Introduction
Many people think that kids will eventually grow up to be healthy individuals, without being given the attention they need; they ignore the fact that children of all ages need a vigilant eye on them, for proper growth and development. For the body’s functions to carry out normally, it is essential to have a properly balanced diet and execute healthy exercising patterns in our routines, along with our children.
How to Incorporate Healthy Habits in Children
Handling children is quite a challenge in the first place, and looking after each activity or habit of theirs is another difficult task. The only way to incorporate certain favorable habits into your children is to perform them and take them into execution yourself, so that they may well follow your footsteps, by watching you. Children normally become what you want them to, by molding them into the shape you desire for, according to your disciplinary actions and with the environment provided to them. By adopting healthy habits, you can transform your home into a healthy one, and the kids can learn to exercise and play instead of sitting for hours in front of the television and computer (Alliance for a Healthier Generation).
Eating Habits of Children
The general eating habits of children are more inclined towards ill-health, and food products that harm children more than benefit them, are more often consumed. This is what causes bad eating practices in children that lead to diseases and illnesses. Kids often like to go to school and spend their money on canteen or cafeteria food, rather than have a homemade super nutritious sandwich. By looking at their classmates and elders spending money at the canteen, the youngsters also tend to adopt this habit, which causes slow-poisoning to them and their overall health.
The term ‘slow poisoning is used in such cases because the daily use of unhealthy foods does not show results or effects on the body immediately, but they take time to damage the body cells, and thus the entire individual. This may be due to a lack of awareness of the effects of eating unhealthy foods, and negligence on the part of the mothers, to provide their children with proper lunch boxes, containing nourishing food items. These lunch packages can be made interesting for the child, by the provision of colorful foods, keeping in mind the likes and dislikes of the child. You would not want a child to open up his box to find a vegetable that he strongly dislikes.
The forms of foods can be changed, by the cooking methods applied or by the presentation in the lunch box. If a child needs to take a vegetable in its raw form, he can be given a salad containing that specific vegetable, with other items of his liking, so that he is not put off by the sight of that unwanted item. Some children are also hesitant of taking lunch boxes to school because they feel embarrassed taking them out during their recess, and because of peer pressure, prefer to purchase canteen foods.
Improving Eating Habits of Elementary Students
Resisting unhealthy food items such as snacks, fast foods, and carbonated beverages is not an easy task. There has to be a proper disciplined implementation of a set plan, aimed at providing the child a healthy living. The best way is to begin the day with a nourishing breakfast, consisting of low fat and high proteins and high carbohydrates food items. The breakfast table should contain foods that are high in energy, rather than high fat, sugar-coated cereals, or items of the sort (Alliance for a Healthier Generation).
Breakfast is the most essential meal of the day. The food commercials that children view are a big misguidance for them, as well as the association of being skinny and healthy often motivates them to think unwisely. Studies have shown that it is important to organize food items in a way so that they produce the maximum benefits to the child, especially, and all individuals on the whole (White, C., 2008).
The basic nutrients that are essential for the growth of the body include:
- Proteins
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Vitamins
- Minerals
The minerals include calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, etc. For elementary students, it is detrimental to include a large amount of calcium in the diet, for developing strong teeth and bones. Proteins and carbs, as they call carbohydrates, are also significant elements in the growth process, providing for cell growth and normal functioning of the organs of the body.
A lack of any of the essential elements of food may cause adverse effects to the growing child’s body. A deficiency in the essential nutrients will lead to various diseases. Unhealthy eating habits and unhygienic conditions, under which food is served, may also be the leading cause of fatal diseases such as hepatitis and diarrhea. There is mostly an imbalanced dietary intake of students prevalent in schools (Risvas, et al., 2008).
One of the first factors to be considered while choosing to provide elementary students a healthy lifestyle and eating habits is to look into the time that is granted to them for meal intake during their long day at school. The students should be provided sufficient lengths of time in the middle of the school hours to eat and sufficiently nourish themselves (Conklin, M et al, 2002). Children usually get awareness concerning foods from their families, or the media, like television viewing (Abdollahi, et al). These children should be imparted education regarding healthy foods and their effects on the growing and developing body and brain. Whatever shortcomings an individual may have in childhood, will affect the health conditions when adulthood is reached. This is an automated process, as whatever is eaten during the early years, has an impact on general health during the later stages of life (Abdollahi, et al).
For elementary students, the best strategy that can be put in place is to offer a well-balanced meal at the cafeteria, so that students do not have a choice but to eat that healthy nutritious food. Foods high in sugars and processed starch tend to harm the body and should be eliminated from the menu card (Seaborn, R., 1995). The food directors at various schools should make sure the menu card passes through the eyes of a health professional, and provides all the nutrients a growing child needs, following the ‘food guide pyramid’. This is a guide to the quantities of the various nutrients each individual requires, providing a balance for the sustenance of growth and development of the body.
After much notice of the raising illnesses and unfit conditions of young students, school authorities all over, have started auditing their canteens and providing better luncheons to them. Some schools have adopted the anti-fizzy drinks strategy and instead have provided milk packs or fresh juice (Ludwig, D. & Rostler, S., 2007). This is a good option for milk lovers. With the intake of milk during the mid-day break, the child’s calcium requirements of the day can be met. Similarly, with the introduction of fruits, vegetables, meat products, and some form of cereals, we can easily make our children eat well, for the amount of money that is paid.
Health promotion programs can be carried out at schools to create awareness amongst the students, of what is right or wrong for them. The best option remains in the fact that if the cafeteria was selling unhealthy food items like refined flour, it should be replaced with whole wheat flour, and drinks for fresh juices and water. Despite the manipulation by food outlets to attract a large number of children, care should be taken not to let young students get influenced by these advertisements (Schlosser, E. & Wilson, C., 2006).
Conclusion
It is evident that for elementary students, it is important to keep in mind the requirements of the body and provide healthy food according to the food guide pyramid. The cafeterias at school need to alter their food production and retailing procedures altogether, to provide the children the best food choices for optimum health. If this does not take place, these students will grow up to become unhealthy individuals and will pass on the same dietary patterns to upcoming generations.
Works Cited
Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Conklin, M. Retrieved on 01st December, 2008. How Long Does it take Students to Eat Lunch? The Journal of Child Nutrition and Management 2002.
Ludwig, D. & Rostler, S. Ending the Food Fight 2007.
Risvas, G., Panagiotakos, D, Chrysanthopoulou, S., Karasouli,K., Matalas, A. & Zampelas, A. Factors associated with food choices among Greek primary school students: a cluster analysis in the ELPYDES study.
Seaborn, R. The Childrens Health Food Book 2008.
Schlosser, E. & Wilson, C. Chew on This 2006.
White, C., 2008. Food Play Teaches Elementary School Students About Food, Nutrition. 2008. Journal of Public Health 2008 30(3):266-273; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdn039