Lfeeding children is crucial for guarantee them energy and well-being from the morning on. Combined with a healthy lifestyle it is the prerequisite for raising the healthy adults of tomorrow. So, put aside the Christmas holidays and some inevitable break from the rule, it’s time to restore good habits. But what should parents pay attention to?
The right portions
According to It emerged from the Nestlé survey carried out on a sample of nearly 300 adults, a concept still ignored concerns the portions. Only 61%, in fact, tend to differentiate them based on age, while 31% say that a child must eat like an adult to grow well and 28% say they always prepare equal portions for themselves and for their children. Yet 42% of parents claim that often it is your child who asks for a smaller portion of food. «Italy is unfortunately still dealing with a childhood obesity rate decidedly too high: 21% for males and 14% for females. In this context, prevention is essential, because an obese child will most likely be an obese adult. Protecting it means safeguarding public health ”, emphasizes Dr. Giuseppe Di Mauro, president of the SIPPS Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics.
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Feeding children: a tool for educating
Under the banner of the message “health starts from the plate”, we insert the Nutripiatto, a nutritional education tool aimed at children for promote a healthy and balanced diet which, starting with the smallest, involves the eating habits of the whole family. “The initiative was born thanks to the scientific contribution of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome and Sipps, which supported Nestlé in developing ‘Nutripiatto’, a life-size dish, called to encourage children to take an active part in the choice of food and in the elaboration of recipes, contained in a fun and colorful book », continues the president Di Mauro.
Who starts well …
«The baby starts the day well if you have slept an appropriate number of hours for your age. What I always ask parents is: does he go to sleep alone or with his smartphone? Electronic devices are a child’s worst friend as their blue light blocks the metabolic process of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone. As a result, he sleeps less and sleeps badly. Proper nutrition begins in the morning. I suggest everyone get up earlier, have breakfast together, chat with the TV off and start the day well. The first meal is really important. Must not miss: milk, cereals, jam, honey, wholemeal rusks, yogurt. In this way the child goes to school full of energy. Furthermore, a rich breakfast does not weigh you down and allows you to arrive at lunch not hungry. Throughout the day, thanks to healthy snacks, perhaps based on fruit and vegetables, it is possible to keep the sense of hunger under control, so as not to overdo it even at dinner. They are not suggestions that have a deadline, that is a week, a month, a year, but they should be followed for life “, underlines the expert.
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