Nutrition is an essential part of each child's well-being and healthy development. When unhealthy eating practices are demonstrated to children, a number of health problems can occur, including dental caries (tooth decay), obesity (excess body fat), hypertension (high blood pressure), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetes mellitus. By teaching our children healthful eating habits early in life, it can lead to lifelong positive outcomes.
Many health problems we see in young children are typically related to unhealthy eating habits. As Lynn R. Marotz explains in her book Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child 8th Edition, "One of the most important goals in helping children develop healthy eating habits is to increase the number and variety of foods they are willing to accept from each food group." By creating meals for children with a variety of contrasting colors and nutritional value, we can present the children with foods that are appealing as well as good. Children often look at food and immediately think it's not tasty because of the way it looks. .
As Steffen Saifer discussed in his book "Practical Solutions to Practically Every Problem", "When children are enthusiastic about the food, problems at mealtime are reduced." To get the children enthusiastic about the food, we can involve them in the preparation of some of the snacks and meals. Also, as Early Childhood Educators, we should eat with the children and eat what they eat. This will demonstrate the good quality in the food and help to educate the children on the importance of eating nutritious foods. Educating our children on the importance of the nutritional value of the foods we eat, will promote healthy language, cognitive, sensorimotor, social, and emotional domains of development. .
It is our goal as Early Childhood Educators to educate children of healthy eating habits at a young age.
