Merry eats for young eaters

MANILA, Philippines - The signs of the holiday season are all around us once more. One of the most enduring icons associated with the holidays, along with the ornate parols burning through the night, the holiday hymns wafting through the air, and the ornate Nativity displays, is that of the noche buena, or Christmas feast. Tables covered with heaping piles of traditional Yuletide fare such as ham, turkey, arroz caldo, hot chocolate, embotido and quezo de bola tickle the appetite and bring cheer to the palate. It’s the perfect boon to celebrate this season of joy.

Unfortunately, amid the surge of activities, something valuable normally gets left behind — your kid’s nutrition. Many kids miss out on vital nutrients during the holidays due to a delicious, but sometimes imbalanced, diet that excludes some of the more important food groups. Nutritional deficiency can make a child more sluggish, perform poorly in school, and develop at a weaker pace. And as any kid can tell you, losing steam when there’s so much fun to be had during the so-called ’ber months can be a real put-down.

Even parents in the most festive mood will agree that nutritional deficiency is a major hurdle that needs to be overcome, if their kids are to receive complete and balanced nutrition, during this time. Unfortunately, many well-meaning parents tend to refer to the “more is better” method of feeding. That is, they assume that as long as kids eat a heaping pile of whatever is being served, their nutritional needs are considered met. This is hardly an effective measure since studies indicate that even a child with a seemingly full stomach can suffer from malnutrition. In this time of plenty, quality, not quantity, should be the objective.

Active kids need a complete and balanced nutritional supplement developed with a high-energy yield to meet their increased calorie needs. To keep them at the top of things, ensure that the supplement they receive is lactose-free and contains the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals; iron to support the red blood cells and spark energy production; zinc to aid physical development essential for growth and 100-percent vegetable fat with 16-percent MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) for better absorption of nutrients. choline, taurine and omega 6 and 3 fatty acids to sharpen the mind and mental faculties, enabling them to tackle that big math problem or the next school project. 

Another effective measure parents can take is to improve their own Yuletide eating habits, since kids are masters of mimicry. So get ready to dig into that salad bowl sitting at the corner of the buffet table yourself, if you want your son or daughter to develop a taste for the healthy stuff. 

There’s another all-too familiar sight on the banquet table. A mother, tired and weary from accomplishing a long list of Christmas chores, tries to cajole her uncooperative child into finishing his/her dinner. The child, weaned on fast-food and hesitant to try new dishes, refuses to eat the unfamiliar treats on the table. What should be a festive mealtime with the family, turns into a veritable power struggle between the mother and her hard-to-feed (HTF) child.

Studies recognize that a during a child’s developmental stage, a reluctance to try unfamiliar foods — called neophobia — is normal. The average child takes about eight to 10 presentations of a new food before he/she willingly accepts it. It may be frustrating trying to develop your kid’s taste for veggies or other foods, but understand that this lack of gusto is actually an instinctive protective mechanism. The gastrointestinal tract of a child is more delicate than that of an adult, thus kids instinctively avoid strange foods that might — rightly or wrongly — pose a danger to their health.  

Other methods to help boost their appetites include: using fun names for foods they might not like — such as “Santa Sticks” for carrots or “Superpower Food” for spinach; serving new food alongside old recipes to ease acceptance; presenting one new dish at a time; allowing the child to help with preparing the food and planning the menu; combining a favorite food with a new one, such as vegetables with pasta and spaghetti sauce; having a regular picnic with the kids — sometimes children are more keen on tasting new foods outside the usual dining room setting.

Overcoming this problem is a prime concern among parents. And with the unpredictable appetites of kids and the seemingly endless feasting that comes with the holidays, finding the root of pickiness becomes all the more urgent.

One way parents can enhance their hard-to-feed kid’s diet is to provide a supplement such as PediaSure Plus, a leading pedia-recommended child nutritional supplement. It’s clinically proven to increase children’s height and weight, plus build their immune system through its unique synbiotics ingredient. Even the pickiest eaters will relish the delicious Classic Vanilla and Premium Chocolate flavors.

A balanced diet, the proper care, and the top-notch nutritional supplement will help an active kid keep up with the fast pace of the holiday season. When facing the challenges of your kids’ picky yuletide appetite, ask your Pedia to be Sure.

Call Abbott Nutrition Solutions at 995-1555 or its toll-free number 1-800-10-995-1555 to get more information from certified nutritionists.