Picky Eater Kid Nutritional Guidelines
By Jason Katzenback, Fri Dec 9th
Picky Eater Kid Nutritional Guidelines By Jason Katzenback Although many children are picky eaters at some stage in theirlives, the experts say not to worry. Unless you are feeding himor her chips and cookies three times each day, these childrenwill most likely meet their weekly nutritional quotas. However, if you are concerned about their developmentalprogress, make an appointment with their pediatrician forconfirmation. In the meantime, you may want to include amultivitamin in your child's daily diet to balance his intake ofnutrients.
Instead of looking at what types of food your child is eatingmeal-by-meal or even day-by-day, round out the picture bylooking at your child's diet week-by-week. Most children do not eat a balanced diet every day, but over thecourse of a week or so, their diet will usually fall withinhealthy eating guidelines. This perspective can help provide youwith the total nutrient intake and you will probably feel muchbetter after discovering that they really are eating morenutritional foods overall. Here are some nutritional guidelines that can help you whenlooking at your child's dietary needs: • Children need between 24-28 grams of protein a day, which canbe found in just two servings of cheese, beef, chicken, fish,eggs, yogurt, dried beans, milk, or peanut butter • Approximately 800 mg of calcium (3-4 servings) are neededdaily, which can be found in macaroni and cheese, yogurt, orangejuice,
or a glass of milk • Children need at least 5 mcg of Vitamin D, which is availablein a glass of milk or by playing outside in the sunshine for afew minutes every day • The requisite 5 mg of iron can be found in lean meats,poultry, fish, legumes, or whole grains • Vitamin A (500 mcg) can be readily found in vegetables,including carrots and sweet potatoes • Likewise, Vitamin C (45 mg) can found in fruits such asblueberries, strawberries, oranges, and cantaloupes Of course, whenever in doubt, the Food Guide Pyramid for YoungChildren (http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/KidsPyra/) remains thestandard for nutritional eating for children between the ages of2 and 6. This includes Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta (6servings a day); Vegetables (3 servings a day); Fruits (2servings a day); Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese (2 servings a day);Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts (2 servings aday); Fats, Oils, and Sweets (use sparingly). Snack Time Snacks will typically not ruin your child's appetite an hour orso before dinner because he or she has a small stomach. Becauseyour child may not receive enough nutrients during dinner,snacks should be viewed as an important time to meet thoseneeds, especially if they are offered at a regularly scheduled“snack time.” However, beware of snacks that provide little more than caloriessuch as chips, candy, and sodas. Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, aspokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says, “Ifyou are going to offer snacks, make sure they are supplementingmeals, not sabotaging them.” Here some healthy snack food suggestions: • Graham Crackers • Popcorn • Pretzels • Milk • Cheese • Yogurt• Hard Cooked Eggs • Fruit • Raw Vegetables • Crackers, RiceCakes, Celery with Peanut Butter • Applesauce • Dried or CannedFruit • Low-fat Pudding • Animal Crackers • Home-made trail mixmade from dried fruit, nuts and dry cereal • Bread Sticks •Baked Chips and Salsa • Dry Cereal About the author:Learn step-by-step how to successfully cope with Picky Eaterswith Help There is a Picky Eater in The House! Full of ProvenStrategies and Great Picky Eater Recipes that are Guaranteed toHelp. http://www.mypickyeater.com |
