Nutrition for the Young Child

Nutrition Joke
According to a recent article I just read on nutrition, they said eating right doesn’t have to be complicated. Nutritionists say there is a simple way to tell if you’re eating right. Colors. Fill your plates with bright colors: Greens, reds and yellows. In fact, I did that this yesterday. I had an entire bowl of M&M’s. It was delicious! I never knew eating right could be so easy.

Let’s see how you do with this food quiz:
Which Food Quiz
1. Which 3 foods are made from milk?
• Dried Skim Milk
• Soy Milk
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Margarine
2. Which 3 foods grow under the ground?
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Peas
• Onions
3. Which 3 foods grow in oceans, rivers, or lakes?
• Trout
• Peanuts
• Prawns
• Sardines
• Corn
4. Which 3 foods grow on trees?
• Strawberries
• Pears
• Passion Fruit
• Peaches
• Oranges
5. Which 3 foods are grain or cereal foods?
• Rice
• Walnuts
• Oats
• Sultanas
• Wheat
6. Which 3 foods are varieties of nuts?
• Soy Beans
• Popcorn
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Pecans
7. Which 3 foods are green leafy vegetables?
• Cabbage
• Silver Beet
• Zucchini
• Lettuce
• Pumpkin
8. Which 3 foods are plant foods?
• Milk
• Sesame Seeds
• Eggs
• Cashew Nuts
• Broccoli
I would like to hear from you with the answers and next week I’ll give you the answers.

But seriously, with more mothers working full or part time, child care is a fact of life for most families. Nearly 13 million American preschoolers are enrolled in child care programs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That means that more than 60 percent of the nation’s children ages six and under are supervised during the day by someone other than a parent.

When parents choose people to care for children in their absence, what do they value? Warmth and caring no doubt come to mind. A safe and nurturing environment is critical, too. Nutrition should be just as important to parents. The quality of the food the child eats while in any child care situation affects their short-and long-term health and well-being. The more time the youngster spends in a day care setting, the more important nutrition becomes. Here in the daycare setting, the nutrition can have those high standards in order for the stages of poor eating habits in the child to outgrow.

In general, parents should strongly influence a child’s nutritional habits, but it is important for day care schools to contribute to a youngster’s good eating patterns, too. You may not know it, but the child models him or herself in part after his day care providers. And why not? They spend upwards of five days a week in your care. Chances are, the child admires and identifies with them on a daily basis.

Ensuring that the child’s diet away from home is healthy is crucial for a number of reasons. Surveys show that preschoolers are getting progressively heavier. In fact, the incidence of obesity in these youngsters has doubled in the past twenty years. Young children are not eating adequate fruits, vegetables, or whole grains. Since the child may spend most of his or her waking hours in the care of you, their diets should be as healthy as possible during that time.

Answers next week!