great way to provide vitamin A). Blend the mixed veggies into a cheese spread or a fat free sour cream/dip-they'll never know the difference!

The best thing you can do is become a role model to your children. Sit down and eat meals together as a family, demonstrate proper portion sizes on your plate, and be sure to practice what you preach. Everyone benefits from a well-balanced diet-it helps provide good health to last a lifetime.

 

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