Healthy Food and Nutrition

Good nutrition and eating habits are equally important to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.  Good nutrition and eating habits are so important to infants because that is the basis for their growth and development in the future.  The nutrition and eating habits that and infant get when they are an infant can make or break a child.  It is the first nutrition that their bodies are getting and it is important to instill healthy eating habits.  Good nutrition and eating habits are important to toddlers because this is the age when children start exploring new foods and need to be introduced to healthy choices.  If a child is not given healthy foods and does not have good nutrition, much like in infancy they will suffer for the rest of their childhood.  Good nutrition and eating habits are so important to preschool children because this is the time when children need good nutrition to succeed in school and to develop into healthy children.  Infants, Toddlers and preschoolers are all growing and developing so much.  With poor nutrition and poor eating habits a child's growth and development will lack immensely.        

Adults play a huge role in helping children develop healthy eating habits.  It is so important that adults recognize the role they play and that they act upon the role in an appropriate manner.  Adults can actively help children establish healthy eating habits by introducing healthy foods early on while keeping children away from unhealthy foods.  Including children in food preparation can make eating healthy fun as well as encourage children to be involved in their healthy eating.  Those are just two simple ways that healthy eating habits can be instilled in young children.  As adults we need to do our part to help young children stay healthy in this unhealthy world that we live in.

Cooking together can be a lot of fun and can be used to help create healthy eating habits for young children.  Cooking together can be an enjoyable learning experience for children because it is hands on and there are so many fun options when it comes to cooking.  Below are three different recipes that preschoolers can make with the help of an adult.  Each recipe is fun and most importantly, healthy!

Recipe 1:   Frozen Yogurt Pops

Prep time: about 1 to 2 hours

Ingredients:

            1 8-oz. container of your favorite flavor of yogurt

Utensils:

            small paper cups

            wooden popsicle sticks (available in craft stores)

            plastic wrap

Directions:

            1.Pour yogurt into paper cups. Fill them almost to the top.

            2.Stretch a small piece of plastic wrap across the top of each cup.

            3.Using the popsicle stick, poke a hole in the plastic wrap. Stand the stick straight up in the center of the cup.

            4.Put the cups in the freezer until the yogurt is frozen solid.

            5.Remove the plastic wrap, peel away the paper cup, and eat your pop!

Serves: 3 to 4

Serving size: 1 pop

Work Cited -

Brinkley, A. (n.d.). Frozen yogurt pops. Retrieved from             http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/recipes/yogurt_pops.html

This recipe is a great alternative to unhealthy ice cream or cookies.  Using yogurt is healthy and a great snack for children to enjoy!

Recipe 2 - Ants On A Log

Original recipe makes 10 logs

Ingredients -

            5 stalks celery

            1/2 cup peanut butter

            1/4 cup raisins

Directions

            1.Cut the celery stalks in half. Spread with peanut butter. Sprinkle with raisins.

Work Cited -

Ants on a log. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ants-on-a-log/

This recipe is a great idea for a snack or can be included with a meal.  Peanut butter is a great source of protein for children and celery and raisins can be used as some of their daily intake of fruits and vegetables for the day.

Recipe 3 - Banana-Pear Caterpillar

Prep/Total Time: 15 min.

Yield: 1 Servings

Ingredients

            1 lettuce leaf

            1 medium banana, peeled

            1/2 medium red pear, cut into 1/4-inch slices

            2 raisins

Directions

Place lettuce on a salad plate; top with the banana. Cut 1/4-in. V-shaped slices halfway through the banana, spacing cuts 1 in. apart. Place a pear slice, peel side up, in each cut. For eyes, gently press raisins into one end of banana. Serve immediately. Yield: 1 serving.

Work Cited -

Banana-pear caterpillar recipe. (2000). Retrieved from          http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Banana-Pear-Caterpillar

This recipe is made up of nothing but fruit and vegetables that can be counted in a child's daily intake of fruits and vegetables.  This is a very healthy recipe that is a lot of fun to make!