Helping preschoolers become healthy eaters

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Good nutrition is important from birth to fuel healthy growth and development. Feeding and eating experiences early in life also shape dietary preferences and, ultimately, the quality of nutrition throughout childhood (Fox et al., 2004; Lederman et al., 2004). The recent Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) found that parents give infants as young as 7 months of age soft drinks and French fries, contributing to development of a lifelong preference for sweet and salty foods (Fox et al., 2004). Parents often look to practitioners for guidance in establishing and reinforcing healthy eating habits throughout childhood that will help children avoid overweight and its comorbidities. Because children develop foodand nutrition-related attitudes during the preschool years, it is important for practitioners to help parents take advantage of the preschooler’s readiness to learn and potential to change (Young, Anderson, Beckstrom, Bellows, & Johnson, 2003). The benefits of healthy eating habits are many, including prevention of chronic under-nutrition and growth retardation as well as iron-deficiency anemia, dental caries, and overweight (American Dietetic Association [ADA], 2004). Parents and other child caregivers can provide opportunities for children to learn to like a variety of nutritious foods by repeatedly exposing them to these foods, overcoming their tendency to reject unfamiliar foods (ADA, 2004).