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Nutrition

March is National Nutrition Month!

Check back here throughout the month for facts and tips on childhood nutrition.

Reports show 40% of kids don't eat breakfast. Here's a couple of reasons why they should.

The State of Minnesota Breakfast Study showed that "students who ate breakfasts before starting school had a general increase in math grades and reading scores, increased student attention, reduced nurse visits, and improved student behaviors."
Children who eat a healthy breakfast "meet their daily nutritional needs, keep their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels, attend school more frequently, and make fewer trips to the school nurses office complaining of tummy aches."
Kids "who eat breakfast are more likely than children who skip breakfast to consume foods with adequate levels of minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamins, such as riboflavin, vitamins A, C, and B12, and folate."

If you're in a hurry in the morning, like most families, there are several quick and healthy breakfast options available. According to the American Dietetic Association, these can include:

Ready-to-eat cereal with fruit and milk.
Toasted bagel with cheese.
Fruit-filled breakfast bar and yogurt.
Toasted waffle topped with fruit and yogurt fruit smoothie (fruit and milk whirled in a blender) peanut butter on whole-wheat toast If you can't provide a healthy breakfast for your child at home, you might also look at breakfasts offered at your child's school or daycare.

Iron-deficiency anemia is second only to obesity as the most common nutrition disorder found in U.S. children. Children from 6 months - 4 years are at risk because of rapid growth and sometimes limited food choices. Adolescents during their growth spurt may have difficulty keeping up with their body's high iron needs.

To help prevent iron-deficiency anemia, choose food sources high in iron such as lean meat, fish and poultry. They contain a form of iron known as heme iron, which is easily absorbed by the body. Non-heme sources of iron are found in soybeans, lima beans, almonds, peanut butter, dried apricots, raisins, spinach, potato, peas, winter squash and fortified cereals. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of non-heme iron. To get the most iron from plant-based foods, include a vitamin C source such as citrus, broccoli, kiwi, strawberries, peppers or potatoes with meals.

Babies older than six months should receive an iron-fortified baby cereal. Baby cereals are formulated with a type of iron that infants can easily absorb. After age one, children should be eating a variety of iron-rich foods.

Iron overload is a condition caused by over-supplementation (and rarely, as the result of an inherited disease). In most cases, men should avoid supplements which contain iron. Keep all vitamin/mineral supplements out of the reach of children in order to prevent iron (and other nutrient) toxicity.

If your child has iron-deficiency anemia, call TherapyWorks today to schedule a consultation with our pediatric registered dietitian.

Nutrition assessments are provided by a registered dietitian with over 10 years experience in pediatrics. Our dietitian can provide immediate correction of calorie, protein, vitamin and mineral deficiencies through a personalized nutrition program. In addition, we offer family education about meal planning, healthy meal patterns, food records, goals for meal and snack calories and behavioral parameters.