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Part 2 celebration How to help children develop ? How to help children develop healthy eating habits ? Gr habits owth and development of dietary Family education Tips for eating out or during Home-school cooperation Part 2 Online version
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Page 1: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

Part 2

celebration

How to help

children develop

?

How to help

children develop

healthy eatinghabits?

Grhabits

owth and development of dietary Family educationTips for eating out or during Home-school cooperation

Part 2 Online version

Page 2: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

1. Growth and development of dietary habits

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Early childhood (aged 2-6) is an important stage for growth and development. The ways of learning and dietary habits of young children will change as they grow. Parents may help children lay a good foundation for building healthy dietary habits by taking note of the following developmental characteristics :

Love to shareShare healthy food with them in daily life as this may increase their acceptance of a variety of food.

Curious about new thingsIntroduce new food items as this promotes exposure to unfamiliar food thus reducing the chance of picky eating.

Begin to understand routines and patternsEncourage children to have their daily meals at regular hours.

The link between nutrition and learning abilityA lot of medical research has shown that nutritional status may affect children’s attention span, which may in turn affect their cognitive development and learning performance. Thus having good dietary habits, including taking a balanced diet and eating breakfast every day, is particularly important.

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2. Family education

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Set a good exampleFamily can greatly affect the dietary habit formation of a young child. Parents and elder family members are the role models from whom children will learn eating patterns and food preference. Therefore, it is necessary to set good examples such as having a balanced diet, taking regular meals, eating more vegetables and avoiding junk food and picky eating.

Nutritional education starts at homeUnder the guidance of parents, children can learn about food and nutrition in everyday life and can be encouraged to try new food so that the problem of picky eating can be resolved gradually. The followings are some “golden opportunities” to arouse children’s interest in healthy eating.

Page 4: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

Shopping time: Parents or carers may explore new food items with children in markets or supermarkets. You can also make use of these opportunities to introduce the characteristics of different foods to children (e.g. Which ones are vegetables? Which ones are seasonal food?) and pick the food for lunch/dinner to encourage them to eat a wide variety of food.

Cooking time: Children may help with some simple and safe tasks such as washing vegetables, removing seeds with a spoon, cutting bananas into small pieces with a fork, mixing seasonings and food ingredients, or putting spreads on bread. These can promote young children’s acceptance and interest towards food, and they will look forward to eating their own “product”!

Story time: When choosing or reading storybooks, it will be

best if parents could check for content(s) going against the principles of healthy eating, and provide explanation and guidance to children when necessary.

Reward time: Children should be rewarded if they behave well. Yet it is not appropriate to give food as a reward as this will hinder the development of good dietary habits (For details, please refer to “Must Read: The truth is…” in Part 6). Remember to reward them in ways and means other than food.

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Page 5: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

Precious dining time

Actions speak louder than words – Through the practice of healthy cooking at home and eating together, children will have more opportunities to try new food and can be encouraged to learn healthy eating. Children will enjoy the food if the atmosphere at mealtime is harmonious and happy. There should be no nagging, scolding or tempting either. Furthermore, there are some points to note:

Avoid putting extra seasonings on table (e.g. salt, soy sauce) Providea smallportion tochildrenfirst topreventwastage.This

willenablethemtodevelopasenseofsatisfactionafterfinishing the small portions and parents may then consider giving more if indicated. Parents may wish their children to eat more, but a big portion may bring pressure particularly for those children with small appetite, making the situation worse.

Learngoodtablemanners(includingturningofftheTV,nogobbling, no playing during eating) so that children will keep their focus on food. In this way, they will feel full without overeating, thus cultivating healthy dietary habits.

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Page 6: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

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3. Tips for eating out or during celebration

Eating out Many parents often dine out with their children. Bear in mind the following and order healthy dishes to avoid the pitfalls of high salt, high fat and high sugar:

Order food based on the “Healthy Eating Food Pyramid”. Grains should take up the largest amount, followed by vegetables. Meat should constitute the least.Note the cooking method: Choose steamed, baked, grilled, poached or stewed dishes.

Avoid dishes cooked with sauces high in fat or salt such as white sauce, cream sauce, Portuguese style sauce, curry sauce added with coconut milk, teriyaki sauce, etc. Alternately, request the sauce to be served separately.

Choose wholegrain products or grains with higher dietary fibre contents (e.g. red rice, brown rice, multi-grains bread, wholemeal bread, oatmeal, etc.). Avoid those high in fat such as E-fu noodle, instant noodle, “yau mian” (oily noodle) and French fries, etc.

