Healthy eating and child nutrition

Healthy eating and child nutrition

The topic of healthy eating and child nutrition concerns most parents, especially younger or new parents. Wanting the best in good, nutritious food for their children is something every parent strives for but doesn't necessarily know how to do it.

With all the food trends these days, inexperienced parents can easily be tricked into following a diet that their child probably doesn't need to follow. Fad diets haven't skipped the children's realm, some of them even specifically targeted the children of new parents, knowing moms and dads would take a bite.

When it comes to healthy eating and child nutrition, new parents need to follow common sense and listen to what their doctors say. Pediatricians are the ones who know your baby best and know what stage of development he or she is at. Before following a fad diet for your child or a new nutritional craze, discuss it with your doctor. Also remember that breastfeeding is good for babies for at least six months and better if you can do it for longer.

Another thing that parents need to keep in mind before following any new diet and child nutrition for their child is food allergies. Children react differently to food at different stages. Sometimes it's because their immune system isn't built up yet, and sometimes it's because they're genuinely allergic.

You can determine whether your child has a food allergy by talking to your doctor. There are some skin allergy tests that a toddler can do to address this problem. For example, the fad diet that encourages children to eat nuts may have its wisdom and benefits, but for a child allergic to nuts it can be fatal.

Ultimately, healthy eating and child nutrition is based on the wisdom of our doctors and the classic food pyramid. Many fad diets borrow snippets of information here and there, repackage them, and then try to present them as brand new information. However, if you know enough about healthy eating, you will realize that most of what these fad diets preach are borrowed and incomplete recommendations from the good old classic healthy diet of lean meats, good grains, fruits and vegetables.

The best thing new and confused parents can do is consult their doctor and read about the pyramid. They will find that healthy eating and child nutrition are much easier than they think, and they don't have to change much about their current diet or their child's current diet. Child nutrition is really simple, and most of the foods your children need to eat to achieve this are probably also the foods your mother served you.