Preparation At Home Is Associated With Better Diet Quality Among Canadian Children

As a childcare provider I must ensure quality meals are served to children and that nutrition education is encouraged. I offer a variety of foods for our preschoolers and toddlers. Each meal has whole grain bread, a serving of vegetables, and a serving of fruit, with a meat or meat alternate, and milk is served with each meal. I believe that my menu meets all the requirement for a child’s nutritional needs according to the “National Standards for Child Nutrition Programs”

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America. "the percentage of obese children doubling from 6.5% in 1980, to 17.0% in 2006. Weight, nutrition, and physical activity are the main components to a child’s overall health.”(1) “When parents become too busy to cook meals in their homes, children learn poor eating habits and develop into unhealthy eaters.”(1) They will take what they learned at home and apply it to anywhere else that they eat. For example a child that drinks milk at dinner and sits with their family at dinner when asked what they want to drink when they are at a friend’s home will ask for milk because the child would associate milk with dinner. Children cannot make healthy choices of their own they need to be guided so

Choosing nutrient-dense foods containing high-quality calories and spreading them evenly throughout the day, together with regular exercise, remain key factors in managing weight and staying healthy. Toronto is making it easier for people to make informed and healthy choices about what to eat when dining out. Ontario is the first province in Canada to require food service providers with 20 or more locations in the province to include the number of calories for each food and beverage item on their menus. Fats are calorie-dense, so having the nutrition facts up and visible will assist a child and their families in choosing foods that are lower in fat, especially if they are trying to make significant eating choices. When it comes to restaurants, especially fast food chains, many people do not realize how many calories they are consuming; having these calories present is not only eye opening, but incredibly motivating when it comes to making informed choices. This initiative may then proceed to motivate a child and their parents to dig deeper into nutritional facts, educating themselves on the amount of saturated fat and trans fats in each serving. They will want to choose foods that are low in saturated and extremely low in trans fats, as not only will it support their obesity, but can raise their blood cholesterol and increase risk of heart

A good and healthy nutrition is essential for your health. However, a survey that was conducted in 2007 proves that the Australian adolescents consume less fruit and the intake of the saturated fat and the sugars have increased in consumption (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Some of the studies have shown that adolescents who frequently eat with at least one family member has a greater chance of having better food and also have a good nutritional intake. It is very evident that having the family meal a priority and by creating a positive family meal atmosphere, associates with a decreased rate of disordered eating behaviours and eating disorders in adolescents (DAA, 2016). Research shows that the Australians are eating even less fruit and vegetables before all the fast food companies started growing. The data received by the Bureau of Statistics show that the teenagers are the main charge in unhealthy eating dominated by the fast food. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015).

As of 2017, millions of families in the United States live in poverty. As a result, this forces parents in between a rock and a hard place. This position of food insecurity, when someone is in a state where they are not able to access good quality food, leaves families with some cheap, unhealthy choices for food. Yet still, there are many other reasons as to why the United States is pressed with the major issue of food insecurity. One reason stems from the quality of American school lunches compared to those in other countries. Another is the link between hunger and obesity and the long-term health consequences of relying on processed foods for sustenance.

Both the prevalence and incidence of childhood obesity may increase because of all these potential root causes. Katzymarzyk & Janssen (2004) support this with their conclusion that in North America it is likely that both dietary intake and physical inactivity have played a role in the increasing prevalence of obesity, not just one single factor. Of these possible root causes, overconsumption due to large portion sizes will be focused as the single root cause as it dictates the probability of becoming obese at the fundamental level. Canadian society has seen a shift in the past century to larger serving sizes, inexpensive and accessible food, and frequent snacking that make it easier to overload on calories (Blackburn-Evans, 2004). Additionally, a different study concluded that obese children and adolescents need to limit their sugar-sweetened drinks and out of home food consumption as there is a relationship between these foods and body fatness, due to higher calorie intake (Gillis & Bar-Or, 2003). Gillis & Bar-Or (2003) went further to determine the types of foods children that are obese were consuming, and they found that they were consuming more servings of meat and alternatives, sugar-sweetened drinks, grain products, and potato chips compared to non-obese children. Overconsumption of these products contributes to a higher daily calorie intake. Overall, managing children’s calorie input to calorie output

One of the toughest things parents have to face every day is getting their children to eat right at the dinner table. Breakfast, lunchtime, and dinnertime to some families can be stressful times of the day because the parents and the children just cannot seem to agree on what the children should eat, why they should eat it, how much they should eat, and when they should eat. Many parents know what their children should eat, but just do not know how to get their children to actually eat them. In the book, It 's Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach Your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating, Dina Rose insists that the only way to get children to eat what you want them to eat is to move away from the nutrition mindset—that is solely

