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The following questionwides were answered by the staff of the Illinois Interagency Nutrition Council (INC).
My children like fish and eat salmon, tilapia, and tuna. Should they eat limited quantities of these kinds of fish because of environmental contamination?
The recommendations are
to eat up to 12 ounces of fish a week from the low-mercury fish, which include light
tuna (not albacore), salmon, shrimp, pollock, and catfish. Tilapia is farm
raised and can be included in this list.
- Sorting Out the Facts on the Health Benefits of Fish
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_4306_ENU_HTML.htm - Seafood Watch: Regional Seafood Guides
http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_regional.aspx?region_id=6
My 4-year-old still won't eat salads! Any ideas about how to get her to eat salad would be appreciated.
My suggestion is to get
your 4-year-old to eat the separate pieces and not have a "salad." Also
at this age, salad art is a good idea-kids like to eat what they create. Find a
salad dressing that your children like and let them dip salad ingredients into
the dip. Know that it takes at least 7 to 10 times of creatively presenting a
food for children to try it. Patience and creativity are your best bets.
- How Should I Deal with a Picky Eater?
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutri_fit_qa/picky_eater.html
Sometimes it seems as if nutritional advice just keeps changing. How can I know what's really important in my child's diet?
Your best bet is to
follow the most recent guidance. That information is available at http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html. This site provides
information about children and recognizes that the most important thing is to
offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat
dairy. Parents present the food, and children choose what to eat and how
much.
- The
Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children
http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html
If my child refuses to eat fruits and vegetables, can't I just give her a vitamin every day to make up for what her diet is lacking?
A vitamin will not
replace eating fruits and vegetables. Let's not forget that children go on
eating jags; look at what they eat over a period of time, rather than day to
day. If your pediatrician is concerned, follow his or her advice. If you want
to get children interested in eating fruits and vegetables, get them involved in
the choices and preparation. Also know that their greatest influence is what
they see their parents eat regularly.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 5-A-Day Campaigns
http://www.5aday.gov
My 3-year-old's pediatrician says he's overweight. How can I help him while making sure he has the nutrition he needs to grow?
It is never advised to
put a child on a diet. Instead, offer your children healthy food choices and
increase the time you spend being active with them. Sometimes children get a
little overweight before a growth spurt, but the advice doesn't change-make
healthful food choices and make sure that they are physically active (running,
playing outside, biking, etc.) for 60 minutes a day.
-
Your Child's Weight
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/childs_weight.html
At what age should we worry about a child's weight? My 2-year-old is rather chubby, but many 2-year-olds seem rather roly-poly to me.
A red flag in a 2-year-old
is being in the 95th percentile on their growth charts. Check where they fall
in height for weight on the chart, and this should let you know whether there
is any need to worry. It is okay for 2-year-olds to be roly-poly. It is also okay
for parents to notice and make sure they are offering healthful food choices
and providing an active home environment. Parents are the most effective role
models.
- What Do I Need to Know about Physical Development in Young Children? (See links to growth charts.)
http://www.illinoisearlylearning.org/faqs/physicaldev.htm#web
My two young children seem to be hungry every couple of hours. How often should a young child snack, and can you provide some healthy snack ideas?
About every 3 hours
(more or less depending on the individual child) kids need something to eat.
Keep healthy snacks within reach in a cupboard and in the refrigerator. Make
sure the children help prepare and place the snacks. If you need healthy snack
ideas, check out our Web site: http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/WellnessWays/pdf/ho_HealthySnacks.PDFEditor's note: This url has changed: http://wellnessways.aces.uiuc.edu/Snacks.html
-
Say Yes to Healthy Snacks!
http://www.illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/healthysnacks.htm
Is there a quick way to find out which products are pork based? I realized too late that JelloT is probably a pork product; we had served it to a child from an Islamic family in our center. Also, are all products that contain peanuts now clearly labeled?
Food labels provide some
information, but your best bet is to ask lots of questionwides and choose foods
with the least amount of processing. You often find these foods in the outer
aisles of the grocery store. Although peanuts are very newsworthy today, people
haven't had similar inquiries into pork. If you live in an area with kosher
products, these are always pork-free.
- What's in the Foods You Eat Search Tool
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=7783
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