UNIT 2 - The Do's and Don't in Pediatric Nutrition |
|
The Do's and the Don'ts
Whole Food, Plant-based diets and Kids The Standard American Diet The Macronutrients What about the Dairy? Article Review
|
The Do's and Don'ts
Food, necessary for sustaining life, is also a focal point for the family; talking and sharing at meal time among family members, learning cultural values and practices, experiencing variety, new tastes, textures and smells, developing likes and dislikes, and sharing companionship with friends and relatives are all important.
- Don't force child to eat everything on plate.
- Don't force child to eat foods he/she does not like.
- Don't punish child for not eating.
- Provide a balanced variety of nutritious foods.
- Plan to make meal time pleasant—leave criticisms elsewhere.
- Serve small amounts of food on plate.
- As models, do not expect child to be more than what you are (or enjoy a variety of foods if you do not, or sample new foods if you do not, etc.)
- Help child to try new and disliked foods by very small (1/2 tsp.) servings.
- Praise child for trying foods and cleaning plate.
- When there is an eating problem, assess the entire situation beginning with you own attitude about food and eating and your childhood experiences and how you feel about them now. Give us a call and talk things over.
Whole Food, Plant-Based Diets and Kids
In fact, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ 2016 position statement unequivocally endorses that: “appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes. Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity. Low intake of saturated fat and high intakes of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, soy products, nuts, and seeds (all rich in fiber and phytochemicals) are characteristics of vegetarian and vegan diets that produce lower total and lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol levels and better serum glucose control. These factors contribute to reduction of chronic disease.”
Children who eat a plant-based diet experience normal growth and development. In addition, their risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes is drastically reduced compared to children eating a Standard American Diet (SAD). Children raised on a plant-based diet also experience lower rates of acne, allergies, upper respiratory infections, ear infections and digestive issues. Eliminating dairy from the diets of infants and children suffering from constipation and colic has specifically been shown to be beneficial and, in some cases, completely curative! A plant-based diet also minimizes children’s exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants that can be particularly harmful to their developing brains. Heavy metals, organic pollutants and pesticides have been implicated in diseases such as cancer, asthma, lead poisoning, neurobehavioral disorders, learning and developmental disabilities and birth defects. These dangerous compounds accumulate in greater and greater concentrations as you move up the food chain, so the highest concentrations are found in fish and animal products.
Those same animal foods also carry a higher risk of exposure to bacterial contamination, synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics (which also contribute to the rapidly growing problem of antibiotic resistance). Another benefit of adopting a plant-based lifestyle for your family is the opportunity it brings to teach children valuable life lessons, such as environmental stewardship and compassion toward all living beings. Despite all of these benefits, many parents, concerned family members, and even some healthcare providers often worry that a plant-based diet for children is too complicated or difficult for busy families to manage. The truth is, once you get the hang of it, a plant-based diet is no more difficult, time consuming or expensive than the SAD.
Children who eat a plant-based diet experience normal growth and development. In addition, their risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes is drastically reduced compared to children eating a Standard American Diet (SAD). Children raised on a plant-based diet also experience lower rates of acne, allergies, upper respiratory infections, ear infections and digestive issues. Eliminating dairy from the diets of infants and children suffering from constipation and colic has specifically been shown to be beneficial and, in some cases, completely curative! A plant-based diet also minimizes children’s exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants that can be particularly harmful to their developing brains. Heavy metals, organic pollutants and pesticides have been implicated in diseases such as cancer, asthma, lead poisoning, neurobehavioral disorders, learning and developmental disabilities and birth defects. These dangerous compounds accumulate in greater and greater concentrations as you move up the food chain, so the highest concentrations are found in fish and animal products.
Those same animal foods also carry a higher risk of exposure to bacterial contamination, synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics (which also contribute to the rapidly growing problem of antibiotic resistance). Another benefit of adopting a plant-based lifestyle for your family is the opportunity it brings to teach children valuable life lessons, such as environmental stewardship and compassion toward all living beings. Despite all of these benefits, many parents, concerned family members, and even some healthcare providers often worry that a plant-based diet for children is too complicated or difficult for busy families to manage. The truth is, once you get the hang of it, a plant-based diet is no more difficult, time consuming or expensive than the SAD.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends five or more servings per day. Yet the highest consumption among Americans was found in only three states where people ate only two servings per day, according to a 2013 report. That same report showed that teens were only getting about one serving per day, and in several states, close to half of teens ate fewer than one serving per day. This grim picture of the SAD is further illustrated in the chart below, showing a mere 12% of calories coming from fruits and vegetables. And a full half of those calories come from processed vegetables such as french fries. Most of us are only getting 6% of our calories from unprocessed, plant-based foods. All of this goes to show that the SAD is hardly well balanced or nutritious. But a plant-based diet that provides sufficient calories and includes a variety of plants in their whole, unprocessed form (such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds) as well as fortified foods (including plant-based milks and cereals) can easily meet the nutritional needs of growing children.