Avoid processed food, cured food, fatty cut of meat and poultry with skin, such as chicken wings and paws, pork bone, ribs, beef briskets, pork belly, pork cheek, etc.

For desserts, choose fruit or fruit-based ones.

Page 7: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

For drinks, water is the best choice. Avoid drinks with added sugar or those containing caffeine (e.g. soft drinks, fruit juice with added sugar, tea, coffee , etc.)

When ordering food, make reasonable requests such as “less salt”, “less oil”, “less sugar”, “sauce to be separately served”, “no sauce” and have the syrup separately served for drinks and desserts.

Nowadays, many restaurants are willing to cater to the needs of customers. For the health of your family, ask for “less oil”, “less salt” and “less sugar” when making your order!

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Page 8: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

Healthy birthday party

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In children’s birthday parties, “party” food and drinks that are high in fat, salt or sugar (e.g. cream cake, fried chicken wings, potato chips, sweets, soft drinks, etc.) are often provided. In many cases, friends and families may also give high-fat and high-sugar food, e.g. sweets or chocolate, as presents which are also detrimental to health. Also, children will easily associate these “party” food or “presents” with “joyful experience” or “happiness”. The association with foods high in salt, oil and sugar in birthday parties will affect their formation of healthy eating habits in later life. Indeed, such adverse effects will not only affect your children but also those from other families. Parents should thus organise “healthy birthday parties” to foster children’s development of proper eating attitudes.

Here are some tips:

Focus on something else other than food during birthday parties. Games, magic shows, costume parties or picnics are good choices. Do not create a fun-filled atmosphere consisting only of “party food”.

Choose healthier ingredients, if food is being served. A fun-filled atmosphere can be created with a wide variety of healthy food of different colours and shapes.

Choose sponge cake instead of cream cake that contains a lot of fat. You may decorate the sponge cake with fresh fruits for the celebration.

Do not provide drinks and foods that are high in sugar such as soft drink, fruit juice with added sugar, sweets, chocolate, etc.

Give stationery, stickers, storybooks and toys instead of food as presents.

For birthday party in schools, please follow the school’s healthy eating policy. If you need to bring food to school for sharing , prepare healthier ones such as fruit, sushi or sandwich (using healthy fillings such as egg, cucumber, chicken fillet or mango).

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Recommendations for festivals and celebrations

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It is our tradition to enjoy festive food on certain festivals, whether Chinese or western. But remember to take into account the nutritional content and not to overlook the health of young children on these special occasions. It is important to follow the principles of balanced diet and “3 low 1 high”. Here are some tips on “selection of food and drinks” during festivals:

Enjoy festive feasts by following the principles and recommended food portions in the “Food Pyramid”. Take more vegetables and less meat as well as choose dishes cooked by steaming, poaching, stewing, baking, or stir-frying with little oil.

Limit the amount of festive food for children and serve in only small amount, and should not replace main meals by the festive food.

Most festive foods are high in energy, salt, fat and sugar, but there are still many healthier options.

Fresh fruit are full of variety, low in energy and rich in dietary fibre. They are good choices as festival gifts!

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*

Lunar New Year

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Family Reunion Dinner (Tuen Nin Faan) and the New Year Feast (Hoi Nin Faan) It is the Chinese tradition to have rich-flavoured dishes and dishes with more meat and fewer vegetables on these occasions. This can easily lead to excessive intake of animal fat and salt which adversely affect our health. It is better to choose healthy ingredients and cook dishes based on the “3 less” rule regardless of where we eat.

New year foodWe have many different treats during Chinese New Year. Most of the traditional puddings, sweets and deep-fried snacks are high in fat and sugar. Young children are likely to overeat and consume excessive energy, leading to a higher chance of obesity. Apart from limiting the amount of snacks our kids eat on this special occasion, a healthier Chinese New Year assorted snack box can be set out following the recommendations in Table 4.

Traditional Chinese New Year candy box

Sweetened lotus seed, sweetened winter melon, sweetened lotus root and

sweetened coconut shreds, chocolate,

fruit-flavoured candies

Roasted red and black melon seed

Deep-fried food such as crispy triangles (yau gok), fried sesame balls (jin dui) and fried sesame cookies

(siu hau jo)

Healthy Chinese New Year candy box

Dried fruits without added sugar (e.g. dried

apricot, raisins, driedlongan, dried mango, prune

and dried apple)

Seeds (e.g. sunflower or pumpkin seed)

Plain rice crackers, dry roasted plain nuts without added salt*

Table 4. Food for Chinese New Year assorted snack box

Remark: parents should pay attention as young children may get choked when they eat this type of food.

