Although your child has grown up and gone to school, he still requires a huge amount of care and attention. Proper nutrition of school-age children is a guarantee of health in the future. That is why it is important to learn about it as much as possible and as soon as possible.
Also, as in younger children, the nutrition regime continues to play a big role. According to doctors, the most optimal is the nutrition of children 4-5 times a day. The following order can serve as an example of the power supply mode. The first breakfast awaits children of school age at 8 am, the second at 11, lunch no earlier than 15.00, and dinner at 8 pm.Note the length of time that separates meals not more than 5 hours. Otherwise, the child may feel hungry, problems with digestion or digestion of food are not ruled out. At night the child can not eat until 12 o'clock.
Since the child attends school, the second breakfast takes place in the school cafeteria. So your task at the beginning of the day is to feed the child a full breakfast. It is the breakfast of children of school age that is quite a frequent problem, because often a child, having woken up, runs to school without having had time, or not wanting to eat. At the same time, according to studies, children who regularly eat breakfast receive much more nutrients than those who do not have breakfast.
Of course, what you eat for breakfast is of paramount importance. One of the possible fast and simple breakfast options is cereal products with milk, fruits or berries. With such breakfast, the children are provided with an optimal set of nutrients.
In the diet of school-age children there are many nuances. We list some of them:
- Watch for the freshness and quality of products for children.
- Avoid fatty, sharp, salty or fried foods. Fat, smoked or meat with blood - not for school-age children. Leave these delicacies at least for older students. A small child will not be able to digest them, eating disorders are possible.
-considerably in the diet of the child must include soups (like meat, vegetable, and dairy), milk, cottage cheese, bread, butter (vegetable and cream). Of course, do not forget about vegetables, fruits and berries, which children love so much.
- but tea, coffee, chocolate or cocoa - just a little bit, their exciting action is known to everyone.
- The most useful dishes are steamed.
- drinks on the table should appear only after the second dish.
- Give sweet only after eating. Otherwise, your child, nazhivavshis, will refuse useful food.
Here is the average set of products required for a child of 11 years, recommended by health professionals. So, every day a child should eat 200 grams of meat and legumes, as much grain products; 3 cups of dairy products, as many plant products; 2 cups of various fruits and 6 teaspoons of oils (vegetable and cream).
Let's talk a little about the culture of nutrition. It is important not only what your child will eat, but also how. It is in school-age children that habits that are left for life are laid. Show the child how to eat properly, tell him about healthy food. To do this, first of all, be a good example for the child to follow. Do not make him eat a hateful zucchini or drink kefir alone. Show how you like these useful products yourself.
Try to cook at home more often, make a bet not on fast, but on useful food. Involve the child in the process of preparing lunch or dinner. So he will learn to appreciate your work and diligence.
Arrange family meals as much as possible. This will not only strengthen your family and bring you closer to your children, but, as studies show, reduce the likelihood of overeating, will speed up digestion. In the end, a joint dinner is an extra reason to communicate with children, learn more about their lives, moods, experiences.
A special approach is required for children of school age who do not want to eat properly. Do not put pressure on the child, otherwise you will disgust him with food. Perhaps his behavior has a logical explanation. Find out if he ate in the dining room, or ate something at home. Maybe he does not like the dish that you offer him. Act not by force, but by conviction. Outsmart him, try to persuade him to try a useful dish. Perhaps the child will agree to eat half, and choose the remainder of your lunch from your favorite product.
Involve your child in the process of buying food and cooking, because this is the easiest way to instill in him the basic principles of healthy eating. Let the child develop independence - in fact to you so it will be pleasant to give him a choice of products in shop. But do not let things go by themselves. To not return home only with juice or sweets, behave correctly. Let the child choose between cauliflower or beans, between grapes or bananas, limit his choice to those products that you already were going to buy.
From the psychological point of view, it is undesirable to encourage children of school age with food, be it ice cream, juice or fruit. By this behavior, you can teach the child not to notice the signals to eat. If you really want to praise a child in a special way, choose a book or a good toy. Best of all, if you give him your time, go in for sports or just walk together.
Another important point in the nutrition of school-age children is a competent combination of physical activity and caloric intake. If your child is engaged in sports or has some other physical activity, this does not mean that he should overeat. Even in very active children, a high content of fat and sugar in food can lead to excessive body weight. And the extra weight, typed in childhood, the child with a high probability will transfer and in adulthood.
Nutrition of children must be done competently and wisely. If you want that in the future your child does not know the problems with digestion or overweight, pay attention to our recommendations.