{"id":6110,"date":"2019-03-13T13:43:16","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T11:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/?p=6110"},"modified":"2020-11-23T12:34:33","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T10:34:33","slug":"five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/af\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"461\" data-src=\"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6111 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating.png 819w, https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating-560x315.png 560w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 819px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 819\/461;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A significant part of being a parent is to help your\nchildren eat well and be physically active. When children eat well they have\nthe nutrients and energy they need to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Healthy eating helps children concentrate and\nperform better in school, sports and other activities. <\/li><li>Being physically active helps children be strong\nand fit and improves confidence.&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is normal for children to grow quickly and gain weight\nduring growth spurts. At other times growth may be slower. Ask your health care\nprofessional to measure your child\u2019s growth using a growth chart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes.\nHelp your children focus on eating habits, physical activity and overall health\nrather than body weight.&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important thing you can do to help your children\ndevelop healthy habits is to lead by example by being a good role model. Your\nchildren learn their health habits from you. If you eat a variety of healthy\nfoods and stay active, chances are that your children will too.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Encourage your children to eat well and be active by\nfollowing the 5 steps below.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eat Meals with Your Family <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eat meals as a family whenever you can. Making mealtimes an\nimportant part of the day and enjoying meals together can help children make\nbetter food choices, stay at a healthier weight and have a more positive body\nimage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get your children involved with meal planning and grocery\nshopping. Serve foods from at least three food groups at meals. Here are some\nhealthy eating ideas that will help your whole family eat balanced meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Offer vegetables and fruit at most meals.&nbsp; Serve at least one orange and one dark green\nvegetable each day, such as carrots, sweet potato, broccoli, asparagus and\nspinach. Use low-fat dips, sauces or dressings to make them more appealing.<\/li><li>Give your children whole fruit instead of juice.\nFruit is lower in sugar and has more fibre than juice. If you offer juice,\nserve only 100% fruit juice (with no added sugar) and give small amounts: <ul><li>4 \u2013 6-year olds:&nbsp;\nno more than 125-175 mL juice per day<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>7 \u2013 11-year olds: no more than 250-375 mL juice\nper day&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Shop for whole grain products that are high in\nfibre and low in sugar, fat and salt. Good choices include large flake oats for\noatmeal, whole wheat pasta, brown rice and whole grain breads. <ul><li>Read nutrition facts tables and look for\nbreakfast cereals with 4 grams of fibre or more per 30 g serving. Compare the\nsugar content on nutrition fact tables and choose lower sugar cereals.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Serve lower fat milk and milk alternatives like\nskim or 1% milk, low fat yoghurt or fortified soy beverage each day. Milk\nproducts provide calcium and vitamin D for healthy bones. Offer smoothies with\nbreakfast, yoghurt for snacks and a glass of milk or fortified soy beverage at\ndinner.<\/li><li>Plan and prepare meals with less fat. Trim the\nfat from meats and remove the skin from chicken. Limit breaded and deep-fried\nfoods. Serve meals that include fish and meat alternatives such as beans,\nlentils and tofu more often.<\/li><li>Include a small amount of unsaturated fat each\nday. These are healthier fats. Use soft margarine on bread or toast instead of\nbutter. Use vegetable oil for cooking or baking instead of butter, shortening\nor lard.&nbsp; Add small amounts of salad\ndressing, avocado or a sprinkle of nuts and seeds on salads. Limit foods high\nin saturated or unhealthy fats such as chips, nachos, cookies, donuts,\npastries, chocolate and deep-fried foods.<\/li><li>Offer water when your children are thirsty\ninstead of sugary drinks like fruit cocktail, fruit punch, pop and sports\ndrinks. Do not give children energy drinks or other drinks with caffeine.\nCaffeine can interfere with your child\u2019s sleep and cause anxiety. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plan and Pack Healthy Meals and Snacks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Busy schedules make it important to plan for healthy eating.\nPlan your meals ahead of time so that you have all the foods you need on\nhand.