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The ABC's of Nutrition

Contents


To promote good nutrition
 Don'ts
Food Guide Pyramid
Foods Brought Home
Feeding Tips
Poor Eaters
Day-care

Nutritional Resources

Recipes for your toddler

Did you know?

Food Facts

Eating nutritious food and learning good meal-time behaviors are important for children due to the rapid growth and the major developmental changes that they undergo.  Meal times can also be an opportunity for learning and developing social and motor skills, and for being introduced to new foods.  Skills such as hand washing, table manners and carrying on a conversation at the dinner table can be developed and reinforced.  Age-appropriate motor skills can be fostered by encouraging children to use child-sized utensils and encouraging children to clear their dishes and utensils from the table.
 

 

To promote good  nutrition:                                            

Provide attractive, nourishing food that is appropriate to the children's age and based on a planned, written menu. 

Contact your local health department or USDA extension service to get the federal guidelines for meals and snacks developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Child Care Food Program and published in the Code of Federal Regulations. 

 

 

Don'ts:

Don't feed children sticky, high sugar foods such as raisins. Foods that stick to the teeth for long periods of time cause tooth decay.
Don't feed children juice "drinks." Feed them 100 percent juice to get the most nutrition. 
Do not allow children who can walk to carry bottles. 
Don't feed children foods or pieces of food that are the size and shape of a marble. 

**Food this size can be swallowed whole and could become lodged in a child's throat and cause the child to choke. Examples include round slices of hot dogs, whole grapes, marshmallows, chips, and pretzels. Cut round objects, such as grapes, melon balls, or marshmallows, in half. Slice hot dogs lengthwise into quarters and then slice across into pieces. You should not give hard candy, dried fruit, popcorn, and other foods that cannot be cut into smaller pieces to young children.


             

 

 

Food Guide Pyramid

To see the recommended serving in each food group for children ages 2-6, please click on the link below:

www.eatright.org/child/pyramid.html

As parents, you can play an important role in teaching your children
how to develop healthful eating habits that can last a lifetime!


 

 

Food Brought Home


You should develop a written policy about food brought from home. Parents should be given a copy of this policy when they enroll their child in your child care facility. Food borne illness and poisoning can result from food that is improperly prepared or stored. You can ensure that the food the children in your care eat is nutritious and safe by planning menus and buying and making the food yourself. Many child care providers provide two snacks and one meal a day to the children in their care. 

However, if parents provide the food their child is to eat each day, you should make sure that: 

Each individual child's lunch brought from home is clearly labeled with the child's name, the date, and the type of food. 

The food is stored at an appropriate temperature until eaten. 

The food brought from one child's home is not fed to another child. 

Children do not share their food. 

Food brought from home meets the child's nutritional requirements. If you notice that the meal provided by the parents for a child is not nutritionally complete, you should supplement it with food you have on hand. If the food provided for a child consistently does not meet the nutritional requirements of the child, you will need to explain to the parents what foods they need to provide for their child. You can also refer them to their health care professional for nutrition information and meal planning advice. 

Sometimes, particularly for birthdays or other special occasions, parents may want to bring a food treat, such as a cake, cupcakes, or other "party" food, to share with all the children at your facility. Tell the parents that food brought into the child-care setting to celebrate these special occasions should be bought at a store or restaurant approved and inspected by the local health authority. Many institutional outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness, including infectious hepatitis, have been linked to eating home-prepared foods. Tell parents that your policy will protect all the children in your care from such foodborne illnesses. 

 

 

Feeding Tips

At mealtime, offer a healthy balance of food from the basic food groups. (food guide pyramid).

Continue to encourage your child to experience and enjoy a wide variety of foods.  Fluctuation in appetite and dawdling over meals are common.  Likes and dislikes quickly change.  You must be patient.  You will need to devote more attention to maintaining a good positive feeding relationship, while ensuring that a variety of tasty and nutritious foods are available at home.

