Table Of ContentParent’s Guide to
Healthy Eating for Kids
By Dima Sharif
Introduction
“...Kids involved in the preparation of food, are more
enthusiastic eaters. They tend to eat healthier foods and
as grown-ups make healthier food choices!”
Food is a basic need, we need food for surviving.
However, when seen only from that perspective it
becomes boring and a chore! That is especially true
when dealing with little ones and young children.
Everything has to be fun to appeal to children.
- The more fun, colourful, active & positive
things are, the more likely those kids will take
part and enjoy them. The same applies to food.
- The more positive and open minded you are
about food, the more your kids will enjoy it.
- The more involved they are in the choice,
preparation and portion size, the more willing
they will be to explore new foods.
- The more foods they explore the more varied
their diets are and the healthier they become.
This booklet is designed to help you understand
your Children’s Nutrition Needs, Healthy Eating
Habits and How to Raise Children with a Healthy
Attitude Towards Food. The booklet also includes
some fun food activities and recipes that you
can do together for added food fun...
Let’s Begin....
Children Nutritional Needs
Diagram 1
Healthy Eating Habits
The many researches done throughout the years
have come to teach us a great deal about health
and nutrition. We now know more about healthy
eating habits and the effects of our diets on our
lives and well-being. We also know how many
diseases can be caused or made worse by bad
eating habits such as arthritis, diabetes, elevated
levels of cholesterol...etc. These diseases are
nowadays also affecting children at a very young
age! Healthy Eating Choices & Habits can prevent the
young from contracting these diseases.
It is only normal that most of
us give our children foods that
we remember from our
childhood. Food traditions are a
major part of culture. On the
other hand, there is nothing
wrong with adjusting old
recipes to a healthier, leaner
version. There is also nothing
wrong with adopting new recipes to include
different food types. A mix and match of old and
new in a balanced and healthy way. Balance is
always a good way to go.
First, here is some information about food types
and portions that are good for
our kids:
Nutritional knowledge keeps
changing and evolving. Each new
study comes up with new
results and this can be confusing
to most parents. However, it has
been established that having a
plenty of SOME foods is
unhealthy.
Foods to have just a little of
(preferably sparingly):
- Fatty meats and animal fat
- Large portions of cheese and dairy products
- Fried foods
- Highly processed Foods (junk)
- Sweets (Sugary foods and drinks)
Foods you should NEVER ALLOW children to have:
- Caffeine (coffee, energy drinks, or foods and
desserts including caffeine)
- Artificial Sweeteners (to include diet drinks)
- Alcohol or alcohol containing foods and drinks
With that said, a diet based on consuming fruits,
vegetables, grains and legumes is the best disease-
fighting nutritional
programme. Add to that
some LOW FAT dairy products
and small portions of meat
and you will have your kids
eating a very healthy diet.
Please note that full fat dairy
products have been found too
fatty and not very healthy for
kids as they can cause
children to be overweight! It is
better to substitute with LOW
FAT milk, and cheeses instead.
Parents or caregivers have to incorporate these
healthy foods into the children’s diet at varied times
in the way that best fits the family life. Please refer
to diagram 1 for guides on what children’s daily
servings of each food type should be.
Sensible Food Choices:
Vegetables, grains, beans and
fruits should take centre
stage. They provide the
nutrition children need to
grow and avoid the
cholesterol and animal fat
that can cause health
problems. Here is how you can
carry it out:
- Vegetables:
Should make up 25 – 30% of your child’s diet.
These make up children’s vitamins and minerals
intake. They provide them with energy and help
them fight diseases. Prepare your vegetables in
a variety of ways to avoid the kids from getting
bored. Include 2-3 servings of leafy green
vegetables a day (lettuce, spinach, mlokhieh,
watercress, rocket leaves...) and don’t forget
about beans (green beans, white beans, red
kidney beans, foul...). If you involve the kids in
choosing and preparing the vegetables they are
more likely to eat them.
- Fruits:
Should make up 15% of your
child’s intake.
Fruits are delicious and
most children would have
them willingly. Try to offer a variety as to
benefit from the different vitamins that
different fruits have to offer. Since fruits are
sweet in flavour, they make an excellent
substitute to candies and other sweets. Serve
them alone or with some honey spread on
toast and you got yourself an excellent dessert
that is much healthier than candy. You can also
use fruits in muffins, which is also a very
healthy snack your children will love.
- Whole Grains (Carbs)
This group includes Whole
Grains, Breads, Cereals,
Healthy Muffins, Rice, oats,
pasta...etc
This group should make up
50% of your child’s daily intake. Carbohydrates
are important as they give your child energy
required for the active life of growing children. It
is better to go for whole grains (complex carbs)
as they have more fibre and vitamins in them
than white or processed grains (simple carbs).
- Fats & Oils
Fats and oils do not have to be
completely omitted from your
child’s diet. They are good for
digestion, and some have very
essential vitamins like Omega... but this group
should be minimised as much as possible. With
that said, always go for the healthier fats and
oils, such as vegetable fats as opposed to
animal fats. The healthiest oils are olive oil,
sesame oil, and polyunsaturated oils. Use a
small amount to brush the bottom of the pan
rather than spilling bigger amounts to cook
with.
- Meats
(Poultry – Fish – Red Meats)
This group also includes
eggs, nuts and dry beans;
which are a source of
protein and energy. Lean
meats can provide quality proteins, there is no
need to go for the fattier meat options, which
are in fact unhealthy. Children should have only
2 servings a day from this group. A serving is
about 85g (the size of a deck of cards).
It is good practice to trim away any visible fat,
and remove skin before cooking. It goes without
say that frying is the unhealthiest option, go for
stews, bakes or grills instead.
Fish are particularly good as they are a source
for iodine and some are a source of the omega
group, especially oily fish such as tuna, or
salmon...etc. Serve fish whenever possible and if
available. Tuna cans are second best to fresh
fish.