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Serve breakfast daily &#8211; It is important to start the day off\nright by serving breakfast. Breakfast provides important nutrients and may help\nchildren perform better in school and stay at a healthier weight. Here are some\nwinning ideas to start the day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>whole grain cereal, milk, banana<\/li><li>whole wheat toast, scrambled egg, orange<\/li><li>plain oatmeal, yoghurt, berries<\/li><li>whole grain bagel, nut butter, apple<\/li><li>whole grain tortilla with beans and cheese<\/li><li>fruit and yoghurt smoothie, homemade bran muffin\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pack a healthy lunch<\/strong>\n\u2013 Keep your kids\u2019 energy levels high with a lunch that contains all four food\ngroups. Get your children involved with packing their lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Think beyond sandwiches! Try:<ul><li>last night\u2019s leftovers packed in an insulated\ncool-bag lunchbox<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>pasta, rice or barley salad with vegetables<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>pizza bagels with cheese and vegetables<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>homemade soup and whole grain bread or roll<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>stew, dhal or chilli<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Limit packaged and processed foods, including\ndeli meat, pop, fruit drinks, canned soups, cookies and chips. Build lunches\naround fresh foods with little or no added salt or sugar.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Snack well<\/strong> \u2013\nChildren have smaller tummies than adults and may need to eat more often. Serve\nhealthy snacks to keep your kids energized between meals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Include foods from at least two food groups:<ul><li>fruit with yoghurt dip<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>sliced vegetables with hummus<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>whole grain crackers with cheese<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>half of a sandwich with milk<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trust Your Child\u2019s Appetite <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trust that your children know how much they need to eat.\nEncourage children to listen and respond to their signals of hunger and\nfullness. As a parent, offer your children a variety of healthy foods at their\nmeals and snack times. Your children can then decide which foods and how much\nfood they want to eat. Let children serve themselves healthy foods until they are\nfull.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When children are growing quickly, they may eat more. They\nmay eat less when they are growing more slowly. It is okay if your children do\nnot finish their meals.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Try these tips: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Offer regular meals and snacks each day to help\nchildren with their hunger.<\/li><li>Let children eat based on their hunger and\nfullness rather than set portion sizes. Do not pressure or force your children\nto eat everything on their plate.<\/li><li>Offer a variety of foods. Allow children to only\neat small amounts of food higher in sugar and fat along with healthy foods.\nAvoid labelling foods as good and bad. Do not use food to reward or punish\nchildren.<\/li><li>Turn off the TV, computer and phone to allow\nchildren to focus on eating. Children can listen better to their bodies if they\nare not distracted.&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Create an Environment that Supports Healthy Eating <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Help make it easier for your children to eat well and be\nactive wherever they live, learn, and play.&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Use the suggestions in this handout to talk to\nyour children about healthy choices that your family can make together at home.<\/li><li>If your children have a school cafeteria or a\nlunch program, check out the options and help them make healthier choices. Try\nto offer a home-packed lunch on most days and only use the cafeteria occasionally.<\/li><li>Speak with your child\u2019s school or other\ncaregivers to ensure healthy food choices are offered.<\/li><li>Bring healthy foods when you take food to sports\nor school activities to share. Encourage other parents and teachers to do the\nsame. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay Fit with Fun Activities <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being active every day is important for healthy growth and\ndevelopment. Physical activity can help increase your child\u2019s self-esteem and\npromote a healthy body weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pre-schoolers under age five should be active for at least\n180 minutes each day. This can include any intensity of activity spread\nthroughout the day.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children ages 5 to 11 should aim for 60 minutes of\nmoderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity each day.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Activity does not have to take place all at one time. Every\n10 minutes of activity counts towards the activity goals. The key is to keep it\nfun and be involved! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some ideas: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moderate-intensity physical activities (these activities\nmake kids sweat a little and breathe harder)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Walking or bike riding<\/li><li>Playing ball or frisbee<\/li><li>Swimming in the summer<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vigorous-intensity physical activities (these activities\nmake kids sweat and be \u2018out of breath\u2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Hockey, basketball or soccer<\/li><li>Dancing to their favourite upbeat songs<\/li><li>Raking leaves <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Limit the amount of time your children spend watching TV,\nplaying video games or computer games to no more than two hours per day.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Weight loss is not usually recommended for children. This is\nbecause children are actively growing. If you are concerned about your child\u2019s\nweight, speak to a health care professional. An unhealthy approach to weight\nloss can be very harmful to your child\u2019s physical health and mental well-being.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A significant part of being a parent is to help your children eat well and be physically active. When children eat well they have the nutrients and energy they need to grow. Healthy eating helps children concentrate and perform better in school, sports and other activities. Being physically active helps children be strong and fit and improves confidence.