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| Healthy Eating For Children |
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Ages 1-6
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| Changes in Growth Patterns |
Your child has just gone through a large growth spurt in his/her first year of life where their weight
tripled. In the next five to six years, their weight will only increase 5 – 6 pounds per year. Their growth will slow, and their
food intake will change accordingly. Do not be alarmed if your child is not eating as much as before or does not seem to be hungry at
times. It is crucial at this stage that you do not overfeed your child which could lead to childhood obesity. If your child is within
the healthy weight range (check height-weight tables), he is eating enough for his growth requirements. If
you have any concerns, check with your doctor or paediatrician.
Children often develop irregular eating patterns during this stage. They may become bored with their usual foods or may want the same
food every day. Between the ages of 1 and 6, children are usually less interested in food than in exploring their world. Young children
will not comfortably conform to an adult three meal-a-day pattern. They may want small amounts of food or snacks frequently throughout
the day. They may eat one meal, e.g. breakfast, and reject other formal meals. Don't be upset or view it as a challenge to your
parental authority. It is frequently a normal pattern for the child that the parents should feel comfortable with and accommodate.
Appetite decreases until the growth spurt that comes with puberty.
Like adults, children need to eat a variety of foods from different food groups to get all the nutrients necessary for growth and good
health. In addition, young children are influenced by their parents' eating habits. If you feast on fried foods and have sweet tooth,
or if your idea of a vegetable is catsup, then don't be surprised if your child does the same. You can help develop healthy eating
habits by keeping on hand a wide variety of foods in the forms your child prefers. Kids generally prefer foods with milder flavour, in
particular vegetables. So they may prefer cooked chye sim to cabbage or steamed chicken to curry chicken. They may prefer dairy
products more than you do, so offer them milk, yoghurt or cheese (children need about two servings of high calcium foods per day: one
cup of milk, two ounces of sliced cheese, or 1 tub of yoghurt is equivalent to one serving).
Because heart disease can start in childhood, children 2 years and older should start eating a lower fat diet--lean meats, poultry,
fish, less fried foods, chocolate, and coconut desserts--along with the rest of the family. But this does not mean putting a
preschooler on a low-calorie diet. Health experts in Singapore recommend that children wait until the age of six to start on low-fat
dairy products. Always get professional advice before putting a child on any type of special diet. If you think your child is
overweight, talk to your paediatrician. Like adults, children's calorie needs vary widely, depending on height, weight and individual
activity levels:
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The average 1-year-old needs about 1000 calories a day
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The average 3-year-old needs about 1300 calories a day
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By age 7, a child needs approximately 1800 calories a day.
Refer to the Recommended Dietary Allowances for Children for more
detailed breakdown.
Children in this age bracket can be picky eaters. If your child plays with her food or refuses to eat more than a mouthful, take the
food away and let her leave the table. You probably do not have to worry as long as your child is gaining weight and growing properly.
All you can do is have a wide variety of healthy foods on hand and keep offering them, even after they are refused (Children do
change their minds.)
If your child consistently refuses a particular food, try it in a different form, or offer a substitute within the same food group.
For instance, if your child refuses cooked carrots, try raw carrot sticks or cooked sweet potato. Keep in mind that fresh fruit
contains many of the same nutrients as vegetables and can be used as a substitute, if necessary. If your child does not drink plain
milk, try milk with milo for snacks or make a fruit smoothie with milk.
It helps to keep your child on a regular eating schedule. Avoid too many quick snacks, so there is enough time to build up an appetite
between meals. On the other hand, young children may need to eat five or six small meals instead of three big ones, since they can eat
only so much at each meal. Well-rounded, nutritious snacks, such as a bowl of noodle soup, or crackers with peanut butter can be
served as a mini-meal.
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| School-Age Children |
| Latent Development |
The school-aged child from age 6 until the onset of puberty experiences a slow rate of growth and only
gradual changes in body size and dimensions. The slow rate of growth during this period of "latent growth" results in a slow decline in
food requirements per pound of body weight. Nevertheless, nutrients are being laid down to fuel the impending increase in growth during
adolescence. The quality and completeness of the diet remain as critical as ever to the nutritional health and well being of the child.
A satisfactory diet must include the appropriate amount of calories and nutrients.
All the known nutrients are supplied by a daily diet that is varied and reflects selections from each of the food groups:
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| Rice & Alternatives |
½ bowl |
5 servings |
| Fruit |
1 piece |
2 servings
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| Vegetables |
½ cup |
2 servings |
| Meat & Alternatives (including milk) |
2 oz. |
2 servings |
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Food habits, patterns, practices and preferences evolve during childhood. One way to set your children on
a lifetime track of healthy eating is to make meal preparation a team effort. Let kids in this age group
help with grocery shopping, meal planning and food preparation. Learn to read the Nutrition Information Panel
and ingredient list on food packages with your child. Be patient, recognize that distractions will occur,
and be flexible in your approach.
The body requires an appropriate balance of calories and nutrients. Certain snack foods like sandwiches and
steamed buns, and even desserts such beancurd with syrup, can given in place of more traditional meals occasionally.
Also, understand that there is an increase in interest and participation in other activities that will compete
with meal times and your child's interest in eating.
Breakfast is still the most important meal because it provides the fuel children need for school and play during the early part
of the day. It breaks the fast of the sleep hours and prepares the child for the learning period at school. Children who eat breakfast
are more alert, energetic and creative, and they perform better in school than children who skip the meal. To make mornings less
hectic, set out breakfast bowls, cups, utensils and cereal boxes the night before. If your child do not want to sit down to breakfast,
have quick, portable breakfast foods available, such as bread buns, fresh fruit, and 100% fruit juices and milk in individual
containers with straws.
Lunches and munchies are also important to kids in this age group. Pack a lunch for them if they will not be home or guide them
on what to choose at the school tuckshop. Growing children also need the extra calories that snacks
provide. Some suggestions:
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Look for noodles in soup such as fishball or beef noodles, yong tau foo, mee siam, wanton
soup;
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Include a selection of vegetables on their rice dishes;
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Make sandwiches with whole-wheat bread and use less butter/margarine;
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Encourage them to add fresh fruits and vegetables to their meal. For instance, add sliced tomato or
cucumber to a sandwich or have a slice of papaya or watermelon with their meal.
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Set a good nutritional example when you make your own lunch.
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Stock the refrigerator with healthy snacks, such as soy milk, fresh fruit, soybean curd, low-fat
yoghurts and bread buns; stock the cupboard with soda crackers, low sugar biscuits and pretzels.
Dinners can be the most trying meal, since many kids have an after-school snack. In this age
group, never overload the plate or force children to eat if they are not hungry. Also, if you know your child dislikes the meal you
plan to serve, serve at least one food she likes and try to involve her in food preparation. Food is more fun to eat if the child
helped cook or shop for it.
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