New guidelines were released today by a leading Pediatrician's group recommend parents of a new more practical and commonsense way on nutrition to aid in the improvement of children's diet and health in their homes and in their schools.
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages a broader dietary pattern concentrated and focused on what children should eat rather than on what they shouldn't.
Whole diet entails promoting a healthy diet that has small amounts of sugar, fat and salt and making healthy foods like fruits and vegetables more appealing for kids. For example, learning ways to make the plate colorful and creative to attract children can eventually help in promoting an enjoyable nutritional meal for them.
The study and guidelines were published in the online journal, Pediatrics, on February 23. According to Dr. Robert Murray, one of the statement's lead authors and a professor of nutrition at The Ohio State University, "Parents should look for every opportunity to make small, simple improvements in the nutritional value of the foods and drinks they provide children, in school and out."
The paper as reported by Fox News had illustrated five approaches to a healthy eating habit for their kids including:
1. Choosing mixed foods containing five food groups namely: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lower-fat dairy products and quality proteins like those of lean meats, eggs, fish, beans and nuts.
2. Parents should provide a wide variety of foods from each food group throughout the week.
3. Offering foods in their natural and least processed state.
4. Use small amounts of sugar, fat and salt in the diet and increasing means for healthy foods and drinks that the kids will love.
5. Lastly, the appropriate-sized portions should be served depending on the child's age.
Meanwhile, meals and drinks served in schools should entail health and nutrition. However, progress has been made in schools including foods sold in vendo machines where those sold are nutritious and healthy.
Dr. Murray added, "In nearly all American schools, there remains ready access to high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages from products brought into school by students, parents and staff."
This predicament needs action and to do this, parents and teachers should be educated on nutritional needs of these children. In fact, Keith Ayoob, a registered dietitian and pediatric nutritionist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, regarded the policy as good start to give people the needed information for them to make better choices in healthy foods to eat.
"Improving child nutrition has to be a community project, and parents are part of this community," Ayoob said.
