2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
How to have a he althy and diversified diet when the child's cooperation is not assured? And when is there cause for concern?
In children, food is intended to provide enough energy and nutrients for normal growth and development (elongating bones, developing muscles and organs, calcifying teeth, increased blood volume). To achieve this goal, we must encourage variety in the choice of foods.
Happy feelings and others…
Every day, the young child gets to know food. He acquires a sensitivity to certain flavors, to certain textures, to certain colors, to certain perfumes. It weaves special links with certain foods. When his repertoire of knowledge contains “happy” sensations, the child enjoys eating; he is thus more likely to eat better than when his repertoire hides full of unhappy feelings. It is necessary to multiply the happy food experiences of the child to promote the development of the sense of taste and his food openness. It is easiest to extend the food repertoire before the age of 2of the child; let's enjoy!
Basic principles to remember
- Offer the child, as much as possible, foods with great nutritional richness, capable of providing him with everything he needs to grow and develop.
- Leave the child really free to determine the quantities that suit him, without making comments, suggestions, blackmail or pressure. The adult provides the quality, the child determines the quantity.
- It should be remembered that each child has their own nutritional needs which vary enormously during infancy. To get an idea of the quantities suggested at different ages, dietitian-nutritionist Louise Lambert-Lagacé suggests the tablespoon rule: one tablespoon per year of life. This rule applies to fruits, cooked vegetables, peanut butter, cooked meat or liver. Canada's Food Guide to He althy Eating suggests child portions equivalent to half adult portions for each group.
Growth and Appetite
It is important to remember that from the age of 2 the child sees his growth slow down and this greatly affects his appetite. Refusal to eat and food cravings reach a critical “peak” around age 3.
The most common behaviors are:
- Whims and refusal to eat: when physical growth slows down, appetite follows the same curve and the child eats less. Thatcan cause conflict and the parent may want to force their child to eat. This situation gives the child a certain bargaining power that allows him to free himself from parental control. We must therefore be flexible and respect some of his refusals without doing his bidding.
- The need for attention. Going on a hunger strike, refusing to eat at meals, or gorging on unnecessary food between meals is a way to gain favors or attention. Avoid snacking first, check that the child does not consume too many liquids which could interfere with his body signals of hunger and satiety and avoid giving too much importance to the refusal to eat. It is best to gently ask him to leave the table and let the child assume the consequences of his gesture, that is to say, to be hungry until the next meal.
