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| Menu planning for children | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| by nutritionist Kate Di Prima | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 This month we are delighted to offer you the first in a series of articles by leading Australian nutritionist Kate Di Prima on building and maintaining best practice nutrition and meal planning in your service.Kate is a highly experienced Adult and Child Nutritionist who is currently consulting to child care catering company Little Tummy Tucker. You can read Kate's full profile here. Healthy food is of utmost importance to young children especially in their early growing years. Children's eating habits, desires and tastes are developed very early on and many eating habits developed at this early age will be continued throughout life. It is therefore important that, whilst in care, children are given foods that are nutritious and consistent with the Australian Dietary guidelines for Children published in February 2013¹. These guidelines help carers chose foods that promote the development of healthy eating habits and meet children's nutrition requirements for optimum growth. The recommendation to start solid or complimentary foods is around six months of age with very few restrictions necessary. First foods should include iron rich foods such as meat and chicken and iron fortified cereals. There is no order in which foods are advised however first foods should contain no added salt or sugar and should be texture appropriate for their age. It is important to give them a variety of foods exposing them to many new tastes and textures to ensure they are getting a balanced diet. By 12 months little ones can consume an adaptation of the family meal watching for appropriate levels of salt, fat and sugar; you may have to adapt the meal if it contains large amounts of spice and seasonings as their little taste buds are very sensitive and don't need excessive flavours. Children's stomachs are about the size of their closed fist therefore they need to eat small amounts of food regularly. A common misconception is that children do not need to snack between their meals however this is not true; children need to be offered three main meals and two-three snacks to provide all the important nutrients for growth and development. Morning tea and afternoon tea in care can be just as important as their lunchtime meal in providing essential protein, vitamins and minerals. A cooked meal in the middle of the day often ensures that kids get an iron rich protein, a serve of energy rich carbohydrate as well as the often forgotten or least liked food category- vegetables! The poor old vegemite sandwich is low in fibre, protein, iron and zinc however packs a salty punch. Last night's dinner makes a great lunch the next day; either reheated or served in a wrap. Fluids It is recommended that the only fluid offered to children is water and milk. Children do not need juice, soft drink, cordial or sports drinks as these contain excessive amounts of sugar and Kilojoules and provide very little (if any) nourishment. Fruit juice does not replace a piece of fruit and should be limited or avoided altogether. Fruit provides natural juice as well as an excellent source of fibre and vitamins often lacking in commercial juices. From two years of age children can be offered reduced fat dairy foods including milk as a drink however their main fluid during the day should be water. How do I know if they are eating enough? Healthy children will not starve themselves. A good indication if they are having enough to eat is their weight and height is increases consistently. Babies can triple their birth weight in the first year only to slow to around one-two kg weight gain per year for the next few years. This presents as a slowing of the appetite which can alarm some parents. There is also a typical age of food fussiness which occurs anywhere from 18 months to five years of age. Children have favourites including their favourite shirt, book, and sleep buddy and lunch or dinner meal! Many children refuse to eat what is put in front of them if it is not their favourite. This can cause a great deal of angst for parents and carers of the child. Fussy children often thrive in a day-care situation as it is a calm environment for little ones to try new foods and watch their peers enjoying something new. The perfect plate! Children's meals should be made up of three components Protein: essential for muscles, growth and repair. Examples of proteins are meat, chicken, fish, egg, legumes such as chickpeas, baked beans and hommus, cheese, milk and yoghurtServing sizes should be age appropriate and children often refuse food on their plate if it looks too large. Remember children have small stomach capacities so a serve of fruit may be five-six grapes or half a pear and a serve of meat around 30-50 grams. This is less than ½ the size of an adult's palm! For more information of appropriate serving sizes click here. The following weekly meal planner is only a guide for a child. The quantity they eat should be determined by their appetite which may change throughout the course of a week or month. |
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| 1. Australian Dietary guidelines for Children published in February 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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