Child Nutrition - Helpful Tips And Recipes

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 11:04

Child nutrition: eat and drink healthily

Healthy and balanced - this is ideally also the diet of children. Sometimes that's easier said than done. You need nutrients and energy to stay healthy, grow, and develop. Because of their metabolism, they cannot bridge long periods of time between meals as well as adults. Children also have different eating and drinking needs than adults.

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• What do children need?
• Video: Eating right for toddlers
• Video: Healthy snack for 4 to 10 year olds
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In order to adequately take into account a child's eating habits, a diet that is appropriate for their age is important. This applies above all to the quantity and quality of the food. In addition, the foundations for later nutritional behavior are laid in childhood.

What do children need?

For children as well as for adults, the Austrian food pyramid serves as a guide for a healthy diet. And that means roughly speaking: lots of beverages and plant-based foods, moderate animal products and low-fat foods and sweets.

• Drink enough: especially water, unsweetened fruit teas, vegetable and diluted fruit juices. Caffeinated drinks (such as cola drinks, energy drinks, black and green tea, but also iced tea, coffee) and drinks with a high sugar content are not suitable for children. Children need fluids regularly. Depending on age, around 1.5 to 2.5 liters per day in total in the form of beverages, but also solid foods such as fruit and vegetables (of which between 820 to 1,330 ml beverages, depending on age).
• Vegetables, pulses and fruit: 5 servings of vegetables, pulses and fruit a day - as varied as possible, cooked and raw (take into account tolerance). The children's fist is the measure for a portion.
• Cereals and potatoes: 5 servings of cereals, bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. Give preference to whole grain cereal products. Highly sugary and very fatty products, however, should rarely be eaten (e.g. muesli with added sugar or chocolate, French fries).
• Milk and milk products: belong on the daily menu. They are important suppliers of calcium. Milk, yoghurt, curd cheese, cheese and cottage cheese are ideal for children.
• Fish, meat and eggs: fish (fatty sea fish such as mackerel, salmon, tuna, herring or local cold water fish such as char) should land on the plate once or twice a week. A maximum of 3 servings per week is sufficient for meat and sausage products. Give preference to low-fat meat and low-fat sausages. Types of preparation with a lot of fat should also be the exception (e.g. sauté rather than bread). Up to three eggs can be consumed per week.
• Fats and oils: use sparingly. Prefer vegetable fats. Watch out for hidden fats. Cut away visible fat if possible.
• Sweet, fatty and salty foods: eat rarely and in small quantities. Fast food such as burgers or kebabs etc. is not prohibited, but should rarely be consumed.

A colorfully displayed food pyramid for children can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health.

Video: Eating right for toddlers

Play YouTube video Eating Right for Toddlers

Video: Healthy snack for 4 to 10 year olds

Play YouTube video Healthy snacks for 4- to 10-year-olds

Helpful tips

• How much children eat varies from person to person and can vary from day to day. Every child has different eating habits and eats different amounts.
• Allow enough time for a healthy breakfast in peace.
• Several smaller meals throughout the day are ideal for children.
• Eat together and sit down while eating - without any additional activities (watching TV, reading, playing the computer).
• As diverse a diet as possible - varied selection.
• Child-friendly portions such as sliced fruit or pureed vegetable soup make healthy food tasty for children.
• Always include the kids' favorite dishes in the menu.
• Do not use food as a punishment, reward or consolation.
• Let the child decide for themselves how much they eat and not force them to eat.
• Let children help with the food preparation.
• As a substitute for sweets, for example, curd cheese with fruit or fruit salad are suitable.

Further information is available from:

• Dental healthy diet for children
• Overweight in childhood and adolescence
• Nutrition in kindergarten
• Brochure: Now I eat with the grown-ups! Proper nutrition for one to three year olds (REVAN)
• Healthy break in school