Proper nutrition of a child is the key to his healthy life in general. And it is the parents who should monitor this. Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, Chief Pediatric Specialist in Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Russia Leila Seymurovna Namazova-Baranova explains how to act in difficult situations to provide a child with healthy nutrition.
1. The child refuses to eat in the morning. Should he be forced?
We often hear from parents: “The child categorically does not want to eat in the morning. Should I force him?” No one should be forced. But it is worth figuring out: why does he not want to eat in the morning? A normal healthy child wakes up hungry. He may not want to eat for one reason – he was fed too much at night.
Of course, it’s very easy to send your child to school, hoping that he’ll have breakfast there himself. But you don’t know what exactly he’ll eat. Will it be, say, hot oatmeal? Or will he go to the machine, buy himself another chocolate bar, and happily run to class?
If we are talking about responsible parenting, of course, it is preferable for the child to have breakfast with you. And lunch, as they say now, or dinner, was eaten at school. Then he came home and got another portion of hot food. Then you will control at least two of the three main meals.
2. What to do if a child is addicted to fast food and soda?
Parents, both of them, are responsible for the life and health of the child. How can they influence his eating behavior? By changing the lifestyle of the whole family.
Nothing can be done if the child knows that mom and dad often eat fast food themselves, but they forbid him. Such prohibitions will only cause protest. The same with carbonated drinks. Everything comes down to family habits.
Of course, it is better not to drink soda and avoid fast food. But if the child is already hooked on soda, there is only one way out: show by example that regular drinking water or deliciously brewed tea is no worse and much healthier than a sweet carbonated drink or packaged sweet-as-candy juice. Only a family can cope with an uncontrollable desire for sweets.
3. What to do if the child is overweight?
Obesity is spreading more and more actively and becoming younger every year. According to statistics, almost 40% of 11-year-old boys in Russia are overweight. This is a serious problem, and it will progress. The child’s health directly depends on his nutrition, so, once again, parents need to take a serious approach to composing a diet. It should be balanced and primarily include proteins, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. The drinking regime should not be underestimated.
Several years ago, an experiment was conducted in Bavarian schools: all drinks were removed from the cafeteria and vending machines and drinking fountains were installed. In a year, the number of overweight children decreased by 20%! But you have to be careful with sources of drinking water – for example, there can be a lot of germs on the taps of coolers. Of course, an individual bottle is better. But the fact itself is important: ordinary drinking water instead of sweet drinks can seriously change the situation with obesity.
Of course, adults also need to consciously choose food, not take too large portions, and stick to a diet. A child notices everything and copies the behavior of parents, adopts their eating habits. Therefore, you need to be responsible for your own nutrition, as well as for what products you have in your home.
Cooking methods are also important. Don’t accustom children to fried in boiling oil (deep-fried) dishes – pies, chebureks. And understand: if we accustom a child to low-salt food from childhood, then he will carry this feeling throughout life that there is enough salt. Children’s food may seem bland to an adult – this is normal. Do not add salt to food for a child.
It is very important to eat more vegetables and fruits – at least 400, and preferably 500 g per day. And of course, the whole family should increase physical activity.
4. How many times a day should you eat?
The diet can be divided into three main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and two or three additional ones. In this case, 25-30% of the daily calorie intake should be for breakfast, 35-40% for lunch, 10-15% for an afternoon snack and 20-25% for dinner. It is better not to stretch the breaks between meals for more than 3-3.5 hours. This will ensure the necessary metabolism, maintain mental and physical activity.
5. How to feed a child correctly?
It is important not to overfeed a school-age child, despite the increased workload. It is better to focus on the quality of the diet: it should be rich in protein (meat, fish, eggs, dairy products).
Protein is especially important for breakfast. In the morning, an omelet, milk porridge, cottage cheese casserole or a sandwich with boiled meat on grain bread are good. Sweet and high-calorie dishes (homemade pancakes, fritters), on the contrary, are not suitable. Sugar will provoke a sharp increase and an equally rapid decrease in blood glucose, and after 1.5-2 hours the child will feel tired and sleepy.
For snacks, you can equip your child with a lunch box with tasty and healthy food: fruits, vegetables, grain bread, lean meat or cheese. It is better to avoid sweets in this case and limit their consumption in principle, giving preference to dried fruits, cured fruits, etc.