Kids’ Nutrition – Three Facts You Should Know About Nourishing Children
When it comes to kids’ nutrition & health, there’s only one method to get children to eat healthy and like it: experiment! Kids may not like a new food the first time it is introduced but persist in offering it because they may accept it after being exposed to it five or more times.
Here’s why providing a positive and healthy food environment is so important to kids’ nutrition
FACT: Kids will enjoy eating fruits and veggies if parents present them in creative ways
Adding color to your kids’ nutrition diet is quite easy. Add fresh or dried fruit to their favorite cereal, on top of a whole-grain waffle or on their yogurt. Top a whole wheat English muffin with all-fruit jams. Give them a cold glass of low sodium vegetable juice or 100 percent juice blend. Try toast topped with peanut butter and banana slices. Mash avocado on top of baked blue corn tortilla chips.
REALLY BIG FACT: Breakfast is extremely important to kids’ nutrition
Parents can jumpstart their children’s day with a well-balanced breakfast, often hailed as the most essential meal of the day, which can include fruit juice, toast, cereal or eggs. Families-on-the-go can eat simple, yet nutritious breakfasts consisting of fruit, yogurt or a bowl of cereal. Your children’s breakfast should include food from all five essential food nutrition groups: breads, fruits, vegetables, protein and dairy products.
BIGGEST FACT OF ALL: The Food Guide Pyramid helps parents understand and practice good kids’ nutrition
The U.S. Department of Agriculture came up with a new Food Guide Pyramid in 2005 because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how to be healthy. The agency later released a special version for kids. If you pay attention to the pyramid, you will learn about the mix of foods your kids need to eat and how much they should be consuming.