Healthy Diet & Eating Habits In Children

Grains, fruits, vegetables, oils, milk and meat and beans are the groups on the food pyramid for children created by the United States Department of Agriculture. The recommendation is that, though the quantities would differ, foods from each food group should be included in a child's diet everyday. Children need the same type of nutrients as adults, with the only difference being the amount the body will need to function at its best. Helping your children develop eating habits that center around a healthy, balanced diet will help to maintain good health and avoid childhood obesity.

What Should Your Child Eat?

There are age and gender recommendations that should be reflected in your child's diet. Boys and girls age two to three years will need between 1000 and 1400 calories per day, with 30 to 40 percent of those coming from fat. A girl age nine to 13 years will need 1600 to 2200 calories while a boy in the same age range will need 1800 to 2200. For that age group, the amount of fat recommended is 25 to 35 percent of your caloric intake for both genders, but the daily fiber requirement is 31 g for boys and 26 g for girls. Regardless of age and gender, 45 to 65 percent of your child's calories should come from carbohydrates and, from age four onward, 10 to 30 percent of calories should come from proteins. The actual number of calories your child will need will depend on his or her daily activity level.

Healthy Eating Habits

The American Obesity Treatment Association states that obesity in adults has its root in eating habits formed in childhood. They recommend the following measures to help develop good eating habits: Try not to fight about food; no food rewards or bribes; no trans or saturated fats; give lots of fruits and vegetables; limit juices and avoid sodas; promote drinking water; go low fat with the milk; don't force your children to empty their plates and limit fast food intake.

Can You Influence What Foods Your Children Like?

The journal Appetite reported a study in June 1989 where 76 American parents gave their opinions on ways to influence their children's likes and dislikes and change their attitude toward different foods. The most common methods reported included showing the parents' own liking for certain foods and involving the children in food preparation. Most parents believed that coercing the child was not an effective way of stimulating any likeness for healthy foods.

Scientific Evidence

A Polish study published in Medycyna Wieku Rozojowego` in January 2006 by H. Weker and associates reported that incorrect eating habits are contributing factors to childhood obesity. The study found that introducing healthy carbohydrates and decreasing the amount of fat in a child's diet reduced obesity. It was also noted that eating between meals did not appear to increase body fat, but eating sweets frequently had a significant negative effect. Proper diet and exercise are vital for keeping your children healthy.