What's on Your Child's Plate

Disordered eating can take on many different forms. Some children forget to eat, don’t notice they are hungry, or can’t sit still long enough to eat even the smallest meal. Some refuse certain smells or textures or even food presentation, saying, “my dal needs to be strained!”

 

Symptoms of Disordered Eating in Children

 

• Restricting or bingeing: Not eating enough or eating too much

• Purging: Gagging or throwing up after eating

• Selective eating: Refusing to eat vegetables & fruits

• Junk food eating: Only eating pizza, fries and burgers

• Sensory sensitivity & eating: Appearing to be extremely sensitive to texture, smell, or presentation of food

• Picky & argumentative eating

• On-the-go eating: Not sitting down to eat and constantly moving

• Missing sensory cues: failing to recognize hunger and getting hangry

 

 

As we all know infancy and childhood are the phases when they grow and develop. 

The most commonly seen deficiencies are calcium, iron, vitamin B12, D and zinc.

 

A vast body of research shows that improved nutrition in schools leads to increased focus and attention, improved test scores and better classroom behavior. Children learn better when they are well nourished. When children eat right, they can improve their memory and their ability to concentrate. In addition, eating well supports healthy growth and development. That's why it's so important that children are given the chance to make nutritious food choices at school.

 

These are the five of the best strategies to improve nutrition and encourage smart eating habits:

1. Have regular family meals.

2. Do not force kids to finish the meal.

3. No bribes surrounding eating 

4. Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks.

5. Be a role model by eating healthy yourself. Understand that habits learned in childhood are more likely to persist into adulthood

6. Avoid battles over food.

7. Involve kids in the process. Washing vegetables, stirring the food, choosing what to eat, grocery shopping etc.

8. Stock up on healthy food and snacks at home

9. Limit salty, fatty and sugary foods, low-fibre foods, and drinks with caffeine or a lot of sugar.

10. Stick to a strict meal time and eating schedule.

11. Don’t make mealtimes stressful as it can lead to negative association with food

12. Stay patient when offering or introducing a new food

13. Teach them what the basics of nutrition are and how a healthy plate looks.

14. Colours play an important role. Try to add a rainbow meal so that it's visually enticing.

The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate is a visual guide to help educate and encourage children to eat well and keep moving.

A healthy plate must have vegetables/ fruits + whole grain + healthy protein.

Add these nutrient-dense foods:

• Protein. Choose paneer, seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.

• Fruits. Encourage your child to eat a variety of fresh seasonal fruits.

• Vegetables. Serve a variety of fresh seasonal vegetables. Choose peas or beans, along with colorful vegetables each week. 

• Grains. Choose whole grains, such as roti,whole-wheat bread or pasta, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, or rice.

• Dairy. Encourage your child to eat and drink dairy product.

 

Aim to limit your child's calories from:

• Added sugar. Naturally occurring sugars, such as those in fruit and milk, aren't added sugars. Examples of added sugars include brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup and honey. To avoid added sugar, check nutrition labels. Choose cereals with minimal added sugars. Avoid sodas and other drinks with added sugars. Limit juice servings. If your child drinks juice, make sure it's 100% juice without added sugars.

• Saturated fats. Saturated fats mainly come from animal sources of food, such as red meat, hot dogs, poultry, butter and other full-fat dairy products. Pizza, sandwiches, burgers and burritos are a common source of saturated fat. Desserts such as cakes and ice cream are another common source of saturated fat. When cooking, look for ways to replace saturated fats with vegetable and nut oils, which provide essential fatty acids and vitamin E.

• Salt. Most children these days are consuming too much salt in their daily diets. Another name for salt is sodium. Salt can hide in sandwiches, where the sodium in bread, meat, condiments and toppings adds up. Processed foods, such as pizza, pasta dishes and soup, often have high amounts of salt. Encourage snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of chips and cookies. Check nutrition labels and look for products low in sodium.