Page 11: children develop eating habits - StartSmart · children develop? eating habits Gr habits Family education Home-school cooperation. Part 2 Online version. 1. Growth and development

Mid-autumn Festival

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Mooncakes and glutinous rice balls are the festive food for Mid-autumn Festival. Here are some notes and tips for buying food for the festival:

MooncakeMooncake is one of the most popular food items for the festival. Traditionally, mooncakes are made of flour, oil, sugar, salted egg yolk and lotus seed paste, which are very high in fat, cholesterol, sugar and energy. One lotus seed paste with double yolks mooncake contains 840 kcal, which constitutes more than half of the daily energy need of a 4-year-old child. Though snowy mooncake has less energy and fat, it is still high in fat and sugar. We may give 1/8 of a mooncake to young children each time, and they should avoid eating mooncakes every day.

Eating tips for Mid-autumn Festival

Seasonal fruit, including pear, starfruit, pomelo and persimmon,are good festive food choices as they are nutritious and low in energy.

Glutinous rice balls carry the meaning of “reunion”. Choose those without filling and serve them with low-sugar sweet soup.

Mooncake is high in fat and sugar. Adults or young children should not eat too much.

Choose mini-sized or individually packed mooncakes to limit one’s intake. Try those with other fillings like mung bean paste, chestnut paste, fruit or low-fat frozen yoghurt.

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Tuen Ng FestivalChinese people like to eat glutinous rice dumplings and watch the dragon boat race during Tuen Ng Festival. While enjoying the dumplings, we need to note their nutritional value and choose healthier options. We may work with children to make dumplings with healthier ingredients. Here are some tips when buying, making and eating glutinous rice dumplings:

Tips for buying glutinous rice dumplingsChoose smaller dumplings.

Dry beans, lean meat and mushrooms are healthier choices as fillings.

Be careful when buying red bean paste dumplings or other sweet dumplings as their fillings usually contain lard which is very high in energy.

Tips for homemade glutinous rice dumplingsChoose the appropriate ingredients by following the principle of “3 low 1 high” (low-fat, low-sugar, low-salt and high-dietary fibre).

Add high-fibre grains such as pearl barley, oatmeal, black glutinous rice and brown rice as well as dry beans such as red bean and mung bean.

Use lean meat instead of fatty meat and preserved meat as fillings. Other choices include dry beans, dried shiitake mushroom, bamboo shoot, peanut, and taro.

Use healthier vegetable oils instead of lard which is high in saturated fat.

Tips when eating:Serve with small amounts of sugar or soy sauce.

Serve with fresh vegetables and/or fruit to ensure balanced nutrition.

Do not overeat to avoid affecting the appetite for main meals and leading to imbalanced nutrition.

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Christmas

Many families have celebrations during Christmas time. Party food, Christmas feasts and buffets are very popular. With the following tips, parents can teach children to avoid food high in fat, salt and sugar when they join celebrations at home or outside. Remember the importance of balanced diet and regular exercise even during Christmas holidays.

Tips for Christmas eatingLimit the intake of deep-fried food such as deep-fried shrimp toast and curry puff, etc.

Avoid fatty cut of meat such as pork rib or poultry with skin in western meals. Choose lean meat and fish. Reduce the intake of food in Western-styled sauce such as black pepper or barbecue sauce which contains excessive amounts of salt.

Avoid high-sugar or caffeinated drinks (e.g. soft drinks, fruit juice, tea, coffee, etc.)

Eat fresh fruit instead of Western-styled desserts such as cream cake, cheesecake or ice-cream since they contain high levels of fat and sugar.

If less healthy gifts such as cookies or chocolate are given, limit the amount that children may eat each time. Store these less healthy food items in a place beyond their reach.

If your children eat too much high-energy food during festivals, do encourage them to exercise more to burn the extra energy.

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4. Home-school cooperation

Children learn healthy eating habits mainly at home and school. Good communication and cooperation between home and school will set a common goal for healthy eating and education. Parents may involve themselves in the following areas:

Formulate and review the school healthy eating policy.

Join the school promotion activities on healthy living with children.

Pay attention to the monthly school menu and let the school knowhow you feel about the nutritional arrangements.

Work with the school in promoting healthy eating. Bring alonghealthy snacks for celebrations (e.g. birthday party, Christmas party, etc.) and avoid using food as presents.

Inform the school of any special dietary needs of your child because of some health conditions (e.g. food allergy, G6PD deficiency)orreligiousbelief.

Practise healthy eating at home so that there will be a consistent healthy eating environment at home and in the school. This will help them develop a healthy eating habit.


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