Promoting Healthy Nutrition in Children: Balanced Diets for Growing Bodies

Children need regular guidance from their parents for their development, especially when it comes to what they eat and drink each day. One of the best ways to promote healthy eating in children is to establish and model good eating habits for your family. Learn more about how to plan and implement a diet with balanced nutrition for your growing children by seeing a pediatrician at Central Illinois Pediatric Associates in Bloomington, IL.

The Importance of Promoting Healthy Nutrition in Children

Just as it is for adults, healthy nutrition is important for optimal growth, movement, energy, cognition, productivity, and weight in young people. People get most of their nutrients, vitamins, and water from their food. These are some of the reasons why it’s important to promote healthy nutrition in your children:

• A good diet can help children think, process and learn new concepts in school more readily.
• Overweight children can struggle with a number of chronic conditions and diseases due to the extra weight they're carrying.
• Children need adequate nutrition to maintain the energy levels of their peers when exercising or participating in extracurricular activities.

If you teach healthy nutritional habits to your child early in life, it sets the stage for a lifetime of good choices.

What Is a Balanced Diet for a Child?

A healthy diet for a child includes a balance of fruits, vegetables, proteins, whole grains, healthier plant-based oils, and lean proteins. These are some tips for establishing a nutritional plan for a child:

• Choose a breakfast that is low in sugar and higher in protein (like eggs or nuts) for energy to start the school day.
• Aim to create a colorful plate of food at each meal that includes fruits, vegetables, and grains.
• Remember that children need both macronutrients (protein and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins) in their meals.
• Ensure ample water consumption throughout the day for proper hydration and natural juices that are low in added sugar (think fresh squeezed orange juice).
• Include dairy products like yogurt and low or unsweetened milk so that growing children will get the calcium and vitamin D they need.

How a Pediatrician Can Help

It can be difficult to manage a balanced diet for your child in addition to all of the other demanding duties of parenthood. A pediatrician at Central Illinois Pediatric Associates in Bloomington, IL, can help you create a food plan outlining the nutrition your child needs. Your pediatrician can also monitor your child's weight and health profile over time to note progress and suggest additional dietary adjustments.

Schedule a Nutritional Consultation

There are a number of doctor's appointments you will have to schedule for your child during the early development stages. Managing and monitoring what your child eats each day is definitely a priority to put at the top of your list. Set aside time to do a nutrition consultation with Dr. Sanjay Saxena, Dr. Jean Kolb or Dr. Anita Lee at Central Illinois Pediatric Associates in Bloomington, IL, by calling (309) 663-1011 today.