Most frequent problems (1-3 years)

Influence of Television

Children are greatly influenced by the media. Food advertised at times when children are watching is mostly biscuits, soft drinks, breakfast cereals rich in sugar, and generally unhealthy foods, never fruit or vegetables.

Watching television while eating creates an association with poorer nutritional choices and less control over the amount of food eaten.

 

Excessive Calorific Intake

 

Meals should be at specific times, with a wide range of nutrient-rich foods like fruit and vegetables instead of foods high in calories and low in nutrients, such as ice cream, chips, biscuits, fried foods and sugary drinks.

Pay special attention to the size of servings, taking the child´s age and weight into account.

It´s important to respect the child´s self-control over appetite, since forcing a child to eat can cause him to become overweight.

It´s natural for parents to want to make a child eat, but this can result in the child losing the ability of self-control over how much food is eaten. On the other hand, completely banning certain foods can cause excessive desire for forbidden foods.

Disproportionate Protein Intake

Excessive protein intake must be controlled as excessive consumption in the early years of life can encourage the development of obesity in the future.

Excessive Consumption of Lipids, Especially Saturated Fats

The excess intake of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids in the first years of life appears to influence the development of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, thrombosis) in adulthood.

Insufficient Consumption of Carbohydrates, although with an Excess of Refined Sugars

The recommended intake levels of legumes and cereals are rarely met, however, those for refined sugars are exceeded, due to snacking, which promotes, inter alia, the development of dental caries, constipation, overweight etc.

Excessive Consumption of Salt

Excessive salt intake in infancy may promote the development of hypertension later in life, especially in children with a family history of it. Salt should, therefore, not be added to food, and salty foods should be limited.

Insufficient Consumption of Fibre

There are numerous benefits related to fibre intake, such as improving constipation/regulation of intestinal transit, lowering cholesterol, positive effects in the control of diabetes, prevention and treatment of obesity and prevention of certain cancers.

Children who don´t eat fruit, vegetables, legumes and cereals, or those who don´t consume a sufficient quantity, may not be getting an adequate intake of fibre.

Unvaried Diet, with Foods Always Liquidised

There are critical times for the introduction of solid foods, which, if not introduced before 10 months of age, increases the risk of eating problems later.

It is important for both proper psychomotor and nutritional development to introduce foods of a suitable consistency at the right age, avoiding extending feeding puréed foods for longer than necessary.

Children may initially refuse new foods, or use food rejection as a way to assert themselves or even blackmail an adult, which is why it is necessary to regularly offer a varied diet, serving the foods that are refused with others that are accepted, with the rest of the family eating them too, thereby setting a good example.

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