Nutrition in Preschoolers
Tips to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits in Children
Teaching preschoolers about nutrition can send them on a path of lifelong health. Teach your children about healthy eating with these simple tips.
Preschoolers need nutrients to provide energy, promote growth of body tissues, and regulate body functions. That’s why it’s important for parents to encourage healthy eating habits in children when they are young. If you are the parent of a preschooler and looking for ways to teach him to make healthy food choices, try using these simple tips.
Model Healthy Eating Habits
As parents, you are the primary influence in the lives of your children. If you don’t have healthy eating habits, it will likely affect your children’s food choices later in life. You should always make an effort to demonstrate how important it is for them to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
Let Your Preschoolers Take an Active Role in Their Nutrition
Let your preschoolers help you with menu planning, grocery shopping and meal preparation. They can help you wash lettuce, peel bananas or add ingredients to foods. If they are actively involved, it will teach them the importance of a healthy diet. They will also appreciate the fact that you value their opinions enough to let them assist you when making healthy food choices.
Have a Wide Variety of Nutritious Fruits and Vegetables Available
When preschoolers get hungry between meals, it is important to have fresh fruits and vegetables readily available for them to eat. This will help you meet your children’s nutritional needs and avoid the urge to reach for options that are less nutritious.
Follow the USDA Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides a food guide pyramid that is targeted to children ages two to six. The USDA recommends that healthy foods for children should include:
- Breads, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group (six servings)
- Vegetable Group (three servings)
- Fruit Group (two servings)
- Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group (two servings)
- Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, and Eggs Group (two servings)
- Fats, Oils, and Sweets Group (use sparingly)
Limit Fast Food Intake
Fast food restaurants are quick, convenient, and easy to access but they are not good for your preschooler’s nutritional health. Fast food restaurants serve fatty foods that contain little to no nutritional value. If you want to encourage healthy eating habits in your children, you should limit your trips to the fast food joints.
With the proper amount of planning and implementation of these simple tips, you will be on your way to teaching your children how to make healthier food choices.
For more information about nutrition in young children read Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health: Birth Through Age Six by Susan Roberts and Melvin B. Heyman
