Children have a strong desire for sugary food substances, oily foods, flour based foods, etc., which can adversely affect their health. Dr. Choice Onyinyechi, a Gnaecologist and Child Health specialist at Medifem Hospital presents appropriate dietary choices for children during this festive season.
According to Dr. Choice Onyinyechi, children like their food to be appealing. Thus, after preparing the food, and if possible, parents should make sure to put some of the food items into shapes, objects, or patterns that appeals to their eyes but which above all must be nutritious. They should prepare meals that their children like, and remember to dish the food into their favourite bowls, or by decorating the dining area with beautiful colours or flowers.
Dr. Choice advice parents to avoid feeding their children with foods that are high in calories as can be found in chocolates, toffees, soda drinks, fried foods, etc. Instead, they should feed the children with warmly prepared balanced diet meals.
She noted that the exact food-size portion to feed a child will depend on their age, gender, physique, and activity level. For instance, she indicated that boys tend to eat more than girls, whereas taller people tend to have huge appetite than as compared with shorter people. But in all cases, Dr. Choice advises that parents must ensure that children eat to their fill.
What if a child craves for certain types of food that may be unhealthy? Dr. Choice explains that it is important for parents to let their children know that although they can eat certain food types just to satisfy their cravings, it is not good to be eating them all the time. She adds that parents must encourage their children to substitute their cravings for healthier choices.
For example, they should substitute a chocolate bar for one that have nuts in them, or a fruit cake and not the type that has more sugar content. It’s also best, then, to refuse your child their unhealthy cravings!
Speaking of children being overweight or obese, Dr. Choice advises that the first thing to do as parent is to take the child to hospital to check if possibly he or she is overweight. If the diagnoses indicate that they are overweight, what you have to do is to reduce your child’s fat intake, feed them with small quantity of meat, and the child must eat only when he or she is hungry. In addition, the child must be made to stop everything he or she is doing when it is time to eat. For instance, she said children tend to eat more when they are watching TV than those who do not. Finally, parents should send children who are overweight to the park to engage in some outdoor activities to keep them fit and in good body shape.
Dr. Choice Onyinyechi entreated all parents to see it as their responsibility to make sure their children eat healthily. She said they can do this by stocking the refrigerator with healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, fresh milk, fruit cakes, etc. and encouraging their children to keep to their healthy eating plan. By encouraging children to keep to their healthy eating plan, they form a healthy habit which will prevent problems during the festive season.
Ref:
An interview with Dr. Choice Onyinyechi Wereko-Dankwa, Gynaecologist and Child Health specialist at Medifem Multi-specialist Hospital and Fertility Centre.
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