Your child’s good eating habits start with you

“Mommy, I don’t want it! I don’t want anymore.” You have probably heard that often if your child is a picky eater or simply just not into the ‘healthy’ foods that you would want to have him or her eat.

But you cant give up the battle or give in to their demands for food with very little or zero nutritional content.

Remember that good nutrition should start from day one of a child’s life. Breast milk really is the best and a baby needs nothing but this food for the first few months of life. Assuming that the mother has a nutritious diet, baby will get all the nutrients plus antibodies that (s)he needs at this time.

When it’s time to introduce solid food, most parents follow the rule that baby should get mainly crushed food from the family pot – soups, stews, vegetables crushed and pureed, as well as a variety of soft, crushable fruits.

However, it’s the next stage of development when a child starts to eat more solid food, that the breakdown starts. It is all too common that parents give their little ones sweet biscuits, Cheese Trix and ‘box drink’ as a meal. These food items, though usually considered as fun food for children, are very lacking in the kind of nutrition that these young, growing and developing bodies need.

Instead of first reaching for the Cheese Trix, why not reach for soft cheeses or even yoghurt, assuming your child isn’t allergic to dairy products? Instead of sweet biscuits why not give them a banana, a tangerine or a piece of melon? Instead of ‘box drink’ give them fruit juices, preferably blended from actual fruits.

A child’s diet should consist of plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, ground provisions – like the good old yam, coco, dasheen, sweet and Irish potatoes – peas and beans, eggs, milk and cheese, fish, poultry, and some meat. Vegetarians, of course, would tailor this diet accordingly. It’s not that they can’t ever have things like ice cream or cake, but it should not be a daily practice nor should they replace proper meals.

Eating properly is expensive but consider this: a body that lacks the nutrients it needs to stay healthy is more likely to be affected by various illnesses – it is even more susceptible to the common cold and the flu. Then you’ll have to spend money on doctor’s visits and medication. Not to mention the time lost from work, school, or just having fun.

As children get older, into the pre-adolescent and teen years, they will increasingly want to make their own choices as to what they want to eat. How, then, do you get them to make the best choices, even when they are not with you?

Let’s start with the place that you do have some control over – the home. Since it’s you, the parent, buying the groceries, you have the choice as to the kind of food that will be available at home for your child to eat. So make sure to buy the fruits and vegetables.

Dr Heather Little-White, nutritionist and lifestyle specialist, recommends that for this age group, parents find innovative ways to prepare meals. She says even sandwiches can be healthy and delicious.

She also recommends that parents buy cookbooks or enroll themselves and even their children in cooking classes for ideas on making tasty meals and snacks. A suggestion of hers is to have older children participate in meal planning and preparation.

The idea here is that they’ll not only be more willing to eat the meal as they’ll feel that they are eating things of their choosing, but they’ll also learn how to prepare these healthy meals for themselves.

Little-White suggested that parents could also lobby to their schools and PTAs to have the school canteen make more wholesome meals.

Helping children understand why eating properly is important would help your cause. So you can also give your child a basic education about nutrients – such as iron, calcium, vitamins and minerals, plus anti oxidants and how they benefit the body or what happens to the body without these nutrients.

For example, girls usually want to have healthy hair and nails, boys might want to build muscles, and both want a good complexion. And for these, proper nutrition is key. So have conversations about food with children. Don’t preach to them.

Secondly, you need to set the example. How is your diet? Are you guilty of the ‘do as I say and not as I do’ approach? Children tend to rebel against this.

And, think about it, if you believe what you advocate then shouldn’t you be doing it too? And when a child, by watching you, sees how such a diet will benefit her or him throughout their lifetime, they’ll want to follow it too.

Shelly Anglin is a freelance writer.

Snack options for kids

Meals and snacks don’t have to be boring. Here are some suggestions from Dr Little-White:

. Green Salad – Younger children won’t want green salad on its own but you can add peanut butter sauce to make it more interesting.

Cheese can help to make foods tastier and children usually like cheese. Try cheese in:

. Sandwiches – Try to combine as many as the food groups as you can in a sandwich. A meat kind will give protein; cheese will give calcium; green vegetable and tomato will give vitamins; and use bread relatively high in fibre such as whole wheat, bran or rye.

And also try:

. Macaroni and Cheese – For younger and even for older children, macaroni and cheese is easy to make, tasty and fun to eat.

. Bread and butter jelly sticks. These are like sandwiches but fried. Children usually love these. Sardine, sausage, or any other protein can be used inplace of jelly.

. Corn dogs. This a baked dish comprising a cornbread base with frankfurters on top.

. Pumpkin rock buns. Add cheese and pumpkin for additional nutrition.

. Corn beef fried rice. A mixture of vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, spinach, corn, may be added.

. Barbeque frankfurters with baked beans. This is a one-pot dish. The barbecue sauce is added to the baked beans and frankfurter combination. Pineapple chunks will add taste and nutrition.