The Standard American Diet
|
Many children in the United States and many Westernized countries have diets with alarmingly poor levels of nutrition. Both adults and children, don’t come close to meeting the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetable
|
|
The Macronutrients
Young children should be introduced to a wide variety of plant-based foods right from the start! A well-designed whole, plant-based diet can provide children with the key nutrients and calories they need to grow and thrive. Animal products like meat, fish, poultry, dairy and eggs are not necessary for healthy growth and development. Children older than two have no special dietary needs that would require different nutrition than adults. From birth to two years old, the main difference is that rapidly growing children require more calorie-dense foods and a higher percentage of their calories from fat. Other than this extra attention to fat content and calorie density, children can, and should, eat the same meals as the rest of their family. Parents are responsible for the food that is offered to their kids, which means they have a great opportunity and responsibility to influence and shape their child’s palate.
You can offer three or four food groups at each meal and two food groups at each snack. This gives children the opportunity to obtain all the macronutrients and micronutrients they need for a balanced diet that will allow them to thrive. Children have increased energy needs, but their small stomachs and shorter attention spans mean it’s important to have calorie-dense foods that are high in complex carbohydrates and fats at every meal.
You can offer three or four food groups at each meal and two food groups at each snack. This gives children the opportunity to obtain all the macronutrients and micronutrients they need for a balanced diet that will allow them to thrive. Children have increased energy needs, but their small stomachs and shorter attention spans mean it’s important to have calorie-dense foods that are high in complex carbohydrates and fats at every meal.
Carbohydrates
Just like an adult, the majority of a child’s calories should come from complex carbohydrates so that they will have enough quick energy to learn, grow and play! Plant-based eaters often get up to 80% of their calories from complex carbohydrates. The key is to make sure those carbohydrates are coming from unprocessed, plant-based complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and whole grain breads and pastas. Carbohydrates should not come from the processed, refined grains that are found in most chips, crackers, breads and pastas.
Fat
Fat is essential for meeting caloric needs and are the building blocks of cellular membranes, which is especially important for growing brains! Fat should not be limited between the ages of one and three, and it should make up 35 to 40% of calories. Between the age of 4 and 18, the requirement is still high but declines to about 25% of daily calories. Comparatively, adults should consume only 10 to 15% of calories from fat. Be sure to include plant foods that provide the important omega-3 fatty acids, such as chia seeds, walnuts, flax and hemp seeds. Other great fatty foods to include at each meal are avocado, other nuts and seeds, nut butters, olives and full-fat soy products.
Just like an adult, the majority of a child’s calories should come from complex carbohydrates so that they will have enough quick energy to learn, grow and play! Plant-based eaters often get up to 80% of their calories from complex carbohydrates. The key is to make sure those carbohydrates are coming from unprocessed, plant-based complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and whole grain breads and pastas. Carbohydrates should not come from the processed, refined grains that are found in most chips, crackers, breads and pastas.
Fat
Fat is essential for meeting caloric needs and are the building blocks of cellular membranes, which is especially important for growing brains! Fat should not be limited between the ages of one and three, and it should make up 35 to 40% of calories. Between the age of 4 and 18, the requirement is still high but declines to about 25% of daily calories. Comparatively, adults should consume only 10 to 15% of calories from fat. Be sure to include plant foods that provide the important omega-3 fatty acids, such as chia seeds, walnuts, flax and hemp seeds. Other great fatty foods to include at each meal are avocado, other nuts and seeds, nut butters, olives and full-fat soy products.
A word about oils:
For adults whose bodies have been suffering the effects of the SAD for decades, and especially those who already have severe disease, the evidence is clear that a very low-fat, plant-based diet with no added oils is not only beneficial but can also be life-saving. However, this may not be appropriate for young children. Fortunately, kids have the benefit of health and youth and can tolerate and thrive on a diet that does include some added oils. If you look at the healthiest populations around the world, most of their diets are 90 to 96% (not 100%) whole food, plantbased. For kids starting out on the right foot with a whole food, plant-based diet early on, using some oil for cooking and baking is fine. Choose an oil high in omega-3 fats such as flaxseed, walnut or algae.
Protein
Protein is an important macronutrient used in the building, repairing and maintaining of bones, muscles, skin and blood. It also provides the building blocks for enzymes, hormones and vitamins. While growing children have higher protein needs than adults, they can still easily meet those needs on a plant-based diet. Children who eat a vegetarian or vegan diet regularly meet or exceed protein requirements for their age. Including protein sources at each meal will help your child feel full and satisfied. Higher protein plant foods include beans, nuts, seeds, soy (tofu and tempeh), whole grains and vegetables.
For adults whose bodies have been suffering the effects of the SAD for decades, and especially those who already have severe disease, the evidence is clear that a very low-fat, plant-based diet with no added oils is not only beneficial but can also be life-saving. However, this may not be appropriate for young children. Fortunately, kids have the benefit of health and youth and can tolerate and thrive on a diet that does include some added oils. If you look at the healthiest populations around the world, most of their diets are 90 to 96% (not 100%) whole food, plantbased. For kids starting out on the right foot with a whole food, plant-based diet early on, using some oil for cooking and baking is fine. Choose an oil high in omega-3 fats such as flaxseed, walnut or algae.
