A balanced diet helps children stay healthy as they develop, providing energy and nutrients for their growth and development. The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Survey of Children’s Health asked a national sample of parents of children ages 3 to 10 about the food and dietary choices they make for their children.
While one-third (32%) of parents think the standard American diet is healthy for children, 47% prefer a Mediterranean diet, 31% choose a vegetarian diet, 22% choose a plant-based/vegan diet, and 13% choose a keto/low diet. carbohydrate diet. Some parents report trying alternative diets for their children, including 8% Mediterranean, 9% vegetarian, 6% plant-based/vegan, and 4% keto/low-carb diet.
When grocery shopping or meal planning, parents say they try to limit the amount of certain foods to maintain their child’s healthy diet; This includes limiting foods containing added sugar (59%), processed foods (54%) and fat (17%). ) or meat (8%). Nearly all parents (94%) report trying at least one strategy to get their children to eat vegetables as part of a healthy diet, such as serving vegetables every day (59%) or arranging vegetables to their child’s preference (53%). Eating vegetables that their children have not eaten before (41%), allowing them to choose vegetables at the grocery store (41%) or helping to prepare vegetables (25%), hiding vegetables in other foods (25%) or offering other foods to their children (25%) reward for finishing (19%).
When determining portion sizes for their children, most parents (69%) give their children slightly less than the adults in the family; Fewer parents let their child choose how much they eat (23%), use predetermined portions from the pack (5%), or give their child the same portions as adults (3%). Only 15% of parents say the family rule is to finish what’s on your plate, while 54% say you should try everything and 31% say you shouldn’t have dessert if you don’t finish dinner. Most parents (71%) allow their children a few seconds off, but some parents say their child only finishes everything on their plate (21%) or only buys healthy foods (6%). 61 percent of parents say they would do something different if their child didn’t like another family member’s food.
Parents define the biggest difficulties they experience in ensuring their children eat healthy as the child being picky about food (51%), the cost of healthy food (32%), the child not liking healthy food (27%), and food waste (23%). ) and lack of time to prepare healthy food (12%).
Highlights
- 1 in 3 parents think the standard American diet is healthy for children ages 3 to 10.
- 1 in 8 parents make their child finish everything on their plate.
- 3 in 5 parents will do something different if their child doesn’t like what other family members are eating.
Implications
Feeding young children can be difficult due to their general avoidance of unfamiliar foods and their food preferences changing frequently. Preschool and primary school age is an important period for forming healthy habits regarding eating patterns and taste preferences; But parents often wonder if their child is eating enough and getting the nutrients they need.
In this Mott Poll, only one-third of parents rated the standard American diet as healthy for children; This may reflect parental awareness that the standard American diet is characterized by high amounts of saturated fats, added sugars, sodium, and refined carbohydrates, which can lead to excessive caloric intake beyond nutritional needs. This can contribute to excess weight and weight-related diseases.
Family meal rules can encourage or inhibit a child’s healthy eating. Experts often recommend: “The parent provides, the child decides”; This means that parents are responsible for providing healthy options by allowing the child to choose what foods they eat and the amount they want to consume. Asking children to eat everything on their plate or banning dessert unless all other foods have been eaten can lead to overconsumption, especially if portion sizes are too large for the child’s age. Portion size is key to reducing the risk of childhood obesity, but it can be difficult for parents to “right-size” a child’s portion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a visual called MyPlate that can help parents estimate the recommended balance of major food groups and offers guidance on estimating serving size.
An important role for parents is to make good choices when grocery shopping so that children have healthy meal and snack options. Many parents do not use this approach. Parents may have difficulty identifying unhealthy foods, as added sugars or processed foods may be reflected in foods marketed as healthy options. Some parents may not be aware of the extent to which certain foods can negatively impact their child’s long-term health, such as the link between “ultra-processed” foods and an increased risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. In other cases, parents may give in to their children’s cravings for unhealthy foods or choose these foods themselves.
Vegetables contain a variety of essential nutrients, but parents often face difficulties getting their children to eat them. Offering vegetables every day helps build familiarity. Involving children in vegetable selection and preparation, creative presentation, or use of healthy sauces can persuade children to try a vegetable they initially resisted. Parents should persist in the hope that over time children will become more receptive to eating vegetables regularly.
Many parents make something separate if their child doesn’t like what the rest of the family is eating, but often alternative foods are less healthy. Rather than allowing the child to choose an alternative menu, parents should offer a balanced meal and encourage the child to try at least small amounts of healthy foods that may not be his or her preference. Because children learn by watching and imitating, parents need to model balanced eating behavior as their children’s eating habits and taste preferences mature.
Some parents see Mediterranean, vegetarian or plant-based diets as healthy alternatives, but relatively few parents try them for their children. Parents may be unsure whether these diets provide adequate nutrition for young children or uncertain about how to ensure that such diets meet the child’s nutritional needs. Particularly for diets that limit animal products, parents need to ensure their children get enough protein from alternative sources, such as meat substitutes, tofu, or legumes.
Although ketogenic diets have become popular among adults, they are generally not suitable for children. Ketogenic diets are useful in treating certain types of epilepsy; Except in this particular case, parents should avoid giving their children a ketogenic diet because it puts them at risk of deficiencies in the nutrients they need to grow and develop.