Are you feeding your child right?

MANILA, Philippines - Providing their children with the best nutrition possible has become a tall order for working moms. Some of them will definitely agree that it’s easier said than done.

Planning or packing a yummy and nutritious meal as baon for the kids is tough especially if you’re short on time or low on budget. While some mothers still manage to fuel their kids’ brain and body with vitamin-packed food items, others resort to instant meals, which are loaded with sugar or high in fat and sodium content just to get them through the day. Talk about quick fix.

Well, one might blame this on the ignorance on the part of mothers who have no idea about proper nourishment. For them, what’s important is that they’re able to feed their children three square meals a day.

“For a preschooler to achieve optimum development, it’s important to fuel his brain and body with the right nutrition,” explains Dr. Emilie Flores, a medical nutritionist and professor of nutrition at the University of the Philippines.

She notes that the quality of diet of Filipino preschoolers and schoolchildren is lamentably inadequate to meet their nutritional requirements.

Parents should really give careful thought on how to feed their children right.

“Proper nutrition can be provided by feeding them balanced, nutritious, adequate, and varied meals suited to their tastes and preferences,” adds Dr. Flores.

Food for Thought

At a recent media conference about proper child nutrition, Dr. Ross Butler of the Pediatric Education Research and Innovation department of the Samson Institute of the University of South Australia stressed the importance of bioactive factors or biofactors in the total development of a child.

Biofactors, he explains, is a unique age-appropriate combination of nutrients and other ingredients that deliver functional benefits to a child. There are two kinds of biofactors: the brain biofactors and the body biofactors.

The brain biofactors include iron, DHA/AA, and zinc for developing language and other cognitive skills, while the body biofactors range from energy-packed nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to carotenoids such as lutein.

“Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats provide the body with energy while carotenoids are natural antioxidants with immune-enhancing effects that help protect healthy cells against damage from free radicals,” explains Butler.

Dr. Emilie Flores, on the other hand, says that the body requires at least 28 essential nutrients to develop and function well. Unfortunately, no single food can provide these essential nutrients. And that’s where milk comes in.

Wyeth recently introduced its New Progress Pre-School Gold, a scientifically developed formula for preschoolers aged four and above. The new milk formula is a high-energy, heart-healthy milk supplement (low in saturated fat and cholesterol) powered by Wyeth Biofactors System.

“Progress Pre-School has brain and body biofactors to help support a child’s incredibly dynamic brain and body during his preschool years,” notes Dr. Flores.

Parents should be keen in finding the good food sources rich in macronutrients and biofactors. Remember, a schoolchild requires on the average about 1,410 calories a day. This is broken down into six servings of rice, pasta or bread, three servings of veggies, two servings of fruits, two servings of meat, fish or poultry, and two glasses of milk.

“Read the food labels to know the nutritional contents of the preferred food choices for your kids. Provide at least one to two servings of quality milk that will meet at least a third of the recommended energy, protein, and brain-body biofactor nutrients to augment their current diet,” advises Dr. Flores.

It is also important to offer kids participatory deals in making alternative food choices and to be innovative in preparing their meals. If they like soup, put some vegetables chopped into tiny proportions so that it can easily be chewed by the child.

“Parents should be the key role model-provider of good nutrition. Nothing could be more rewarding than to watch your children grow into healthy, well-rounded individuals capable of enjoying the quality life they deserve,” concludes Dr. Flores.