When we think about nutrition, there’s often more of an adult-focus, whether it’s discussing dieting or talking about disorders. When it comes to children’s diets, though, our discussion can be limited to topics like school lunches or staying away from sugar. To learn a bit more about children’s nutrition, we spoke with Caroline Green, registered dietician nutritionist at Simply Nutrition, to get some advice for parents regarding getting their students ready for school, whether in person or at home.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Free Times: When it comes to talking about [child] nutrition, how is it different from adults? Should we be thinking about it differently in any way?
Caroline Green: Energy need wise it truly depends. In general kids don’t need as much energy as a full-grown adult does. It depends on their age, their height, their gender, how much their body weighs, and how active they are really. Sure a young child doesn’t need the same portions as an adult, but say you have a really active teenager, they might need more energy during the day than some adults do. It really depends. The more active the child, the taller they are, the older they are, the more energy requirements they have. Young, young kids generally don’t need as much as a working, physically active adult does.
One of the tricky parts of the day for a student can often be gym class. It might be hours after gym that you get lunch or your after-school snack. Should we be finding some way to incorporate more nutrition throughout the day?
There are times where I think kids would benefit from snacks in between meals at school. Say a child left for school really quickly and they only had a small breakfast. Maybe they just grabbed a banana out the door. They are going to be hungry before lunch.
I see this a lot too with kids who have an early lunch. We see some kids having lunch as early as 10:45 in the morning and then by the time they get home from school or afterschool activity they are starving and are much more likely to overeat dinner or make poor choices. I think there could be room for flexibility.
Ultimately we should really teach our kids to listen to their hunger and fullness cues and really strengthen their natural intuitive eating abilities. I think school could be a little more liberal to let children have snacks if they are hungry between meals and not only have specific meal times.
Are there any rules to follow in putting together a good snack for children?
Ideally a balanced snack would include a source of carb and protein or fat. Carbs break it down to give their brains fuel and help them focus and continue learning and also give them energy, and protein and fat contributes to feeling full and satisfied to help keep them fuller.
The classic apple and peanut butter to Greek yogurt, string cheese and fruits, or cottage cheese and nuts. Even like a quick frozen waffle with some peanut butter on it. Essentially picking a carb — a fruit or a grain — and pairing it with some kind of fat and protein. That’s kind of a good balanced snack to get back to work, get back to school and help them stay fueled.
What about breakfast? It seems like the one place parents do have a lot of influence on during the day.
I agree, breakfast is something that — they say it’s the most important meal of the day and I still believe that. There’s a lot of research showing that kids who eat a balanced breakfast tend to have a healthier body weight and do better in school. I am a huge proponent of breakfast.
Some good examples are like oatmeal made with milk and berries and peanut butter. Whole grain toast with eggs, some veggies, side of fruit and yogurt, or one of my favorites, whole grain toast with peanut butter, banana slices and honey.
Usually the biggest barrier I see for kids eating breakfast is just time. Parents are rushing them out the door so they need something quick. I always say if kids like Greek yogurt that’s super easy. Greek yogurt, add a banana, add some granola and take it on the go.
What advice do you have for parents in regards to dos and don’ts that is not often considered, based on your experience with children, college students and adults?
The number one thing for parents is to remember that you may think that restricting sugar or not allowing them certain unhealthy foods is healthy for them, but it can do a lot of harm. We know from research that restricting children’s food can really lead to disconnection from other hungry cues — sneaking foods, weight gain, or preoccupation with food — and we see it time and time again in practice and research.
It’s hard, but encouraging parents to use neutral language for food, not saying food is good or bad, or not saying you can’t have that, that’s bad for you. Making food equal and fun and saying, “OK, we’re not having pizza tonight, we’ll have it tomorrow, today we’re having this yummy chicken and salad.”
Also, not commenting on children’s bodies. I see a common thread in adult clients, they have a lot of disordered eating and eating issues that stems from an overemphasis on weight growing up or parents not allowing any unhealthy foods.