Feeding our Children and Guiding their Choices

The struggle …

How best to feed our children can be a health challenge. It is a world of fast turnaround meals to get to a dance, music or sports practice, and parents preferring information only in sound bites. Sometimes we don’t stop to realize that the habits and food choices we model are leaning our children toward a lifetime of weight or health issues. The years we have influence fly by quickly, and these children need guidance before it is too late!

Include them in laying the foundation …

Children love to be helpers even at a very young age. They can grab a step stool to help “dump“ or combine ingredients into a bowl. Learning to measure even invites math skills! As they get older, helping in the kitchen advances to chopping ingredients and possibly planning and preparing a meal once a week. (And someday, when they move out, they might even thank you for the ability to know how to cook for themselves, so they don’t “starve” or depend solely on fast food takeout…LOL)

Take them grocery shopping with you. Challenge them to choose healthy options by either shopping on the perimeter of the store (away from prepackaged foods) or downloading the Fooducate App for them to scan the barcode on a food to see the health grade it is given.

The App also will give alternatives to think about and, more importantly, it becomes a game, which makes it fun. I have used it for years and it still surprises me. Sometimes I think an item is healthy…and it is NOT.

So, what are some ideas for snacks and drinks?

It is not easy to have consistent, healthy food/drink options for our children. From about age zero to six, parents and caregivers are making the primary choices for their diet. Having creative, colorful choices on hand will encourage learning to enjoy fruits and vegetables in a new way. helloyummy.co is a blog site that offers numerous cute, fun ideas to present food to entice even the pickiest of eaters.

After age six, kids have more opportunities to make their own food and drink choices. Lunch at school, sports practice and friends’ houses are several examples where parents may have less control over what their children choose. And, after they have a driver’s license, well then you are completely kicked out of your food monitor role.

So what is on the healthy list?

• Chicken, turkey or ham rolled up
• jerky
• string cheese
• avocado
• cheese cubes
• Pirate’s Booty (not so sticky)
• organic puffs
• all fresh fruit and berries
• rice cakes
• yogurt
• nuts
• carrots
• popcorn (when old enough)
• celery
• nut butters
• hummus

Foods/Drinks to avoid?

• Wheat and corn-based carbs (goldfish, cheez-its, crackers, chips, tortillas)
• granola bars
• dried fruit
• all gummy snacks (even natural ones)
• juice
• sports drinks
• flavored sparkling waters
• soft drinks.

Drinks ideally should be plain water or milk/non-dairy milks a vast majority of the time due to sugar and acid in others which can affect tooth enamel. At the very least, after drinking something other than milk or water, rinse with a cup of plain water to dilute the acid/sugar damage.

And what about the impact on Teeth…..

From a dental perspective, sugar in foods and sugar plus acid (even sugar free) in drinks is our concern. The key to remember is the length of time they sit on the teeth and the number of times teeth are hit with acid attacks each day. For example, a larger serving of a sticky carb or sugary food eaten all at once with a meal is far better than sipping/snacking on a smaller amount all day long. So, does this make sense? Sticky, gummy, “carby” – not good. Melting, dissolving – good. Think chocolate kisses or morsels and ice cream over gummies and crackers. Only exception to that melting notion is if it is candy that dissolves slowly bathing the teeth in sugar for an hour … suckers and hard candies … which create a much longer acid impact.

A healthy future….

I get it. This is hard core and is not easy to do or enforce. Being an example and setting the foundation is all any of us can do as a parent. If there are big changes to make, take a small bite at a time. If you are a new parent, it is easier to start that fresh new little one on a healthy nutritional path. At myKIDSdds we are available to be a resource for your thoughts and questions concerning your child’s nutritional challenges. We can listen and provide creative ideas to support you and your children on your health journey. As one of our team’s core values, we want to support the healthiest future for your family.

Contact our office today!

If you have any concerns, contact our office and speak to one of our administration team members about your dental health concerns. Our team works diligently to partner with your family to achieve more excellent overall health and wellness. We feel grateful to provide comprehensive pediatric dental care for your family’s unique needs.