Proper nutrition is critical for child development, especially for overweight or malnourished children. Meal plans should include essential vitamins and omega-3s while managing sugar intake and food allergies.
From bribing (“If you want to have dessert, you need to eat your broccoli”) to begging (“Just one bite of squash — please?!”), parents will do almost anything to get their kids to eat better.
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Most parents understand that food battles are part of raising children, but parents of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder can struggle to convince their children to eat enough, according to registered dietitian David Feder, writing for "ADDitude," a magazine dedicated to attention disorders.
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Because children, especially young children, require proper nutrition daily to grow and develop at an appropriate pace, severely restricting an overweight child’s calorie intake is generally not a good idea -- unless your doctor recommends it.
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While chronic malnutrition in the United States is rare, it does affect about 1 percent of U.S. kids, and many others suffer from dietary imbalances, according to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The Child Welfare League of America reports that 3.1 percent of households in the United States experience hunger.
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Yogurt offers several health benefits, including protein and probiotics, but may not be a good choice for all children. If your child has health problems, talk with her doctor about whether yogurt is a healthy option to include in her diet.
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Most children aren't adventurous enough to slurp a raw oyster straight out of the shell, and this is probably good. Raw oysters can harbor bacteria and toxins that can be life-threatening to young children.
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The time to start allowing children to eat shellfish depends on your family’s history of atopic disease, such as allergies and asthma.
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C-reactive protein or CRP is a protein produced by the liver that can be measured in a child's blood. Levels of CRP rise when there is an infection or inflammation in the body, according to MedlinePlus.
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The color of your child's poop can change for a number of reasons. Although you may be used to the hue ranges from a deep yellow to tan brown, green can often fall within that spectrum under some circumstances. Green is a pretty common stool color for a small child who eats a variety of different kinds of food.
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Eggs are nutritious and high in protein, but they're also high in cholesterol. Although your child needs some cholesterol to grow healthy and strong, too much cholesterol in the diet is linked to high blood cholesterol levels later in life, which can lead to heart disease.
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When your child has a cough due to a cold or the flu, keeping your child hydrated is critical to her health and recovery. Often, a child's appetite diminishes as a natural side effect of being sick. However, by selecting healthy drinks for your child, you help her stay hydrated and well-nourished as she recovers.
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Children’s dietary and nutritional requirements differ from those of adults because they are still growing. Nutrients that are essential for growth become more important in children.
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Ask any preschool teacher or pediatrician to list the top five concerns parents have, and food issues are often high on the list. Many toddlers and preschoolers eat slowly or show a disinterest in food.
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It’s always a treat for kids when they get to leave school to visit a museum or historical monument. The key to packing a field trip lunch is to make it complete and easy for your kids to eat, wherever they are, such as on the bus, under trees on a lawn or on the front stairs of a museum.
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In many cases, vitamins and nutrients from food are the best medicine for your sick little one. Food helps your body fight the infections raging within. It also helps rebuild a compromised immune system. However, when kids are sick, they often turn food away.
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Children can develop diarrhea from a variety of sources, including teething complications, a virus, a reaction to medicine or even food poisoning. The two main goals in treating a child with diarrhea are to help get his gastrointestinal system back in a healthy way and to make sure he doesn't become dehydrated.
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Breakfast is usually given the credit for being the most important meal of the day, but lunch is equally as essential. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Healthy Children website reports that what your child eats for meals and snacks during the day plays a crucial role in his physical and mental development.
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Your 1-year-old is beginning to develop food preferences and may have definite ideas about what he will and will not eat. While you should encourage your little one to eat the same foods as the rest of the family, there are certain ones that you should never offer your child.
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Nutrition dictates more than a person's body mass index. The nutrition a child receives during the first few years of life can affect her health for years to come. Balanced nutrition is important to child development because children need specific nutrients to thrive and grow.
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Protein belongs to a class of nutrients called macronutrients. At 4 calories per gram, protein serves as a significant source of energy. The protein in your child’s diet also performs several other important functions.
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