A warm social setting encourages your child's enjoyment of food.

Include your toddler at the table during family mealtimes.  Toddlers like the experience of being a part of the family.

Avoid eating and watching T.V, at the same time.

Make sure your child has a good source of iron such as iron-fortified toddler cereals, red meats, liver, fish, legumes and egg yolk.

 

 

Poor Eaters

    At some point in toddler's lives , they are likely to assert their independence by rejecting the food you offer.  Do not take it personally.  Here are some techniques for encouraging poor eaters to change their behaviors:

***Avoid showing your distress if your child does not seem to be hungry

***Make sure that the quality of the food your are serving meets all nutritional
     needs

***Make food look interesting by color techniques and shapes

***Don't pile too much food on your child's plate; he will be overwhelmed and
     reject the food

***Set a good example yourself by eating the same meals with your toddler

 

 

Day-care/Preschool

It is important for you as a parent to know your toddler's eating history when he has been away from home.  If you place your child in a day-care facility or pre-school, you should take precautions.  Check out the staff and hygienic conditions of the facilities; it is wise to investigate the food served.

 

Precautions to take:

Review the menus to see that the meals are balanced and the snacks are nutritious.

 

Make sure that the attitude of the staff towards feeding is positive and is compatible with your own.

 

Check to see the kitchen, utensils, and eating areas are clean.

 

 

NUTRITIONAL RESOURCES

 

For more information about nutrition, please follow these links:

Child Nutrition and Health Campaign

Rate Your Plate--Quiz!

Family Food Challenge

Calling All Parents

Fitness and Healthful Eating for Children

 

 

Recipes For Your Toddler's Enjoyment

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
 4 cups flaked cereal, crushed to 1 cup 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
1 cup unsweetened applesauce 
1 cup crunchy peanut butter 
2 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 
2 egg whites 
2 teaspoons vanilla 
1 teaspoon chocolate flavoring 
Vegetable cooking spray 

Stir together first five ingredients. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat together remaining ingredients. Stir in
cereal mixture, thoroughly combining. Drop by rounded
tablespoon onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. 

Bake at 375°F about 12 minutes or until lightly browned around
edges. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container. 

Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies. 

One cookie has 90 calories; 2.5 grams total fat; 0 grams
saturated fat; 95 milligrams sodium; 1 gram fiber. 

Pineapple Raspberry Eye-Opener 

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk 
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt 
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon almond extract 

Combine all ingredients in blender container; cover. Blend until
smooth and frothy. Serve immediately in tall chilled glasses. 

Yield:3 cups. Serving size:1 cup; calories per serving 221; fat 2
grams; cholesterol 6 milligrams; calcium 321 milligrams. 

Basic French Toast

2 eggs or egg whites, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk
8 slices firm white or whole-wheat bread
2 to 3 tablespoons butter

Combine eggs and milk in a pie plate; beat with a fork until well blended.
Dip bread slices into the mix to coat each side.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Transfer a coated
bread slice to the hot skillet. Brown each side 2-3 minutes or until golden
brown. Continue with other slices, adding butter as needed. Discard any
leftover egg mixture.

Serve immediately. Or wrap each slice tightly in foil, or wrap multiple
slices together with each slice separated by plastic wrap, and place in the
freezer for later use. 

Did you know?

Did you know that it is perfectly normal and necessary for your child to get a fever
when cutting teeth? This is how the body protects the gums against infection when
the new tooth cuts through. Be sure that your child’s temperature remains below
104º F (40º C) to maintain control. If the temperature goes above this, the body has
lost control and needs professional assistance.

Did you know that until an infant has the ability to eat a food in it’s natural form it
is also unable to digest properly the same food in a pureed form, due to the baby’s
body producing the necessary enzymes to properly digest and assimilate the food? 

Did you know that salt is a very harmful stimulant for the sensitive digestive
system of a baby, toddler or child?

Did you know that it is best to not consume vitamin E supplements with iron? In a
natural form, such as occurs in food, it is okay.

