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Nutrition


Superfoods for PICKY Eaters


HOW TO GET YOUR KIDS TO ENJOY HEALTHY EATING By Michelle Dorsey Graf, MSN, CFNP


to be. Processed meats, such as chicken nuggets and hot dogs, and sugary snacks, such as cereal and fruit juices, make up a large part of children’s diets, but these foods provide little in the way of nutrition. A well-balanced diet supports healthy child development and reduces the rate of diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and certain cancers, but many parents struggle to incorporate fruits and vegetables into the meals of picky toddlers and school-aged children. Here’s how to balance your kids’ nutritional needs with making food ap- petizing for them.


A


The Early Days A preference for flavors starts in the very beginning. Amniotic fluid is flavored by the foods a mother eats, so babies learn to like the same foods as their mothers before they are even born. Similarly, the flavor of breast milk changes with a moth- er’s diet, so babies learn to prefer certain


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merican children tend to be picky eaters, but your child doesn’t have


flavors before they actually eat them. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables in order to expose your baby to a wide range of flavors. The American Academy of Pediatrics


recommends introducing solid foods at about six months. A child who is ready for solids is able to sit and keep his head steady, and opens his mouth when food is approaching. The timing is important. Giving a baby solids before he is ready increases the likelihood he will be over- weight or develop food allergies. If you wait too long to introduce solids, your child may resist more flavors and textures as he grows. You should introduce solids gradually. Begin with single-ingredient foods, such as iron-fortified rice cereal, avocado or banana. After introducing a new food, wait at least three days before adding another new food, so that you are able to recognize any reaction your child has to the food. Signs of a reaction include hives or a rash, coughing, wheezing and/or


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