HOME
Begin at the Beginning: The Best Diet for Healthy Children
Part 4: Growing up
Childhood is a critical stage in any person's development. The way that
children relate to their peer group is very important to them. Most important,
particularly among girls and young women, is the way in which they perceive
their own bodies. It is a sad reflection on our times that as many as
two-thirds of young women between the ages of twelve and twenty-three believe
that they should lose weight even when most of them are actually already
underweight.
Children generally follow the examples set by their
parents. If mother is
preoccupied with dieting, she will set an example that can profoundly affect
the whole of her child's life. The pre-school years are the most effective
period in which to establish healthy eating patterns. Habits formed at this
time are likely to persist. It is important, therefore, to instil the right
attitudes at this time.
The mother who stays at home, bringing up her children,
can teach them food
preparation techniques and shopping. On the other hand when mother lets her
children fend for themselves or delegates her responsibilities to a
child-minder, they are more likely to be fed with convenience foods that are
invariably high in the very carbohydrates that should be avoided.
I grew up during the Second World War. It was a time
when food was rationed and
there was little enough to go around. Consequently, I was taught to clean my
plate - I couldn't have the pudding unless I ate all my greens, and so on. At
the time it was a practical thing to do. There were shortages of many foods;
the nutrient-dense foods were particularly difficult to come by and, without
refrigeration, many would not keep. We had to be 'good' and eat everything put
before us. But today you should think twice before insisting on this. Children
should be allowed to be aware of and follow the dictates of their bodies'
natural signals. That way, not only will they enjoy eating, they will learn to
control food rather than have food control them. If they leave food, do not
make so much next time.
So don't force food on your child. There is no need to
worry about an apparent
lack of appetite unless she is not growing as she should, both physically and
mentally.
Do not reward good behaviour with food, particularly
sweets. This encourages
bad eating habits. It is much better to use praise. Similarly, do not use food
as a comforter.
It also sends the wrong message to praise a child for
'eating it all up'. After
all, she is only satisfying her hunger - a perfectly natural event. The danger
here is that, if occasionally she is not so hungry and the praise stops, she
will feel she has to eat more than she wants to earn the praise. This could
lead to her overeating and, thus, to obesity.
The early school years
Once your child starts school you lose control for a large part of the day.
Other children will have sweets, she will be influenced by advertisements on
television, the sweet counters at supermarket checkouts. It is at this time
that your earlier efforts will pay off.
A friend of mine brought up three daughters. She stayed
at home with them in
their pre-school years. They had no sugar in their diets at all. The girls'
grandmother was appalled. I remember she told us that her daughter-in-law "even
makes custard without sugar". The girls didn't mind for they knew nothing else.
When they started school, and came into contact with other children eating
sweets, they knew that their mother did not want them to eat sweets and, being
well-brought up little girls they observed their mother's wishes. Friends and
relatives were discouraged from giving them sweets. However, if someone did
give them sweets as a present, they were allowed to have a small piece. The
rest was saved for another day, when again they had just a small piece. If it
would not keep, it was quietly disposed of.
Before your child starts nursery school, if she is to
eat there, look at the
menu. Let the organiser know that you do not want your child to eat sweets,
sugar or squashes. The National Children's Bureau recommends that nurseries
should not disrupt a child's established eating patterns so you should have no
difficulty. If you wish to supply your own foods, the nursery should
accommodate you.
Birthdays at school
Birthdays are special for children. At home you can control what food is served
(see below). In the playschool environment, however, where there may be a
birthday several times a week, there is little you can do other than suggest
that only fruit is served: satsumas, apples, seedless grapes, pineapple cubes,
pink melon, strawberries, raspberries, peaches can be served on their own or
with cream. Both at home and at nursery school, why not have a pretend cake?
This can be built around a tin or a box and have candles to blow out. It
doesn't have to be edible.
When leaving your child in the care of a childminder,
make sure they understand
what you want or do not want your child to eat. Better still, provide the food
yourself.
Other tips
Beware of additives that can cause a variety of adverse reactions. And avoid
also foods with 'added vitamins'. This is a sign that the food is highly
processed and nutritionally inadequate.
Shopping can be a very useful form of education for
your child. However, there
are occasions when care needs to be exercised, for the hunting and purchasing
of foodstuffs today is fraught with danger for the unwary.
Supermarkets know that children watch television and
are influenced by what
they see and hear. They know that children have a big influence on what their
parents buy - the way children force parents to buy unsuitable food. They even
have a name for it - 'pester power'. This is why sweets are put at the
checkouts, where parents and children are waiting. And there are other tricks.
The most expensive and most sugary breakfast cereals are stacked at children's
eye level, on the lower shelves. Some supermarkets have even been known to give
children their own small trolleys in the hope that the children will fill them
with whatever takes their fancy. All the worst foods are packaged to appeal to
children: packaged in attractive bright colours, or with free gifts and so on.
So when shopping for breakfast cereals, for example, do
not let your child
choose. Most children will choose the one advertised on TV - designed to appeal
to them. This is what manufacturers count on. But the most advertised cereals
are usually the worst. Not only are they invariably laced heavily with sugar,
they are invariably more expensive (all that advertising has to be paid for).
Do not forget that the responsibility for choosing food
is a serious matter and
that responsibility is yours. It should not be delegated to an impressionable
child.
Related Articles
- Dairy for children 'extends life'
- Unlimited calorie, low-carb diet better and healthier for obese children
- Low cholesterol and antisocial behaviour in children
- Expectant mother's low cholesterol damages babies