Protein
Protein is an important macronutrient used in the building, repairing and maintaining of bones, muscles, skin and blood. It also provides the building blocks for enzymes, hormones and vitamins. While growing children have higher protein needs than adults, they can still easily meet those needs on a plant-based diet. Children who eat a vegetarian or vegan diet regularly meet or exceed protein requirements for their age. Including protein sources at each meal will help your child feel full and satisfied. Higher protein plant foods include beans, nuts, seeds, soy (tofu and tempeh), whole grains and vegetables.
What about the Dairy?
Dairy intake recommendations can be particularly confusing when it comes to our kids. Unfortunately, most pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatrics still recommend that children drink two to three cups of cow’s milk each day starting at the age of one and that kids from one to two years old drink whole cow’s milk. Did you know that three glasses of whole cow’s milk contain as much saturated fat as about 25 slices of bacon?! Research would tell us that isn’t good for our kids. Yet we are taught from a very young age that cow’s milk is not only good for us (it does a body good and builds a strong body, right?) but also that it is a necessary part of a child’s diet. In fact, many parents worry their kids aren’t getting enough milk.
There is a profound and powerful marketing and lobbying effort to promote dairy to consumers and children in particular. The dairy industry spent more than $6.4 million lobbying in 2016. Combine this with a wholesome sounding marketing campaign like, “got milk?” and the industry has convinced Americans that this unusual practice promotes health. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Drinking cow’s milk is not normal, and it is certainly not necessary. Humans are the only mammal on earth that drinks another species’ breast milk and the only mammal that consumes any milk after the natural age of weaning. A mammal’s milk is meant for one thing — to nourish and quickly grow its offspring. In the case of cow’s milk, this means growing a calf from 60 pounds to 600 pounds in less than two years!
Dairy is strongly linked to many chronic diseases that are common in western societies, including heart disease, many types of cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, acne, diabetes, premature death, migraines, bone fractures and obesity. While most of these diseases are not symptomatic until adulthood, they have their beginnings in childhood. Avoiding dairy products in childhood can go a long ways toward preventing the diseases of adulthood.
Addiction
Why is it so hard to kick the dairy habit? Giving up dairy can feel especially difficult (for you and your kids!) because it may be literally addictive. Dairy contains a combination of sugar, fat, salt and casomorphins, which are substances that trigger the same “feel good” sensations as opiate drugs. Casomorphins are also the reason for the constipation that’s associated with dairy and they’re the reason dairy has a possible link to sudden infant death syndrome. The addictive quality of dairy is likely nature’s way of ensuring that baby mammals become attached to their source of nourishment. Although the prospect of taking dairy out of your family’s diet may seem daunting, your taste buds will adjust and you will eventually no longer have these cravings.
There is a profound and powerful marketing and lobbying effort to promote dairy to consumers and children in particular. The dairy industry spent more than $6.4 million lobbying in 2016. Combine this with a wholesome sounding marketing campaign like, “got milk?” and the industry has convinced Americans that this unusual practice promotes health. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Drinking cow’s milk is not normal, and it is certainly not necessary. Humans are the only mammal on earth that drinks another species’ breast milk and the only mammal that consumes any milk after the natural age of weaning. A mammal’s milk is meant for one thing — to nourish and quickly grow its offspring. In the case of cow’s milk, this means growing a calf from 60 pounds to 600 pounds in less than two years!
Dairy is strongly linked to many chronic diseases that are common in western societies, including heart disease, many types of cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, acne, diabetes, premature death, migraines, bone fractures and obesity. While most of these diseases are not symptomatic until adulthood, they have their beginnings in childhood. Avoiding dairy products in childhood can go a long ways toward preventing the diseases of adulthood.
Addiction
Why is it so hard to kick the dairy habit? Giving up dairy can feel especially difficult (for you and your kids!) because it may be literally addictive. Dairy contains a combination of sugar, fat, salt and casomorphins, which are substances that trigger the same “feel good” sensations as opiate drugs. Casomorphins are also the reason for the constipation that’s associated with dairy and they’re the reason dairy has a possible link to sudden infant death syndrome. The addictive quality of dairy is likely nature’s way of ensuring that baby mammals become attached to their source of nourishment. Although the prospect of taking dairy out of your family’s diet may seem daunting, your taste buds will adjust and you will eventually no longer have these cravings.
Article Review
Video Review
|
|
|
Unit Task
- Conduct an interview and assessment with one mother who has a challenge in feeding nutritious food to her child. Evaluate and document the lifestyle practices of the parents and the child using the forms given in the previous tasks. Discuss the topics you learned from this unit specifically emphasizing on the Do's and Don'ts. Create a written summary of your activity and include the personal reflection (verbatim) of your clients.
- Submit your Reflective Journal after watching the videos, reading the lesson and article.