Behavioral factors include the children’s eating habits, lifestyle at home, and their choices of activity (Kugel et al., 2016). While there are public policies that focus on nutritious food being available at school meals and more time for physical activity, there is still the matter of what children do once they get home after school. There have been studies where therapists provide their clients with helping tools such as food boards and portion control plates to give their clients a clear picture of what is healthy. Emphasis has been put on approaching the treatment

One in three Canadian children are overweight. The amount of kids being obese has quadrupled in the past 30 years. 170 million children worldwide are overweight. Saskatchewan and Alberta has a significantly higher obesity rate than other Canadian provinces, a factor of that is because of schools serving unhealthy choices. Schools offer unhealthy food because it’s widely available and much cheaper. Schools need to integrate healthier food options and limit the junk food offered in their building. Nutrition affects our children's academic skills, without the essential nutrients, kids brains aren't fully functioning to the potential they could reach. If schools could integrate healthier food choices and dim down the amount of junk food the obesity pandemic would be lowered.

Australia's struggles with its citizens' nutritional problems are not unique. Australia's struggles with such problems as uneducated food choices, the lack of healthy food choices, the direct connection between socioeconomic disadvantage and poor nutrition, the direct connection between advertising and obesity in children, the need for early education about healthy food choices, and the need for a home environment that supports healthy eating are being addressed by researchers across the Globe. These many studies have resulted in an enormous amount of data; however, wading through these studies reveals the varying reliability and usefulness of their findings. It appears that there is no uniform standard for assembling a survey population, creating survey tools, collecting data, examining data or reaching conclusions. Nevertheless, after one has scoured the research, a pattern emerges among the more impressive studies, in this case regarding Australian food choices. They assert that education, finance and home environment influence food choices in Australian homes and their conclusions appear to be solidly supported by scientific research and honest data examination.

Our children’s nutritional education is almost nonexistent. Ask a fifth grader what the food pyramid is and you’re likely to receive the same blank stare as I did. Most children have no idea what a balanced meal is because they may have never received one. Schools provide nutritional meals at lunch, but there is no enforcement when it comes to eating your fruits and vegetables. Lets face it, children eat what’s familiar. If they haven’t had it at home they are probably not going to eat it at school. If there are no vegetables at home, they are not going to eat them at school. Home life definitely sets the tone for a child’s eating and exercise routines.

It is no secret that children learn their first eating habits from home. For the parents who

As a result, the program demonstrated that parenting styles does not have an effect on eating habits; although parental influence is valuable, reinforcement at an individual level is warranted in the effort to decrease poor eating practices and morbidity in adolescents and college students. Things such as skill enhancement with regard to meal preparation, role modeling among peers, the establishment of healthier food providers like famer’s markets and the access to healthier food choices are

The fast-paced lifestyle of Americans today results in unhealthy frozen T.V. dinners and take-out meals. In present day society, the role of woman and men are virtually equal. With this making both the mother and father of families busy, there is little time for home cooked meals. A hardy breakfast is replaced with sugary pop-tarts, hand packed lunches is replaced with money for fast food, and frozen T.V. trays take the place of a healthy dinner. These foods may all taste good, but they are not healthy. By giving children lunch money, the children are having the choice to buy whatever foods they please. It could be easily assumed that a child would choose a candy bar, chips, and a soda over a school lunch. Again, the children are not the only ones to be blamed here. The parents need to take time to guide their children towards what food is healthy and what food is unhealthy. By taking a little more time out of the day and making healthier food choices, the rate of childhood obesity could slow down, if not stop altogether.

In today’s society, most people plan their daily meals around their busy schedules. Food plays an important role in our lives and most just rely on fast food because it is quicker and easier. However, devouring fast food is one of the worst choices you can make. In order to maintain proper health and prevent numerous illnesses and diseases, consuming healthy homemade meals is definitely a more ideal choice. According to a recent study, “when people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat than those who cook less or not at all – even if they are not trying to lose weight” (Wolfson). Because many people work full time and get home very late, people continue to eat it without being aware of how unhealthy it is for you and the health risks that it can eventually bring on. Based on the demand for quality food choices of today’s generation, it is important to compare and contrast the effects of preparing healthy, homemade meals versus relying on fast food restaurants for daily eats.