It's difficult to turn on the news or pick up the paper and not see stories about the childhood obesity problem in America. According to The Obese Society, the number of overweight children in the United States doubles in the 30 years leading up to 2000, and 1 in 5 American children is overweight. Insufficient physical activity is only partially to blame. Parents, too, fail to instill proper nutrition and diet as early as kindergarten and before.
Carbohydrates
Kids love food that is rich in "simple" carbohydrates, such as pizza, pasta and other starchy items. While such carbohydrates are part of a nutritious diet, they should be ingested in moderation. Not only do they only provide short-term energy, but such items are often also full of sugar, calories and fat.
Parents of kindergartners should focus on providing as many foods as possible containing "complex" carbohydrates -- the sort of carb that fuels energy longer and cuts down on persistent hunger. Doing so first thing in the morning will set your child's day off to a good start, so try oatmeal for breakfast.
Avoiding Fast Food
It's no secret that kids love fast food. There are the greasy, salty and delicious french fries, addictive chicken nuggets and catchy kids' meal packaging that often comes with a toy. But fast food should be treated as a special and occasional treat rather than a diet staple, because many items on the fast food menus are chock-full of simple carbs, fat, calories and salt.
This realization is apparently lost on many parents. A study published in 2010 in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" concluded that American children get nearly half of their energy from fast food.
Fat
The FDA suggests that adults ingest roughly 65g of fat daily, but children should fall well under that amount. The American Heart Association advises that children from ages 4 through 19 should get no more than 25 to 35 percent of their daily calories from fat. While fat is a necessary part of a daily diet, there should be a focus on avoiding the saturated variety, which is less healthy than non-saturated fats -- contained in nuts, fish, lean beef and lean chicken.
Drinks
Though kids love to drink soda when they can get their hands on it, it's not a good choice of drinks because it does little to hydrate their bodies and sometimes contains caffeine. Juices are a healthier choice, but they are often loaded with sugar. When it comes to healthy drinks for a kindergartner, there's no choice like water, which hydrates better than juices and soda but doesn't contain the sugars, carbohydrates, caffeine or artificial additives most of those drinks have.
Snacks
Children also love snack foods, most of which are high in either fat, calories or sodium -- or all of the above. And the presence of vending machines in many schools only adds to this unhealthy habit. According to research by the University of Michigan, children who eat foods from vending machines are more likely than others to develop unhealthy eating habits.
Limit most of your kindergartner's snacking to healthy alternatives such as fruit -- high in antioxidants, which promote good general health -- yogurt and low-fat granola bars.
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