Source: Nutrition to last a lifetime, calgaryherald.com

By Andrea Holwegner

From birth to 15 years of age, it is critical to ensure your family has the proper nutrition they need to grow and develop into healthy young adults.

Not only does the food you provide early in life promote healthy lifelong eating habits, it can help your child manage a healthy weight and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis later in life.

Nutrition Challenges

1. Getting enough calcium and vitamin D:

According to Statistics Canada, more than one-third of kids aged four to nine don’t get enough calcium-rich foods per day. Between the ages of 10 to 16, almost three-quarters do not consume enough. Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is important to help your kids build healthy bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Be sure to offer calcium-rich foods such as milk, calcium fortified soy milk, cheese and yogurt throughout the day at three separate times.

2. Eating enough fruits and veggies for health:

Statistics Canada reports that seven out of 10 children aged four to eight do not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. At ages nine to 13, six servings of vegetables and fruits per day are recommended; more than 60 per cent don’t even reach five servings per day.

Try offering kids fruit as snacks and as part of every breakfast and lunch. Offer veggies at both lunch and supper each day.

3. Getting adequate iron:

Growing bodies need iron, which is found in foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, legumes, eggs and soy foods. These foods should be offered several times per day.

Iron is needed to build red blood cells, which transport oxygen in the body. Kids are at risk for anemia or iron deficiency especially during rapid periods of growth and if few iron-rich foods are consumed.

4. Overcoming picky eating:

It may come as a surprise to you that your job as a parent or caregiver isn’t to determine the quantity of food your kids eat. Kids should decide how much to eat and even if they will eat at all. Your job is to decide what, when and where to offer food to kids.

Your child’s likes and dislikes will change regularly. Some kids need to try a food 10 to 15 separate times before they will accept it. Be patient and don’t give up offering different options.

Role modelling healthy habits is essential. If you don’t eat enough veggies throughout the day and make them out to be undesirable, then why would your kids want to eat them?

5. Not filling up on too much junk food:

As the “chocoholic dietitian,” I believe that our favourite treats can be part of a healthy diet for you and your family. The issue is that many kids have a diet based on junk food versus a diet rich in healthy staples. Save treats for weekends, social outings and after you are sure your kids have eaten enough healthy foods.

Too much junk food can lead to nutrient deficiencies, dental issues or increase the risk of your child becoming overweight or developing a chronic disease later in life.

Plan breakfast, lunch and supper with three things for balance, including grains/ starches, vegetables and/or fruit and a source of protein such as meat, poultry, seafood, legumes, dairy or nuts. For snacks, aim to have one or two of the above groups.

Resources: Canada’s Food Guide: hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html;Dietitians of Canada: dietitians.ca;HealthyU: healthyalberta.com;Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc.: healthstandnutrition.com.

Andrea Holwegner, the “Chocoholic Dietitian,” is founder and president of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. Visit healthstandnutrition.comand chocoholicdietitian.comor phone 403-262-3466 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              403-262-3466      end_of_the_skype_highlighting for nutrition counselling, seminars and resources.

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For recipes from the menu ideas below, see calgaryherald.com/healthclub

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Sample Menu For Youngsters:

Depending on the age and activity level of your child, he or she may need more or less than what is shown below.

Menu Idea 1

Breakfast

Rise and shine pumpkin porridge Milk

Snack

Yogurt tube (frozen) Homemade muffin

Lunch

Pizza bagel (whole grain bagel topped with tomato sauce, ham, pineapple and mozzarella cheese) Cucumbers sliced in rounds

