Metabolic

Nutrition Week: The Importance of Good Nutrition in Children

From Dr. Sanjeeva Reddy,

Good nutrition is important for everyone, especially children. Childhood is a crucial phase for physical growth and cognitive development. Optimal nutrition and regular physical activity are associated with better health, better self-esteem, and school performance.

The ongoing pandemic has resulted in a rapid rise in childhood obesity due to poor eating habits and prolonged screen time with little or no physical activity. Children should be made aware of the negative effects of obesity on their health and be consciously guided to choose a healthy diet and lifestyle for themselves.

But with increasing urbanization, changing lifestyles coupled with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is a big change in the lifestyle and eating habits of our children. Due to the closure of schools, children have started learning online and are now locked up at home. This has resulted in frequent consumption of high calorie foods, salt, fat, free sugar, etc., and decreased intake of fruits and vegetables.

Unhealthy weight gain in children can have lifelong consequences, such as: B. weak immunity and an increased risk of developing chronic metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and liver disease later in life.

Parents and guardians need to teach children proper eating habits, regular physical activity, and help them maintain a healthy weight.

Benefits of a good diet

Eating healthy and nutritious food can help your child

  • Maintain a healthy body weight
  • Strengthening immunity and thereby reducing the risk of infectious diseases
  • Reduce the risk of developing iron deficiency anemia
  • Maintain healthy teeth and avoid tooth decay
  • Have stronger bones
  • Reduce the risk of developing chronic metabolic diseases later in adulthood.

Help your child develop healthy eating habits

Add fruits and vegetables: Make sure your child eats at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Include lots of vegetables of different colors in your meals and give seasonal fruits as snacks. This ensures your child’s optimal daily requirement for fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Whole fruits instead of juice: Whole fruits are a good source of healthy fiber. Extracting juice can remove its valuable fiber content. But if your child doesn’t feel like eating whole fruits, you can mix the whole fruits into a smoothie without adding sugar. This contains all the goodness of the whole fruit and also keeps you full longer.

Limit your consumption of processed foods: Pre-packaged snacks and processed foods like chips, donuts, cakes, cookies, crackers, and waffles are high in sugar, calories, and manufactured trans fats that are harmful to your child’s health.

Instead of fried foods, they offer steamed or baked foods. In this way, you can reduce your fat intake and prevent unhealthy weight gain.

Reduce Your Sugar Consumption: Ingesting sugar increases the risk of tooth decay or tooth decay, as well as unhealthy weight gain and the risk of heart disease later in life. Limit your consumption of all types of sweets and drinks with added sugar.

Be sure to give to your child much liquid, especially water. Avoid coffee, tea, sugary drinks and juices.
Proteins are a must for growing children to support optimal muscle growth. They also help keep the child full for a longer period of time. Good sources of protein are eggs, lean meats, legumes, peas, beans, nuts, etc.

Choose whole grains such as whole-grain chapattis, bread, millet, oats, brown rice, etc. via refined grains such as white rice, bread, etc.

Calcium is found in a wide variety of foods besides milk. Avoid adding sugar and commercially available high-sugar food supplements to make the milk taste better. Offer alternative dairy products like curd cheese, cheese, and other vegetarian sources of calcium like nuts and seeds. Vegetarian sources of calcium are much better absorbed by the body than dairy products.

Include iron-rich sources such as dates, dark green leafy vegetables, fruits, vegetables, etc.

Allow them to help you cook: Children are more likely to eat what they prepare. Give them age-appropriate tasks like measuring ingredients, selecting vegetables, stirring, etc.

Avoid eating outdoors: Foreign food is rich in salt, sugar, trans fatty acids and has a low nutritional value. It is always a good idea to prepare homemade healthy and tasty food like pizza with lots of vegetables, pasta, cakes, etc. instead of ordering from the outside.

Choose healthy fats: Add good fats like seeds, nuts, olives, ghee, and sea fish to improve immunity, reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve memory. Limit your intake of butter, processed cheese, fried foods, etc.

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Unhealthy weight gain in children has been shown to cause physical, social, and emotional complications. Parents and guardians should take responsibility for their child’s lifestyle and eating habits. A balanced, healthy diet, coupled with daily exercise of at least 1 hour per day, good quality sleep at night, a stress-free environment at home, and limiting screen time to online courses can help a child achieve optimal physical and mental growth through the years of growth.

(Author is a Consultant – Pediatrics, PICU and Neonatology, Manipal Hospitals Whitefield, Bangalore. Article is for informational purposes only. Please consult health care professionals before starting any therapy or medication. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect those official information against the position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)

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