Will You Change Snacking Habits on Your Children ?

Admit it: The children would really like the food that tasted with sugar, salt, and fat. And, of course some chips, cookies, or a bowl of ice cream once in awhile is fine. But, at the time of the pediatrician and nutrition experts continue to search for the cause of increased childhood obesity problem in children, they continue to notice the type of food that our children eat in between meals. And the experts were alarmed by what they see.

"The epidemic of obesity of children is obviously related to the excess calories children consumed each day while snacking," said Barry Popkin, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Even worse, according to experts, this trend occurs in all ages-from toddlers to teens.

The problem is, kids today do not just snacking more often, but the portions are also much larger and more fattening. As an example the generally toddler snack: A small box-shaped animal crackers and juice boxes containing 200 ml of 350 calories-about one-third the calories needed by the two years old kid in one day. This figure continues to grow. At the average, American children aged two years has consumed about 1250 calories per day. In fact, he only needs 1,000 calories / day. In Indonesia, this phenomenon also needed to watch out. You should see how supermarkets sell so many kinds of snacks for children.

A generation earlier, said Popkin, a child gets less than 20 percent of daily calories from snacks. Now, had reached about 25 percent - and is still rising.

When toddlers and preschoolers are snacking too often, and eating the wrong foods-they are actually already on the verge of a lifelong struggle against weight problems and health conditions. "The root problem of obesity in childhood occurs between the ages of one to five years," explains William Klish, MD, pediatric gastroenterologist at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

Of course, naturally, a little chubby babies has alias of chubby . However, once I started learning to walk, by about the first birthday, the child gradually will lose body fat and increase the body's soft tissue (mostly muscle anyway) until several years later. If the process does not happen, be prepared to face a very serious problem. If the preschool is left of obesity, it will produce too much body fat, while the soft tissue mass is not formed as much as needed.

Without an adequate soft tissue mass, her metabolism will be substandard. As a result, the body will not be able to burn enough calories, and fat. This, in turn, are physiologically will make it even easier to add weight. The result? "While in elementary school, he would collect body fat faster than other kids," said Dr. Klish. "If we let the toddler and preschool to be obese, this means that we allow it to be overweight in elementary school and beyond."

Due to this fact: Children who are overweight tend to grow into adults who are overweight as well.

CHANGE BAD HABITS
Many parents are realizing that his son should have more nutritious snack foods. It's just, we are so busy with our lives, and I do not know how, or where, he began.

Charlotte Bush, mother Fiona, 16 months, from Williamsburg, Virginia, saw many children busy munching french fries and drinking soda at the playground while snacking hour arrived. "I have heard many mothers say, 'I give him another drink than soda. And I thought, 'Why did you used to give us her soda?' "Tamara Zappa also confused with other maternal food choices, including her own husband:" He has introduced potato chips to the two years son, Henry, "Mom said from Phoenix. "But, I think he's too young anyway."

The problem is, once the habit of snacking on unhealthy foods began to sink in, will hardly be changed. "We know that the diet of children, tastes and appetites are beginning to form in the first two years of age," explains Margaret Bentley Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
And snacking habits is likely to continue, he said. Klish. "Once the kids restless, bored, or tired, her hands immediately reached into his snack," he explained. And many parents who give up, understand, usually they were more concerned that children like to sit too long in the car or while shopping at the supermarket. Nutritional considerations became unthinkable.

Habits of children snacking in between meals is not always bad. In previous generations, when mama wants to give his son a snack, usually he had already been set up something, put peanut butter on bread or banana peel. And snacks are provided for something special, usually at the dinner table. Not like now. "I can not leave home without bringing a multitude of snacks. As a precaution, "said Megan Gorman, mom of two girls, ages three and four years, in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. "I carry in my bag, in the car, just wherever I go. Like most mama, I conditioned the children to ask when they're hungry. "

And correct. That's what they asked for.

IN PACKAGING
Do children really need a snack between meals? Of course. Snacks important for children, experts say, because a small stomach. And because children can not eat a lot at once, he needs to snack more often. But whatever the snack of the day, we should only provide 20 percent of total calories.

Nutrition experts recommend, may toddler snack three times a day; preschoolers and school age until the age of eight, two times; children aged nine years and more, one time. But more important than how many kids snacks in between meals is what is chewed.

The first step, according to experts: Stop thinking of snacks as something to be packed. That's because, in most cases, so it definitely packs a snack sweet or salty-in other words, calorie dense. It should be called a special bonus treat alias.

And a special bonus should be something that only happens once in a while-only - ice cream after winning a football game Saturday afternoon or some cookies during a visit to grandma's house on weekends. Clearly, the treat is not something you expect every child home from school. Zappa said about her son, Henry: "His grandfather let him drink a soda," he said. "He should not drink soda at a restaurant on special occasions." But, not every day right?

Should children take vitamins?

It could be yes, or not. Most of the children with the age more than a year eating quite varied foods, including meats but do not need vitamins. Children which are smaller than the pre-school even need a prescription to take vitamin supplements. Even so, the child will not always obey everytime they told to take the vitamins or any kind of some additional form from dietary supplements.

If your baby has been picky, such as food that she likes only, and not many other foods, giving a multivitamin with iron is a brilliant idea. Children which are vegetarians usually lack of iron, B vitamins and zinc. So, they are also need to receive a multivitamin with iron.

When you give your child vitamins, read the description on the packaging. Generally, the content of vitamins for children arranged according to age. Usually not for children under the age of 2 years. The dose also varied according to the brand of choice. Doses can be only half a tablet for a particular brand, and one tablet to another brand.

Liquid vitamins are usually available for children under 2 years. Find multivitamin with calcium, because many children today are not fulfilled the needs of minerals in their foods. Make it a good habit to always read the label because the amount of the vitamins and minerals can vary from one brand to another brand.

Infants and toddlers are quite a lot for nursing matters (this means most of the milk you drink is milk), and older children who drank milk less than 475 cc per day should take vitamin D. Some children may also need fluoride above the age of 6 months, depending on the consumption of drink. Consult your doctor for advice about the most appropriate child's diet.

Small note about vitamins that must be observed: There are several vitamins that tastes as sweet as candy. Keep vitamins such as these from the reach of children. Eat them in excessive amounts can be dangerous!