Did you know that the primary cause of hyperactivity in children

is sugar and preservatives found in processed foods?

 

Did you know that it is best for children to be at least 2 to 3 years apart in a family due to the necessity of the mother’s body to fully recuperate in order for her to be able to give the most to the next child’s development?

 

Did you know that sunlight is what helps the body manufacture vitamin D ? 

Did you know that vitamin C is essential for iron absorption?

FOOD FACTS!!!!!!

                   

Click on the foods or scroll down
 to learn more about them below!!

APPLES are fruits. Apples grow on trees. There once was a person named Johnny Appleseed who grew apples.

Apples have fructose, a fruit sugar, which is approximately five times sweeter than sugar.

Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Winesap, Jonathan, Rome and Macintosh are all types of apples.

If you cut an apple into 100 pieces, do you have an apple or applesauce?

Apple juice, apple cider and "apple of my eye," not to mention "Adam's apple" all have apples.

Have you ever tried apple juice in your cereal instead of milk?

apple

pomme

manzana
macã 

The plant that bears bananas is an herb which makes 
bananas HERBS.. In other words, bananas ARE herbs. 

Banana = Herb 

Bananas grow in bunches. 
Bananas are great for breakfasts and lunches.

Bananas have potassium in them which helps you stay
cool on a hot day.

Gorillas love bananas. Chimpanzees love bananas. Even
HEALTHY HERB loves bananas. Who wants to go
bananas?

Do you like bananas in yogurt?

banana


platano 

 

 

  Corn is a vegetable. Corn grows on a cob on a
stalk. Corn is sweet and crunchy.

Corn has oil that is called ____________?
Look in the mirror to find the correct answer!

liO nroC

Corn helps keep the body cool on a hot day.

Corn bread, corn on the cob, corn flakes, popcorn, corn
chips, corn dogs, corn fritters and just corn all come
from corn.

"How are you?"
"Corny?"

Is corn one of your favorite vegetables?

How do you eat corn on the cob?

          up and down?
               from left to right?
                     in a circle?
                          one kernel at a time?
                                or some other fun way?

corn

maize

maiz
cereal
xjieó 

Grains like wheat, oats and bran help produce breads.

Bread is half of a sandwich. 
Bread can be rye, wheat, white, pumpernickel,
sourdough, roll, hoagie bun French, Cuban or just a
LOAF.

Bread is a carbohydrate which means it gives you energy
to play.

Grains-->Bread-->Energy-->Play, Hop, Skip, Wigglebodies-->SMILEY FACES :)

What is your favorite bread?

bread



pan

pã
xjieó 

Milk builds strong bones and teeth.

Milk is full of calcium. Calcium is a mineral that
strengthens bones, teeth and more bones.

Milk comes from female cows, unless you drink goat's
milk, which comes from female goats.

Butter, yogurt, cheese, cream, whip cream, cream cheese,
cottage cheese, ice cream, "you scream, we all scream for
ice cream" all come from milk. Thank you Mrs. Cow!

Grass-->Cow-->Milk-->Ice Cream, Cheese, Yogurt, Butter-->Calcium-->Strong bones

Smile if you like milk. Your teeth will be happy!!

milk

lait

leche
leite
mojiokó
latte 

Peas are vegetables. Peas grow in pods. Peas are
small and round.

Peas are full of energy to help you play or jump or run or
skip or hop...

Peas contain amino acids which are building blocks for
PROTEINS.

Peas--->Amino Acids--->Proteins--->Muscles in the body.

Split peas, chick peas, black-eyed peas and sweet peas
are all peas.

Are chick peas hatched?
Are black-eyed peas boxers?
Do sweet peas love to kiss?
Are split peas always in half?

"Mind your peas...and beans."

"Oh, peas, peas let me go out and play."

Are legumes peas? Or are peas legumes? Or are legumes disguised as peas?

Peas

petit pois

chicharo
ervicha
ropó

END