Food for Health

Long-term buoyant health is the result of good habits and wise choices from an early age. To enjoy health now and in the future, youngsters must learn how to eat, exercise, sleep and control stress. Today, feeding children is based on concerns about heart disease, diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure. But, sensible nutrition for children essentially boils down to the same rules that apply to adults.

Parents need to lead by example in terms of healthy eating, because research indicates that children develop eating habits similar to those of their parents. While a parent must provide balanced selections from the five food groups, children should be allowed a certain amount of freedom to choose what and how much they eat.

Nutritionists are quick to point out that the issue isn't 'good foods' versus 'bad foods'. Don't worry if children balk at certain foods served. Studies show that gradually, children will eat the appropriate amount of food if offered healthy choices. A child certainly won't eat spinach if chips are a choice, or drink milk when parents are sipping carbonated drinks.

Naturally, the occasional chocolate, high fat food, or calorie-laden dessert is permissible. But, these aren't substitutes for nutritious food. Dietician Rael Koping said although a bit of junk food should be allowed as a treat, it must never be given as a reward. "This leads to a life-long habit of rewarding yourself with a chocolate bar when you've been 'good'."

Eating should be a pleasure for the entire family, creating positive food attitudes. Therefore, parents should avoid 'food battles'. The one-bite rule is effective for most kids: try at least a bite of all foods offered. If they don't like it, they don't need to eat more. A few tips are:

• Never coax, bribe, punish, nag
• Keep introducing new foods over again - they might change their minds
• Don't dictate how much your child should eat
• Change your buying habits if your child is 'stuck on' certain unhealthy foods
• Offer fruit as dessert - on its own or add to ice cream or cake
• Avoid juices, fizzy drinks and milk as substitutes for eating real food
• Ban snacking - in the car or while standing around
• Don't disguise foods or combine foods they like with those they don't like

Involve children in drawing up menus and compiling grocery lists. Not only does this hone their decision-making skills, but it enhances the good food experience and awakens an awareness of health. Most importantly, introduce regular family meals.

A balanced daily diet includes food from each of the five food groups:
1.grains - bread, cereal, rice and pasta
2.fruit and vegetables - fresh, dried or steamed
3.meat - red meat, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs and nuts
4.dairy - milk, yoghurt and cheese
5.fats - oils, butter, sugar

Each of the food groups provides some, but not all, the nutrients a child needs. Foods in one group can't replace those in another. And none of these major food groups is more important than another.

After water, carbohydrates - as the body's preferred energy source - are the most widely consumed nutrient. They're important because they yield glucose. The latter is so important that if a child's diet doesn't contain enough carbohydrate, the brain signals a shortage of glucose and muscle tissue will be broken down to supply the shortfall. This basically means that body muscle is lost to feed the brain. According to Koping, about 50% of a child's daily kilojoule intake should come from carbohydrates.

Therefore, the Glycaemic Index (GI) approach to eating is good. With the right type and amount of low GI foods, blood glucose levels can be controlled. Because a high insulin level is associated with weight gain, high blood fats, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, low insulin levels benefit the body. Low GI foods include pasta, rice, rye bread, apple muffins, beans, most fruit, low-fat yoghurt and milk.

Having said that, children also need high GI foods from time to time for energy bursts in their action-packed days. Then, they require bread, fruit juice, pumpkin, corn chips or watermelon, among others.

Kick off the day with a healthy breakfast comprising complex carbohydrates and simple sugars (whole grains, fibre, fruit); proteins and some fat. When milk, cheese, yoghurt, lean meat or an egg is added, the food provides sustained energy.

Pack a lunch box with a powerful punch. Scrumptious ideas are:

• potato salad, chicken breast, nuts, crackers, an apple
• pasta, carrot and pea salad, boerewors, yoghurt, Pringles snack pack
• tuna, lettuce and tomato wholewheat sandwich, a wedge of cheese, raisins
• egg and bacon rye sandwich, an energy bar, a banana

Supper should include at least two vegetables, a serving of complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta or rice and a protein. In winter, a soup including all the above will do, accompanied by bread. In summer, delicious salads including these food types should be sufficient. Of course, home-made pizza with all the above will always go down a treat. The age-old adage still applies: breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and sup like a pauper.

Avoid processed food, pre-prepared foods with colourants and preservatives and refined sugars. Food allergies are much less common than most parents believe - affecting only about 3-6% of children and 1-2% of adults. Your child may well develop food allergies no matter what you do.

At the end of the day, good nutrition for children is about balance, moderation and variety. As parents, follow the rules and make meals fun family gatherings. In this way, you'll lay the foundation for your offspring to a life-long road of healthy eating.

Written and edited by Mariette Greyling, www.tomar.co.za for the Schools' Collection.