The topic of healthy eating and child nutrition occupies most parents, especially younger or new parents. Wanting the best in good, nutritious food for their children is something all parents aspire to but don’t necessarily know how to do.
With all of the food trends these days, it’s easy for inexperienced parents to be fooled into following a diet that their child probably doesn’t need to follow. Fad diets haven’t skipped the kids realm, some even specifically targeting the kids of new parents, knowing moms and dads would take a bite.
When it comes to healthy eating and child nutrition, new parents need to use common sense and listen to what their doctors say. Pediatricians are the ones who know your baby best and what stage of development they are at. Before you follow a fad diet for your child or a new food craze, discuss it with your doctor. Also remember that breastfeeding is good for babies for at least six months and better if you can do it longer.
Another thing parents need to keep in mind before following any new diet and infant nutrition for their child is food allergies. Children react differently to food at different stages. Sometimes it’s because their immune system hasn’t built up yet, and sometimes it’s because they really are allergic.
You can tell if your child has a food allergy by talking to your doctor. There are some skin allergy tests a toddler can do to help address this issue. For example, the fad diet that encourages children to eat nuts may have its wisdom and benefits, but for a child allergic to nuts, it can be deadly.
Ultimately, healthy nutrition and child nutrition is based on the wisdom of our doctors and on the classic food pyramid. Many trending diets borrow snippets of information here and there, repackage them, and then try to present them as brand new information. However, if you know enough about healthy eating, you will find that most of what these fad diets preach are borrowed and incomplete recommendations of the good old classic healthy eating of lean meats, good grains, fruits and vegetables.
The best thing that young and confused parents can do is consult their doctor and read up on the pyramid. You will find that healthy eating and child nutrition is a lot easier than you think and you don’t have to change much from your current diet or your child’s current diet. Child feeding is really easy, and most of the foods your kids need to eat to achieve that are probably the same foods your mom served you.
Thanks to Lavender Stewart
