Nutrition in Children:

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Nutrition in Children

• Ages Birth - 5

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Teaching Children about Food Safety
By Uko Barriere Work Sited Iowa State
University University Extension

• Teach hand washing Careful hand washing is one
  of the best ways to stop germs from spreading.
• Talk about all the things hands do clap, make
  clay figures, build sand castles, pet animals,
  carry food to your mouth. Hands are very busy
  and must always be washed with soap and water
  before handling food.
• Let children look at their hands with a
  magnifying glass. Remind them that dirt and
  germs can hide in the lines, cracks, and
  wrinkles.
• Let younger children personalize their ideas
  about germs by tracing their hands or making a
  finger print and then adding eyes, nose, mouth
  and hair.

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• Help children practice
• Place sinks, soap, water and paper towels at
  childrens height for hand washing and clean-up.
  You may need to provide a stop stool for the sink
  but try to hand towels low.
• Spills are more likely when counter and tables
  are too high for children to work at comfortably.
• Reserve one space for sandwich or cracker
  spreading. Or, provide children with their own
  small cutting boards.
• Use plastic squeeze bottles to hold jellies,
  peanut butter, mustard, mayonnaise, catsup, and
  other spreadable ingredients use in snack or meal
  preparation.
• If children are being taught to help with food
  preparation, they should only touch the food they
  prepare and eat. Separate utensils should be
  provided for each one.
• Individually packages food, either commercially
  bought or prepared by staff, should be used
  whenever possible.
• Make learning fun
• Use stickers to teach where foods are stored.
  Use large ones of different colors on the
  refrigerator, freezer, and cupboard.
• Relate storybook monsters who like to eat up
  things- like the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk
  and the monsters in Where the Wild Things Are
  to tiny monsters germs and bacteria that
  are always ready to attack foods and make them
  unsafe.

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Health Quiz
TisShira Andrews Work Sited http//www.foodfort
ots.com/Health/fsQuiz.html

• Questions
• 1. Contaminated food usually looks, smells or
  tastes spoiled.
• 2. A cutting board should be thoroughly washed in
  hot soapy water after preparing raw meat or
  poultry.
• 3. Fruits and vegetables can carry dangerous
  bacteria.
• 4. The best way to defrost meat is slowly at room
  temperature.
• Answers -gt

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• 1. False - There are two kinds of bacteria that
  can grow in food, those that cause illness and
  those that cause food to deteriorate and develop
  unpleasant odors. The bacteria that cause food
  poisoning don't necessarily cause food spoilage,
  so can not be detected by the appearance or smell
  of the food. Bacteria that cause spoilage often
  don't cause illness but do affect the flavor and
  quality of the food.
• 2. True - Raw meat and poultry may contain
  bacteria that could be spread to other foods
  placed on a contaminated cutting board. Plastic
  or glass cutting boards are easiest to keep
  clean. They can be sanitized by placing them in
  the dishwasher, washing them with hot soapy water
  or cleaning with a mixture of 1 tsp chlorine
  bleach to 1 quart of water. Don't forget to
  sanitize the cleaning cloth or sponge used to
  wipe up juices from raw meat before reusing it.
  Sponges can be put in the dishwasher, cloths
  should be laundered. Paper towels could be used
  and thrown away.
• 3. True - While most food poisoning is caused by
  raw or undercooked animal products, any raw
  agricultural product can be contaminated with
  harmful bacteria. Food borne illness has been
  traced to cantaloupe, tomatoes, strawberries,
  scallions, alfalfa sprouts and leaf lettuce.
  Fresh produce should always be washed in clear
  running water before eating it. Melons and other
  thick-skinned produce should be washed before
  cutting into them.
• 4. False - Frozen foods should be thawed in the
  refrigerator, or microwaved and then immediately
  cooked. Thawing at room temperature allows the
  outside of the food to reach dangerous
  temperatures even though the center of the food
  may remain frozen.

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Nutrition FAQs

• Q What exactly is healthy diet?
• A A healthy diet provides all the nutrients we
  need in a day. For students that means at least
  3-2-3-2-6 3 servings from the Milk Group (4
  servings for ages 9 and older) 2 servings from
  the Meat Group 3 servings from the Vegetable
  Group 2 servings from the Fruit Group 6
  servings from the Grain GroupStudents who are
  growing, physically very active or bigger may
  need more servings from the Five Food Groups. But
  for all students 3-2-3-2-6 is the very least they
  should eat each day! For older students it's
  4-2-3-2-6.

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Foods to Avoid
Complied by Erica Penn

• In this list of fruits, which ones should you
  keep your child away from? All of them!
• Ripe bananas
• Pineapples
• Raisins
• Watermelon
• Frozen fruit w/added sugar
• Canned fruit in syrup
• All veggies are not created equal! You shouldnt
  be serving your kids
• Beets
• Corn
• Parsnips
• White potatoes (especially french fries)
• Turnips
• Frozen or canned veggies w/added sugar

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• All kids need dairy products except these
• Yogurt made w/sugar
• Whole milk
• Half and half
• Other high-fat dairy products
• Will protein make kids lean and mean? Not these
  choices
• Fatty cuts of beef and lamb
• Sugar cured ham and bacon
• Cold cuts with sugar added
• Bread the staff of life? Here are the baked
  goods that dont belong in your pantry
• Breads made with refined, enriched or bleached
  flour
• Breads that have added honey, molasses, corn
  syrup or brown sugar
• Breads that have more than one gram of sugar per
  slice
• High-sugar pastries
• Condemn these canned goods and condiments
• Baked beans
• Sweet pickles
• Sugar-sweetened jams, jellies, and preserves
• Salad dressings with sugar added

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How to deal with Food Refusal
Complied by Megan Schropp. http//www.betterhea
lthchannel.com

• Most children are able to balance food intake
  with activity if they are not forced to eat. You
  can help by providing a variety of healthy and
  nourishing foods for your child to choose from.
  Children should be served the same foods as the
  family, with a variety of textures and flavours
  for balanced nutrition. When a food is refused,
  the child may not be objecting to the actual food
  but is testing to see the effect they have on
  people around them. By assuming the food is to
  blame, some parents can get caught up in a
  frustrating game. Some helpful tips to deal with
  food refusal include
• Try to stay calm.
• Don't force your child to eat.
• Allow your child some likes and dislikes.
• Offer new foods with familiar ones.
• Provide a small spoon or fork and a comfortable
  chair.
• Turn off the television - chat at mealtimes
  instead.
• Start with a small serve and give more if hungry.
  
• If a food is refused, let your child sit quietly
  for a few minutes before leaving the table.
• Be a role model for your child. If you eat well,
  they may copy you.

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Nutrition in Infants
Compiled by Esha

• 4-6 months-  Babies need a supplemental source of
  iron starting at 4-6 months.  Good solids for
  this stage includes rice, cereal, vegetables and
  fruits.
• rice cereal is recommended to start because it is
  least likely to provoke an allergy.
• By 6 months a baby stills needs 3-4 servings per
  day of milk. 
• At 8 months at this time babies are generally
  ready to eat a bit more solid food and do a bit
  more chewing. by the time a child is a toddler
  they tend to be less interested in food, as they
  discover the world more.  The toddlers menu
  should have a balanced diet.  Fruits and
  vegetables are good source of vitamins and
  minerals for toddlers

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Compiled by Nadine Bruner