Preventing Childhood Diabetes Through Healthy Eating
When children experience growth spurts, they need additional protein for muscle growth, calcium, and vitamin D to accommodate bone growth, and iron for overall tissue growth. Because of this, children will need more energy or calories during these spurts.
Watch the video below to learn more about matching your child’s calorie needs with their new energy level.
Nutrition for Kids & Teens
Research on healthy eating for children and teens shows how much food from each food group is required for growth, development, and activity. Overall, the quality of US children’s dietary patterns decreases as they move through childhood into adolescence.
Healthy Eating Index
Research studies measure this by the Healthy Eating Index, which rates a population’s eating patterns by each food group. It assigns a numeric score, from 1-100, with 100 being the score for a balanced diet. Current scores for these age groups are:
- 61 for ages two to four,
- 55 for ages five to eight,
- 52 for ages nine to13, and
- 51 for ages 14-18.
There is a lot of room for improvement in the dietary patterns of all US children and teens. They can eat foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals and drastically decrease foods high in sugar, saturated fat, and sodium.
Recommendations on What to Eat
Recommendations for children and teens are to eat foods from the following food groups:
- Vegetables – including green, red/orange, beans/lentils, and starchy vegetables
- Fruits – especially whole fruits
- Grains – mostly whole grains
- Protein – such as meat, chicken, seafood, beans, nuts and soy products
- Oils – such as vegetable oil or oils in food
Children and teens should limit consumption of “calories for other uses” to 150 calories or less. This allows for a minimal amount of treat foods like soda, baked goods, and candy—about two small cookies per day.
Find detailed tables on healthy eating, for kids, including amounts from each food group per day in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Provide Nutrient Dense Meals & Snacks
Parents and caretakers can provide nutrient dense meals and snacks for children to help them get closer to the food group recommendations. Setting habits earlier in childhood can help teens develop healthy eating patterns as they move to adulthood.
Research About Healthy Eating in Kids & Teens
Research shows, however, there are many barriers to healthy eating in the US, such as an abundance of ultra-processed foods in grocery stores, an array of fast-food restaurants, and easily accessible treats that are marketed to us as ways to boost mood or indulge ourselves.
10 Habits for Healthy Eaters
While research doesn’t provide all the answers on how to raise healthy eaters, it does suggest certain habits and ways to encourage healthy eating. We’ve put together some ideas for you below.
1. Help Kids Listen to Their Body’s Cues About Hunger and Fullness.
Talk to kids and teens about their emotions and keep conversations going so kids can learn ways to address emotions without over or under eating.
2. Avoid Using Food as a Reward, Bribe, or Punishment.
Also, avoid labelling foods as forbidden or bad. Participate in positive conversations about food. Conversations about food can use language like “Fast-food is an occasional food, not an every-day food” or “Our family enjoys home-made foods with lots of fruit and veggies on most days.”
3. Involve Kids and Teens in Grocery Shopping and Food Preparation.
Help them develop cooking skills and take part in developing eating habits.
4. Serve Healthy Foods Most of the Time and Less Healthy Foods only on Occasion.
Try balancing meals by always serving a salad or vegetable. For example, when you serve pizza, always serve a salad or cut-up vegetables along-side it.
5. Teach Picky Eaters to Accept Meal Options.
If you have picky kids or teens, try the following phrase (instead of short-order cooking for each family member): “Some days we have your favorite meal and other days someone else in the family gets lucky. But there will always be something you can eat.”
6. Eat as a Family as Often as Possible.
Eating more meals as a family is associated with improved dietary quality, including more consumption of fruits, vegetables, grains, calcium-rich foods and fiber.
7. Limit Sugar Sweetened Beverages.
Let kids and teens know that sugar sweetened beverages, like soda, energy drinks, and fruit drinks are limited in your family because they are high in sugar, and are occasional foods, just like candy.
8. Minimize Ultra-Processed Foods in Your Home.
Ultra-processed foods are products like cookies, crackers, sugar-sweetened cereals, and other packaged foods that would be challenging to make at home. Choose fresh foods as often as possible.
9. Talk About How Different Families Eat Different Foods Based on Their Backgrounds and Preferences.
Try foods from other cultures and backgrounds to help your kids become adventurous eaters.
10. Avoid Focusing on Weight When Talking About Healthy Eating.
If you are concerned about your child’s weight or eating habits, contact your pediatrician or registered dietitian nutritionist.
Takeaways
Think long-term and works towards having your kids become teens that can eat and prepare healthy food for themselves, and then become adults that are self-sufficient and confident about their eating styles and body size. Avoid focusing on perfect eating, and keep the focus on healthy meals most days, exploring new meals as a family, and including vegetables, salads, and fruit at every meal.
Next Steps
If you think your teen needs assistance with their diet, schedule an appointment with a pediatrician, family medicine, or internal medicine provider. View our providers in each of these areas.
Recipes
Research on healthy eating for children and teens identifies how much food from each food group is required for their growth, development, and activity. With these in mind, we created healthy recipes for you and your family to cook at home with low cost and short cook and prep times.
Contact Us
For additional questions or to request an in-person workshop please email us at uuccn@utah.edu.
