Healthy foods and nutrition lead to healthy bodies. If a child does not receive a well balanced diet they are in danger of being malnourished. Childcare providers and parents need to be actively involved in providing good eating habits in children. Children that are allowed to be involved in the preparation of the meals are more likely to eat what they helped create.
Providing children with foods that follow the nutritional guidelines can reduce their risk of illness and learning difficulties. Childcare providers as well as parents should be educated in nutritional guidelines. Proper nutrition in early childhood is necessary for children to maintain their health and growth (Robertson, 2010). One needs to be educated on the proper food intakes at different age groups. The dietary intake for preschoolers is different from a school aged child (Robertson, 2010). The dietary intake of a preschooler includes a component for energy balance in order to measure that the child is getting the proper nutrition for their growth, development, and disease prevention (Robertson, 2010, p. 231).
Our bodies are designed for us to feel hunger. Hunger is a sign that our bodies need food. The problem lies when that feeling of hunger is not satisfied. Children that experience long term hunger suffer from malnutrition. Malnutrition does not only occur with the lack of food, but also appears with a diet that does not contain adequate amounts of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals ("Hunger and Malnutrition," n.d.). Children that come from low income families are at the greatest risk of malnutrition (Robertson, 2010). A child that is malnourished suffers from fatigue, low immune system, poor growth, underweight, dry skin, fragile bones, tooth decay, and problems with learning (Robertson, 2010).
Providers should role model good eating habits to both the child and their parents. This can be accomplished by providing a variety of foods, creating visual appeal, education, and nutritional guidelines (Robertson, 2010). In order in instill good eating habits in children, at meal time they should have the right to choose what appeals to them. This allows the child to express their independence, and a sense of control. Forcing children to eat items they do not like or making them eat when they are not hungry can cause poor eating habits in adulthood (Robertson, 2010). Eating meals with children allows the provider and their parents to model good eating habits, sharing of events, and visual of others eating things that they might not normally choose.
Children love to create and meal preparation is great time for that opportunity. Cooking with your children is not only the opportunity to create a meal, but a great time for sharing. The following are three recipes that are fun to make with your child and the nutritional value for each.
Blueberry Muffins ("Blueberry Muffins," 2009)
Prep time: about 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 c. flour 1 c. blueberries washed
1 c. oatmeal 1 egg
3 tbsp. sugar 1 c. milk
1 tsp. salt ¼ c. vegetable oil
4 tsp. baking powder nonstick spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C).
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Mix in blueberries. In another bowl, break the egg and use a fork to beat it just a little bit. Then add the milk and vegetable oil, and mix. Add this mixture to the first mixture in the large bowl. Using a mixing spoon, mix about 25 or 30 times. Don't mix too much! Your muffin mixture should be lumpy, not smooth. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or lightly spray with nonstick spray. Spoon in the muffin mix. Fill each muffin cup about two thirds of the way up. Bake for about 20 minutes. When muffins are finished baking, remove from muffin tin and cool them on a wire rack.
Serves: 12 Serving size: 1 muffin
Nutritional analysis (per serving):
162 calories 1 g fiber
3 g protein 18 mg cholesterol
6 g fat 371 mg sodium
19 g carbohydrate 121 mg calcium
1.4 mg iron
Roasted Veggies ("Roasted Veggies," 2007)
Prep time: about 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, diced 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
2 c. broccoli, chopped into florets 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced 1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. dried basil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. dried oregano
Feta or parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius). Place all veggies and garlic in a large Pyrex (thick glass) dish or roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle spices on top, and stir to coat. Cook for about 45 minutes or until veggies are tender when you poke them with a fork. If you like, sprinkle the mixture with feta or grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
Serves: 5 Serving size: 1 cup
Nutritional analysis (per serving):
124 calories 2 g fiber
4 g protein 0 mg cholesterol
6 g fat 16 mg sodium
17 g carbohydrate 66 mg calcium
1.5 mg iron
15-minute Salmon ("15- Minute Salmon," 2005)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 6-oz. salmon steaks (a normal portion size for meat and fish is 3 oz.)
butter or vegetable oil cooking spray or fat-free canola cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat the broiler. Cover the broiling pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil with butter or vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the steaks on the pan and broil the salmon for 5 minutes. Turn the steaks carefully and broil the other side for 4 to 5 minutes or until the fish is firm but still springy and a bit translucent in the center. Serve immediately topped with the sauce of your choice.
Serves: 2 Serving size: 1 salmon steak
Nutritional analysis (per serving):
350 calories
34 g protein
20 g fat
114 mg sodium
0 mg calcium
References
Robertson, C. (2010). A Holistic Environmental Approach to Safety, Nutrition,and Health in Quality Early Childhood Education Environments. In Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed., ). Belmont, CA:
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