&nbsp; It is normal for children to grow quickly and gain weight during growth spurts. At other times growth may be slower. Ask your health care professional to measure your child\u2019s growth using a growth chart. Healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes. Help your children focus on eating habits, physical activity and overall health rather than body weight.&nbsp;&nbsp; The most important thing you can do to help your children develop healthy habits is to lead by example by being a good role model. Your children learn their health habits from you. If you eat a variety of healthy foods and stay active, chances are that your children will too.&nbsp; Encourage your children to eat well and be active by following the 5 steps below.&nbsp; Eat Meals with Your Family Eat meals as a family whenever you can. Making mealtimes an important [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11 - Besige Breintjies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/af\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11 - Besige Breintjies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A significant part of being a parent is to help your children eat well and be physically active. When children eat well they have the nutrients and energy they need to grow. Healthy eating helps children concentrate and perform better in school, sports and other activities. Being physically active helps children be strong and fit and improves confidence.&nbsp; It is normal for children to grow quickly and gain weight during growth spurts. At other times growth may be slower. Ask your health care professional to measure your child\u2019s growth using a growth chart. Healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes. Help your children focus on eating habits, physical activity and overall health rather than body weight.&nbsp;&nbsp; The most important thing you can do to help your children develop healthy habits is to lead by example by being a good role model. Your children learn their health habits from you. If you eat a variety of healthy foods and stay active, chances are that your children will too.&nbsp; Encourage your children to eat well and be active by following the 5 steps below.&nbsp; Eat Meals with Your Family Eat meals as a family whenever you can. Making mealtimes an important [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/af\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Besige Breintjies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-13T11:43:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-23T10:34:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Besige Breintjies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Besige Breintjies\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Besige Breintjies\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ce9ead25e489312e7ceffdb84f3b801b\"},\"headline\":\"Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-13T11:43:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-23T10:34:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1468,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/eating.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"af-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/besigebreintjies.co.za\\\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\\\/\",\"name\":\"Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11 - 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Besige Breintjies","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/af\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11 - Besige Breintjies","og_description":"A significant part of being a parent is to help your children eat well and be physically active. When children eat well they have the nutrients and energy they need to grow. Healthy eating helps children concentrate and perform better in school, sports and other activities. Being physically active helps children be strong and fit and improves confidence.&nbsp; It is normal for children to grow quickly and gain weight during growth spurts. At other times growth may be slower. Ask your health care professional to measure your child\u2019s growth using a growth chart. Healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes. Help your children focus on eating habits, physical activity and overall health rather than body weight.&nbsp;&nbsp; The most important thing you can do to help your children develop healthy habits is to lead by example by being a good role model. Your children learn their health habits from you. If you eat a variety of healthy foods and stay active, chances are that your children will too.&nbsp; Encourage your children to eat well and be active by following the 5 steps below.&nbsp; Eat Meals with Your Family Eat meals as a family whenever you can. Making mealtimes an important [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/af\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/","og_site_name":"Besige Breintjies","article_published_time":"2019-03-13T11:43:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-11-23T10:34:33+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Besige Breintjies","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Besige Breintjies","Est. reading time":"7 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/"},"author":{"name":"Besige Breintjies","@id":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/ce9ead25e489312e7ceffdb84f3b801b"},"headline":"Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11","datePublished":"2019-03-13T11:43:16+00:00","dateModified":"2020-11-23T10:34:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/"},"wordCount":1468,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/eating.png","articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"af-ZA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/","url":"https:\/\/besigebreintjies.co.za\/five-steps-to-healthy-eating-for-children-aged-4-11\/","name":"Five Steps to Healthy Eating for Children Aged 4-11 - 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