Healthy nutrition for children

A child with less weight, but muscular, does not run behind his well-fed (not fat) peers.

Everyone would like to have not obese but well-nurished child. We forget to notice that the difference between well-nutrished child and a little more nurished child is mostly in fatty tissue, tissue which usually has the function to preserve energy.  All coaches know that top athletes cannot gain weight because it would result in losing skills and endurance.

Young body grows and needs a variety of food from which it can "draw" vitamins and minerals needed for its development.

A child grows and increases the weight of its organs (for ex. liver, brain, bowels, lungs, etc.) and muscles with bones. It takes a variety of foods, especially those with plenty of proteins. They can be found in food of animal origin (meat, fish, milk, dairy products and eggs), but also in many vegetables (legumes, soy, wheat, etc). Vegetable proteins are not as valuable as those of animal origin, but they are sufficient for an adult, e.g. vegetarians. Children, whose bodies are developing, athletes and heavy manual workers are not sattisfied with a strict vegetarian diet (if they do not consume at least milk and dairy products).

Therefore, rule number one at nutrition for children in development and growth is: sufficient amount of proteins in food.

This practically means one to two cups of milk a day and at least one meal with meat, fish, dairy or egg. A little more than that is not harmful, but more than that is. If the child is thin, it may be because it has less fat. How much of the child's weight goes to fat and how much to the muscles can be determined by very complex x-ray examinations (which are made only for research purposes), and little less accurate is the method by determing  thickness of child's skin folds when lifted with two fingers, and usually the best way is just by taking a look at a child and making conclusion based on experience.

A child who weights less, but with strong muscles is not in any disadvantage compared to some well-fed (not fat) peers. Only in case of  famine, or some other long- term serious illness a better fed child might have more chance to recover and survive.

What an organism needs

A young man needs some other substances in food, other than proteins. It looked like that the least important substances are fats. In the USA they have synthesized a fat which enhances the taste of food, but which cannot be absorbed by bowels, which would be great for owerweight people. However, soon they noticed that such fat prevented organism to absorb some vitamins which are soluble only in fats, so it resulted in reducing usage of such fats in large amounts.

Fats also contain some other substances that are essential for organism, thus complete elimination of fat from food is impossible (and unnecessary). For a long time now English school canteens have served skimmed milk instead of whole milk.

Fat of animal origin (which includes alredy mentioned fat contained in milk and butter) is one of  major causes for artherosclerosis in older age and it might be of a high importance to educate a child that consuming too much fat is harmful. And, of course, food should be prepared with vegetable oil, preferably olive oil.  

Fats enhance the taste of food. They can be found in larg amounts in sweets, but also in favorite and popular pommes-frittes and chips. It would be good to take care of how much fat children take every day, and especially it would be beceficial for them to avoid fat of animal origin (lard, goose fat and butter). Butter is very welcome and prefered by children, but the truth is that butter is a ticking bomb. Children like delicatessen foods, salami, canned meat products and ham. These are usually very fatty meals. Think of the fact that your children will grow up one day and that they will have to pay the high price for bad eatting habits and wrong food they ate in their early age. Children must be taught to eat normal food, prepared in kitchen. Persistent efforts on having children eat all the food they are served is more an educational measure then need, becuase of course, if they refuse to eat one or two kinds of food, that cannot harm their health.

Carbohydrates (foods made from grains, potatoes, rice, legumines, etc) are completelly burned in organism thus helping the funcion of organs which eliminate the by-products from the body (kidney, lungs). They perfectly restore burned energy in a young person, but if taken in excessed amounts they will be converted into fat (body converts them into reserves). Children (and many adults) love sweet taste and eating sweets. Sugar is carbohydrate, too, and it may cause problems and disorders in children's nutrition. A child choses food that tastes delicious,  it causes too much sugar intake, and results in losing appetite for other essential substances. Sweets contain lots of sugar and consuming too much sugar results with weight gain.

Varied nutrition

Therefore, when it comes to sweets, children should be limited: eating sweets is an exception, celebration, and not food for every meal.

Young body grows and developes and it needs varied food which can be the source of vitamins and minerals it needs. That is why fruit and vegetables are so important. Fruit and vegetables, as well as food rich with poorly digestible cellulose, increase bowel  motility thus enabling a normal digestion. If a young man eats regular and varied food, his body needs no additional vitamin preparations (although supplements of vitamins A and D are welcome).

There are individuals among children and youngsters who, if not supervised, really eat less food than essential and are actually starving.

Little children are playful when they eat and their time for eating should be prolongued until they finished eating all the meal. Each child is an individual and thus should be approached, in cooperation with the doctor. But, be careful, don't force them to eat too large amounts of food.

In the USA the situation is becoming serious because too many young people and children are obese, and we can see that the same is happening in our country too.  Lots of young people became inert and this is one of the main reasons for their overweight.

So, do not forget...

• Make sure your child eats regular rounded meals.
• Give children sufficient proteins (milk, meat, eggs, cheese...).
• Try to teach a child to avoid large amounts of fatty foods.
• Prepare low fat meals, use vegetable oils.
• Wrong nutrition increases child's fatty tissue - it is useless, and very harmfull.
• Sweets are part of meal, preferebly one, and make eating sweets a celebration.
• Don't be too proud of your child if it stays mostly at home, reading. It will make your child lazy and inert. Children must move!