A-Z of kids’ nutrition

Children learn their healthy (or unhealthy) eating habits in infancy or even before birth! Here’s a handy A-Z guide to help you to get them to eat the right things.

IS FOR AMNIOTIC FLUID

You are what you eat, and so it would seem, is your baby. Studies have shown that what you eat during pregnancy determines what your baby will like eating. That’s because the flavours of your food are carried through the amniotic fluid to your unborn child. If you eat lots of fruit and vegetables, this is what your baby will develop a taste for. Joburg-based dietitian and nutritionist Jane Badham says these studies show that moms-to-be who include a range of vegetables and fruit in their diets will positively influence their children’s likelihood of eating and enjoying the same vegetables and fruit when they are weaned. “This is good news, because acceptance of unusual tastes before birth might override their natural preferences.”

IS FOR COOKING

It is amazing what you can get your toddler to eat if he made it himself! Things might get a little messy in the kitchen, but it will be worth it. Get him to whisk the eggs for scrambled eggs or eggy bread, wash vegetables and fruit, choose pasta shapes, mix stuff in a bowl and put healthy toppings on a home-made pizza. You and your toddler will both have a lot of fun, and you’re passing on valuable skills for him to use in future.

IS FOR BREASTFEEDING & BREAKFAST

The best food you can give your baby is breast milk. The World Health Organization recommends that you breastfeed exclusively for at least six months and then introduce nutritious solid foods. “Breast is best, and babies should be exclusively breastfed. That means giving nothing other than breast milk, water or formula for at least the first six months to ensure your baby receives all the necessary nutrients and disease-fighting antibodies,” Jane says.

After that, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and eating something healthy for breakfast should be one of those non-negotiable routines for your family. One of the best and quickest breakfasts you can make is cooked oats sweetened with grated apple and served with milk. Another winner is scrambled egg on wholewheat toast followed by some slices of fruit in season.

Many kids’ cereals are high in sugar and salt and low in fibre. When you buy breakfast cereals, make sure that they are wholegrain (for a slow release of energy), low in sugar and low in salt. Wholewheat or original ProNutro or sugarand sodium-free Weet-Bix are good choices.

If you really battle to get your child to eat, then a highsugar cereal eaten with milk is better than nothing, but don’t offer this as a regular option.

IS FOR DETERMINATION

If you have a picky eater, the best advice is to keep giving him healthy food choices. Your determination and perseverance will pay off in the end. “With infants, a single exposure to a food may be sufficient to dramatically increase intake and liking. However, older children may need as many as 10 to 15 taste exposures before significant liking is observed,” Jane says.

IS FOR EXAMPLE

Children learn by example. So do as you say, and they will do as you do. If you follow a healthy, balanced diet, so will your children. And if there’s a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit available in your house, chances are your children will naturally accept eating them. A study conducted at the University College of London among parents of pre-school children found that an early introduction to fruits and vegetables during weaning leads to an increased intake in these children when they are 2 to 6 years old.

IS FOR FAT

Essential fats – omega-3 and -6 – promote your child’s mental health. They also help protect him against allergies, asthma, eczema and infections. Patrick Holford explains in Optimum Nutrition for Your Child’s Mind that, “Children deficient in essential fats have more learning difficulties, while children who are breastfed for longer have higher IQs at age eight than bottle-fed babies, which is thought to be due to the higher levels of essential fats in breast milk.”

Essential fats remain very important throughout life, so your child will continue to need them as he grows. The good news is that it’s never too late to boost your child’s essential fat levels so that he can reap the benefits. Good sources of omega-3 are fatty fish (like salmon, sardines and snoek), while olive oil is one of the best sources of omega-6.

IS FOR GREENS

Jane says you want your children to “go green”, because fruit and vegetables contain a multitude of micronutrients essential to their growth and development. “Brightly coloured fruits and vegetables such as peaches, paw paw, apricots, butternut, carrot and spinach are predominantly rich in vitamin A, while citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables can substantially boost a child’s vitamin C intake. And that is just the beginning. All vegetables and fruits contain phytochemicals that are very beneficial for health. Fruit and vegetables are also rich in fibre, which is not only important for healthy bowel function but has been linked to a reduced risk of several conditions, including heart disease and cancer.”

IS FOR HYGIENE

Good hygiene is essential in the early years when children are more vulnerable to food-borne illness. Something that might cause a mildly upset stomach in adults can mean a hospital admission for your baby. From breast or bottles to solids and lunch boxes, it’s vitally important to keep your hands, cooking utensils and work surfaces sparkling clean.

IS FOR IRON

Iron deficiency is one of the most common in the world. Iron deficiency is very common among toddlers – most commonly those who were born premature, were exclusively breastfed well past six months of age (with delayed introduction of iron-rich solids) or those who drink large amounts of cow’s milk. Many toddlers will fill up on large drinks of cow’s milk (which is low in iron) and then eat very little.

A good way to avoid this problem is never to offer your child cow’s milk in a bottle. Rather give it to him in a cup. This way he will not likely fill up on milk rather than eat solid food.

Also offer iron-rich foods that are easy for children to chew. These include liver (chicken liver is particularly easy for children to eat), minced meat, chicken, fish, eggs and legumes (try baked beans with reduced salt and sugar or add dried beans and lentils to your soups and casseroles). Remember to include foods rich in vitamin C to increase iron absorption.

IS FOR JUICE

Some parents mistakenly think that they can substitute juice for fruit in their children’s diet. It’s okay to offer diluted pure fruit juice once a day (one glass of juice equals one portion of fruit), but most of the time it is far better for your child to eat a whole fruit and drink water. “That’s because the sugars are much more concentrated in the juice than in a whole fruit,” Jane says.

“And juice doesn’t contain nearly as much fibre as whole fruit.”

IS FOR KETCHUP

Better known as tomato sauce, and something kids love pouring over their food at some point. Don’t worry if your toddler wants “mato sauce” over everything – if it gets him eating his veg, eggs or meat, that’s a good thing (as long as it is a good-quality variety and not the watery, over-sweetened, bright-pink kind). A dollop of ketchup won’t do any harm. In fact, new research shows that it’s even good for your kids (provided it’s not too sugary) as it contains lycopene, the bright-red carotenoid pigment and phytochemical found in tomatoes that helps fight certain cancers. What’s more, the lycopene in tomato sauce is up to four times easier for the body to absorb than that in fresh tomatoes.

IS FOR LABELS

Food-labelling laws in this country have changed so that all ingredients now have to be listed, in the order of most to least.

The nutrition-information panel is a useful way to compare products for the type and amount of fat, sugar and salt it contains. Manufacturers tend to make it obvious if their products have been fortified with nutrients (like added vitamins and minerals), but it is more important to look out for the science speak that hides baddies like hydrogenated or partially hydrolysed fat, also known as trans fat.

IS FOR MILK

We’ve already stressed that breast milk is the ideal food for babies and you can continue to nurse for as long as you please. After the age of 1, full cream cow’s milk can also be introduced. Cow’s milk is a wonderful source of nutrients for children of all ages, but many children don’t drink enough. These are the important years for depositing calcium in the bones, to make them strong for old age. One to 3-year-olds need about 500mg of calcium each day.