Healthy Food and Nutrition; Week Four Application

Dana Helton
EDUC 1005-1:Professor Eissler
October 4, 2009

Section 4: Healthy Food and Nutrition

Infants will grow faster during the first year of their life then any other time in their life (Robertson, 2007). The infant’s nutrition should supply nutrients and energy that is needed for rapid growth. The best form of nutrition is breast milk; unless the parent is unhealthy then formula is next best thing. Infant’s must have breast milk or formula for the first year of their life. Another important item infant’s need to intake is water. It is imperative that we start infant’s drinking water at an early age because this will create a taste for water throughout their lives. Babies should be fed on their own schedule and we must pay attention to their cues as to when the baby is full. “Infants are capable of self-regulating the amount of food they intake” (300). “Clinical studies show that the longer you feed your baby formula the better his/her visual development is, at 12 months” (Mead, Johnson, & Company, 2009). This is why it is important to make sure babies keep drinking formula their first year. Formula will help develop brain growth and also help strengthen their immune systems.


We cannot introduce solid foods until the child is at least six months (Robertson, 2007). Feeding solid foods too soon can cause food allergies and make the baby vulnerable to food tolerance. Babies cannot digest solid foods until they are at least six months old. It is important when starting babies on solid food that we wait 5-7 days before starting a new kind of food because we need to look for allergic reactions to the foods. Robertson 2007 says, that we should not use homemade baby food because it is not safe. She says to use pre made baby food that does not contain added sugars or sodium. Another important fact is we must only use the food in the bowl once. We cannot put the unused portion back in the jar to save for later because it will be contaminated and unsafe for the baby to eat again. It is important to follow this timetable for introducing babies to new foods. Zero-four months is only formula, breast milk, and water (302). Four-six months is when cereal is introduced (302). Six-nine months is when fruits, vegetables, yogurt, cheese, soft finger foods, and unsweetened fruit juice is introduced (302). Nine-twelve months is when meat, egg yolks, bread, crackers, pasta, etc. are introduced (302). Twenty-four months is when a whole egg can be introduced (302).


When a child moves from infant to toddler it is important to help them find their own autonomy.
A way for this to happen is through control over the food they eat. It is important to keep the food healthy and nutritious (Robertson, 2007). “To help a child establish good eating behaviors, it is important that the teacher understand how growth patterns and development changes, affect a toddler’s actions”(306). We must always remember to let children make choices on their own because developing a positive autonomy is very important. The adult must control what kind of food is in the house or the childcare facility, and we also can present the food in a manner that may make the child want to try it. The child has a better chance of making the right choices when the only choices they have to select from, are the healthy ones. We need to stop having empty nutrient and high calorie foods to choose from. Robertson 2007 also says that too many toddlers are consuming too much milk. Robertson states that a toddler should have no more then 24 ounces of whole milk a day (311). Never give a child under 3 years old lower fattening milk because they need to have whole milk to help their growth and development. We must also watch how much juice a child is consuming because recent studies have shown that children who consume too much juice, lead to overweight children (312).


Preschool children are easier to feed because they are out of the “picky eater syndrome.” Preschool aged children understand their behavior and what is right from wrong (Robertson, 2007). “He/she is capable of being patient and can control impulses as well” (313). It is important to constantly encourage preschoolers to try new foods. We also need to realize that T.V. ads play a huge role in making children want to eat the unhealthy foods. One way we can help children understand that everything they see is not a good choice for us to have, is reading, studying, and partaking in activities about nutrition and the importance of it. Robertson 2007 says, that a good helpful way to teach children about the unhealthiness in foods is to allow them to read the labels on the foods before they consume them.


One way adults can actively get children to remember the importance of nutrition is to take time daily to discuss the food pyramid and nutrition (Robertson, 2007). Repetition is key when dealing with children and their ability to learn and remember things. Reading books, watching a video, and having discussions are important to do on a daily basis also. The second way to actively help children is to involve them in food preparation and decisions. It is important to do this because children need to achieve independence and feel achievement. It is imperative that we let children do for themselves. This will help them throughout their lives.


The first recipe I found interesting to do with children is called banana pudding sauce. Banana Pudding Sauce (http://www.vrg.org/recipes/schoolers.htm#sauce).
Pour over pancakes or waffles, or mix with cooked rice and sprinkle with cinnamon and raisins for an instant rice pudding.
Half a 10.5 ounce package soft silken tofu1 very ripe banana1/4 to 1/3 cup plain soy milk or water
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Serves 2 to 3 children, or 1 child and 1 adultTotal Calories Per Child Serving: 112Fat: 2 grams Protein: 5 grams


The second recipe I found interesting to do with children is honey milk balls. (http://www.nncc.org/Nutrition/cc42_snacks.presc.html).
Honey Milk Balls
1/2 cup honey or corn syrup1 cup dry milk solids (powdered milk)1/2 cup peanut butter1/2 cup raisinsCombine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well; then knead by hand until blended. Shape into small balls. Makes two dozen balls.WARNING: Do not use honey in beverages and uncooked foods for infants under the age of one year. Honey may contain botulism toxins.



The third recipe I found interesting to do with children is one that I do with children already. We make a fruit salad with many kinds of fruit. I usually pre cut some of the fruit and I have also got the little scoop spoons for fruits and let the children scoop different melons; which makes little circle shapes. The pre-k students like to use the plastic knives to cut the strawberries, bananas, and grapes. This requires very close supervision to ensure the children’s safety. The children really get into helping and creating the food they are going to eat. I have many recipes that involve food that I do with children; like bugs on a log, marshmallow spiders, jello with fruit in it, apples and peanut butter slices, peanut butter and oat volcano, etc. I also like to cut different shapes out of the fruit to discuss shapes and colors too. Another thing I do is chart the children’s likes and dislikes. I always try to make each thing I do with the children a learning experience as well.

The fourth recipe I thought of was cookies. However, I was not going to put this one on here because cookies are not healthy; however children really love this activity. They have lots of fun mixing and using cookie cutters to make cookies. I found a way to change some of the ingredients to lesson the fat content. (http://www.nncc.org/Nutrition/cc42_snacks.presc.html).
Reducing sugar. Use half the amount of sugar in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, reduce that amount to 1/2 cup.
Reducing fat. Use one-third the amount of fat in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of shortening, oil, or margarine, reduce that amount to 2/3 cup or use applesauce.
Adding fiber. Replace all or part of the white flour called for in a recipe with whole-wheat flour or rolled oats put through a blender.


Resources

Chapman, K. (1994). snacks for preschoolers. National Network for Childcare Web site. Retrieved October 4, 2009, from, http://www.nncc.org/Nutrition/cc42_snacks.presc.html
Mead, Johnson, & Company. (2009). enfamil web site. Retrieved October 4, 2009, from, http://www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enfamil/productDetail.do?dm=enf&id=/Consumer_Home2/Enf_Products/ForInfants/EnfamilPremium

Rivero, L. (2000). healthy fast making foods for pre-schoolers. The Vegetarian Resource Group Web site. Retrieved October 4, 2009, from, http://www.vrg.org/recipes/schoolers.htm#sauce

Robertson, C. (2007). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Belmont, CA