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Preschool children have impressive development in terms of physical, intellectual, movement or eating habits. Children at this age begin to show independence, eager to learn and explore the world around them. At the same time, children also appeared to imitate adult behaviors, including eating habits. Therefore, building and taking care of a reasonable nutritional diet for children helps children have healthy habits, providing adequate nutrients for the development process.
1. The role of proper nutrition for preschool children
If children from the age of 1 to 3 will begin to learn and be curious about everything and things around them, when they pass this age, they already know how to discover things by themselves, constantly questioning why. for adults. At this stage, children begin to form eating habits, dishes, quantity of food... Therefore, if children are not well cared for by their parents in terms of nutrition, it can lead to children having many problems. related to health, nutritional status, physical and intellectual development:
Malnutrition is known as a lack of nutrients such as energy, protein or important micronutrients, have a significant impact on children's development. This condition is very common in preschool children if not well taken care of. Overweight and obesity is the opposite of malnutrition, but it is also a disease caused by the fact that the energy provided is more than the energy expended, causing the process of fat storage in the body to exceed the normal level. This condition is quite common among children living in urban areas and causes many adverse effects on children's health. Anorexia can be caused by many causes such as diseases, foods that do not belong to the child's preferences or the influence of drugs or psychological... Proper nutritional care for preschool children will help Children develop well physically, intellectually and form good eating habits for children during later years.
2. Requirements of nutritional composition for preschool children
Nutrition for children in preschool needs to be ensured according to the recommended needs. For preschool children, the average recommended energy requirement ranges from 1230 kcal to 1320 kcal in a day. The percentage of carbohydrates accounts for 52% to 60%, protein accounts for about 13% to 20%, and fat accounts for 25% to 35% of the total daily energy intake.
According to nutritional recommendations for preschool children, the daily menu should provide a full range of nutrients from different foods, including: Carbohydrates can be provided from 3 to 3 4 cups rice or porridge or similar dishes. Protein can include about 120 grams to 150 grams of meat, fish eggs, shrimp, crabs... Fat includes 30 grams of oil, fat, butter... Fruits, vegetables about 300 grams. Vitamins and minerals vitamin A 1000 IU, vitamin D 400ID, calcium 500mg...
Besides nutritional care for preschool children, parents also need to encourage children to participate in appropriate sports activities to help Children have the ability to grow better in weight and height. According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization WHO, children at this age need moderate or higher intensity physical activity with sports such as swimming, walking, running... for at least 60 days. minutes a day.
Thực đơn hàng ngày cần đầy đủ dinh dưỡng hợp lý cho trẻ mầm non
3. Principles of building a reasonable diet and food preparation for preschool children
Preschool children's nutrition can have a lot of influence on their development as well as their eating habits in later years. Therefore, building a daily menu for preschoolers needs a lot of attention from parents and learn more knowledge about this issue. Principles of building a reasonable diet for preschool children need to ensure:
The diet must provide adequate energy for the child every day so that the child can participate in all activities from living to studying. gatecrash. To ensure this principle, parents need to provide a balance of basic substances including protein, glucide, lipid, vitamins and minerals, and fiber. Preschool children's diets need to be varied every day to help stimulate their appetite and help them eat more and more deliciously. Therefore, parents need to know information about food groups and food alternatives in the same group or in the same level of the nutrition pyramid to diversify children's meals. Develop meals that are seasonal and tailored to your child's preferences. For example, in the summer, priority should be given to adding water-rich dishes, purifying the body such as fruit juices, fruits... In winter, parents can add fried and stewed dishes. Parents should prioritize using seasonal foods to ensure variety, nutrients and especially issues related to food hygiene and safety. Knowledgeable parents will help choose safe foods for children. Because the digestive system of children at this age is still sensitive to the harmful effects of the environment, parents need to choose fresh, clean foods that do not contain pesticides to avoid harm to health.
4. Food should and should not be used for preschool children
Preschool children are at an age of rapid development both mentally and physically, parents need to pay a lot of attention in choosing food and monitoring their children's eating process.
Some foods should be used for preschool children:
Milk and food products made from milk. A child needs to ensure 4 units of milk a day, which may include liquid milk, yogurt, cheese, whey... to help supplement calcium and other nutrients for the child's body. Green vegetables and fruits provide the recommended amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber for children. Most children at this age are quite lazy to eat vegetables, so parents need to be flexible in processing and create all conditions for children to use vegetables comfortably. Healthy fats include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable oil, olive oil, butter, cheese... to help children develop a more comprehensive brain. Some foods should not be used for preschool children:
Carbonated drinks and foods containing a lot of sugar can cause children to gain weight uncontrollably and children also have dental diseases. Fast food, greasy fried food... Food that is too hard such as corn, sugar cane, hard candy can affect children's teeth.
Sữa và các sản phẩm chế biến từ sữa nên sử dụng trong các bữa ăn dinh dưỡng cho trẻ mầm non
5. Notes when taking care of nutrition for preschool children
Besides building children a reasonable diet to help children be provided with adequate nutrients, parents also need to know to supplement important micronutrients for children such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D. ,...Because lack of one of these micronutrients can affect the health of children:
Vitamin A deficiency can lead to dry eyes, dry skin, fear of sunlight, growth retardation, or cough or runny nose... Lack of vitamin D will slow growth in height and affect sleep. Lack of vitamin C will make the baby's skin dry, easy to bleed. bleeding tooth. Iron deficiency can lead to iron deficiency anemia, crying children, poor concentration when studying, not sleeping well. In short, parents need to pay attention to a reasonable nutrition for preschool children. The full addition of 4 important groups of substances will help children develop to their maximum physically and mentally. In case the diet cannot provide enough vitamins, you can take additional supplements as prescribed by your doctor to ensure a healthy digestive system.