Sliced strawberries or watermelon

Snack

Apple slices and banana chunks served with yogurt as dip

Supper

Breaded Cajun style fish Rice

Steamed broccoli and/or cauliflower Raw carrots

Snack

Celery with peanut butter or other nut butter topped with raisins

Crackers

Menu Idea 2

Breakfast

Breakfast cereal such as Shreddies or Cheerios cereal Milk

Cantaloupe and/or melon slices

Snack

Flavoured dessert tofu

Fresh plums or sliced orange wedges

Lunch

Thermos of chicken noodle soup

Hard cooked eggs Whole-wheat soda crackers

Raw sugar snap peas and grape/cherry tomatoes

Fresh or canned unsweetened pineapple

Snack

Fruit and yogurt smoothie

Whole grain crackers

Supper

Super speedy chili Mixed green salad with vinaigrette dressing

Garlic toast on whole grain bread

Snack

Breakfast cereal and milk

Sliced grapefruit or orange wedges

Menu Idea 3

Breakfast

Cheesy eggs (scrambled eggs topped with grated cheese) Whole grain toast Unsweetened apple or orange juice

Snack

Minigo or Yop Apple

Lunch

Pasta salad (cooked pasta tossed with chopped raw veggies and meat and cheese cubes mixed with your kids’ favourite salad dressing) Unsweetened juice box

Banana

Snack

Cucumber and/or zucchini sticks with dip

Toast with peanut butter or nut butter

Supper

Leftover chili from yesterday served on top of a baked potato and topped with grated cheddar cheese

Mixed green salad with vinaigrette dressing

Seasonal fresh fruit salad

Snack

Milk

Oat’n raisin cookies

Menu Idea 4

Breakfast

Branberry muffins Cottage cheese or cheddar cheese cubes

Fresh strawberries and/or kiwi fruit

Snack

Snack mix (dried apricots, raisins and mixed dry cereal and pretzels)

Lunch

Whole-wheat wrap with cream cheese, grated carrots, red pepper slices and cucumbers

Cottage cheese and canned unsweetened fruit

Granola bar

Snack

Frozen grapes

Milk

Supper

Grilled chicken burgers (whole grain buns topped with grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato and condiments)

Cabbage salad with coleslaw dressing

Snack

Air popped popcorn with butter/non-hydrogenated margarine

Yogurt tube (frozen)

Menu Idea 5

Breakfast

Monkey wrap (spread peanut butter on a whole wheat pita bread or wrap and roll around a banana)

Snack

Unsweetened applesauce cup Cookies

Lunch

Grilled chicken caesar salad (romaine lettuce topped with leftover grilled chicken from supper yesterday, croutons and caesar dressing)

Whole grain crackers such as Triscuits

Milk

Grapes

Snack

Rice Krispie square made with added raisins and substituting 1 cup of Rice Krispies with All Bran or All Bran Buds

Supper

French toast made with whole grain bread

Breakfast fruit sauce Canadian back bacon Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers

Snack

Frozen yogurt topped with fr

esh or frozen berries

Menu Idea 6

Breakfast

Whole grain or rye toast

Fruit and yogurt smoothie

Snack

Cottage cheese topped with leftover breakfast fruit sauce from yesterday’s supper

Lunch

Leftover hot or cold French toast with jam

Yogurt mixed with fresh or frozen berries

Celery and carrot sticks

Chocolate milk or chocolate soy milk

Snack

Almonds or other nuts/seeds mixed with dried cranberries or other dried fruit

Supper

Quesadillas (pan fry or grill a wrap stuffed with canned drained black beans, cheddar or feta cheese, spinach and red pepper; serve with salsa and sour cream for dipping) Spinach salad with dressing

Snack

Tortilla chips and salsa

Menu Idea 7

Breakfast

Yogurt parfait (Layer yogurt with fresh or frozen berries and top with granola mixed with All Bran cereal)

Snack

Unsweetened juice box

Granola bar

Lunch

Leftover cold or hot quesadillas from yesterday’s supper Milk

Fresh nectarine or apple

Snack

Homemade muffin Banana

Supper

Pasta with meat sauce

Raw veggies Raw veggie dip Milk

Sliced pears or diced mango

Snack

Oatmeal or gingersnap cookies Milk