Nutrition is valuable in every period of life. Nutritional needs differ at every age, so it would be more accurate to consider the nutrition of infancy, childhood, school age children and adolescents as something else. Real eating habits are shaped and developed by an individual’s habits in the family during childhood. Children grow up as a reflection of their parents, so we should and should adopt a healthy, adequate and stable diet as an example to children. Keeping physical and mental performance at the highest level during the day is possible by regularly consuming medium and main meals. Therefore, meals should not be skipped. It is most appropriate to take the foods to be consumed daily in 3 main meals and 2 middle meals.
In order for children to have a healthy diet, they should consume the foods in the four food groups in sufficient quantities and in a stable manner.
Milk, yoghurt, ayran in the dairy cluster; Instead of meat, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes, vegetables and fruit set and refined grain set in the meat set, it should be paid attention to consume foods such as whole grain, high-fiber breads, bulgur, whole wheat pasta at meals in sufficient quantities.
School-age children should take calcium, which is necessary for the development of bone and dental health, especially from proteins of animal origin. In addition, consumption of milk and dairy products is very valuable for a strong immune system, development of border and muscle functions, blood coagulation and the activity of enzymes that convert nutrients into power. The amount of calcium that children aged 6-10 should take daily is approximately 1000 mg.
1 glass of milk = 240mg
1 glass of yogurt = 180 mg
30 g of white cheese (1 matchbox)=70mg
30 g of cheddar cheese (1 matchbox)=230mg of calcium. For this reason, children in this age group consume a portion of each of these measures during the day, meeting a large part of their calcium need.
Meat cluster is your valuable food groups for the preservation of healthy body structure and the flawless continuation of vital functions. In particular, it ensures the formation and protection of muscle tissue in children. In this cluster, there are foods such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes. School-age children should consume at least 3-4 servings of these foods, that is, an average of 100 g of meat or chicken or fish and 1 egg daily. Eggs are the best source of protein and have a decent amount of iron and calcium minerals. If there is no such thing as an allergy, it will be healthy for this age group to consume a lot of eggs every day or every day.
Bread and bread substitute in another batch. The nutrients in this cluster are the body’s most adequate power sources. They are strong foods from fiber and B vitamins. It should be consumed during the day without exceeding the power requirement.
We meet our body’s need for vitamins, minerals and pulp from vegetables and fruits. Consumption of seasonal fruits in the middle meals of the daily diet will strengthen the immune system of children and prevent them from getting sick, as they are a storehouse of vitamins. Although not always, in cases where fruit cannot be eaten, a middle row of freshly squeezed fruit juices can be consumed. However, if you always give the juice instead of the fruit itself, this may trigger the possibility of insulin resistance in children over time, as this will increase blood sugar rapidly. Apart from that, it is true that our children should not consume the ready-made fruit juices sold in the market, as they are not natural and have high sugar rates.
In addition to fresh fruits, dried fruits (dried apricots, dried figs, raisins, prunes, blueberries, etc.) meet the sweet needs of school-age children as well as their empowering feature. In this way, the tendency of children who are fond of foods containing easy sugar such as chocolate and ice cream decreases. In addition, dried fruits contain vitamins, minerals (iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus) and a lot of fiber that support the immune system. Thanks to the iron they contain, they also help in the production of hemoglobin. Measures should be taken very carefully for the consumption of children only. These dried fruits can be consumed with nuts. However, both dried fruits and nuts should be consumed little by little, as they will cause weight gain when consumed excessively. It will be healthy to consume a different type of nuts with high nutritional value, especially hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts.
Water consumption should not be neglected during the day, they should consume an average of 2-2.5 liters (ie 6-8 glasses of water) daily. better health, higher scores and less absenteeism in tests and exams, and it was also seen that they had less problems with their weight.Therefore, it is very valuable for children to have a healthy breakfast on the way to school every day. It should be composed of healthy foods such as cheese, milk, eggs and whole wheat bread, not foods with high fat content.
Children’s diets should not contain unnatural ready-made foods and fast foods (hamburger, pizza, etc.) containing additives. Try to feed this type of food by making it yourself at home in a form that will not be very frequent. In addition to physical activity, children should definitely be involved in sports in terms of healthy physical development.
It should be well known that eating habits for a healthy and fit life begin in childhood. As I said at the beginning of my article, children grow up as a reflection of their parents, so we should and should adopt a healthy, sufficient and stable diet as an example to children.
Offers for Families with Choosing Children
1. Focus on a complete eating plan rather than specific foods.
2. Eat family meals regularly.
3. Pay more attention to home cooking
4. Involve your children to help with meals or snacks.
5. Choose healthy snacks instead of empty calorie snacks.
6. Limit portion sizes.
7. Eliminate sugar in your child’s diet.
8. Offer a new food while your child is hungry and resting.
9. Introduce one type of new food at a time.
10. Make it fun; For example, you can make it as a game or you can cut it in different forms and present it.
11. Serve new foods with a favorite food to increase acceptance.
12. Taste a different kind of food that you will give your child first. will imitate you.
13. Let your child help you prepare the meals.
14. Quit sugary drinks.
15. End medium meals with 2 snacks per day.
