Week 4 Assignment: Healthy Foods and Nutrition

Section 4: Healthy Food and Nutrition

Good nutrition and eating habits are very important for young children because birth to 5 years is the most essential time for growth and development. If a child doesn’t have good eating habits it can come back to hurt them later in life. They could become diabetic; have high cholesterol, heart problems, rickets disease, iron deficiency, etc. Having good eating habits help promotes good health! By consuming all the proper vitamins, minerals, fats help the body grow to its proper size, also the brain. Minerals help the metabolic process and regulate body fluids. (Robertson, 2010)

Two ways adults can help develop healthy eating habits are by: being knowledgeable in the nutritional area, understanding your child or the child in your care, encouraging them to help cook and be a part of the process. Children love to be involved and help grown-ups. Trying new foods at the best time of the day for the child is a way we can help them experiment with new foods. Maybe by cutting the food in special shapes will help them eat more.

Recipe 1: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/crazy-curly-broccoli-bake

Crazy, Curly Broccoli Bake

Crazy, Curly Broccoli BakePreparation time: 25 minutes

1½ cups whole wheat corkscrew pasta, dry

3 cups broccoli, frozen, chopped

1 10.5-oz.can low-fat cream of broccoli soup, condensed

½ cup skim milk

2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs

¼ teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350oF.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Place frozen broccoli in large microwave safe and oven proof dish and cook for 2 minutes on HIGH.

Coarsely chop cooked broccoli.

Mix soup with skim milk, and add to chopped broccoli.

Add cooked pasta and mix. Top with bread crumbs and seasoning blend

Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes until heated through.

Serves: 6

½ Cup of Vegetables per Serving

Fruit and/or Veggie Color(s): Green

Nutrition Information per serving: calories: 164, total fat: 2.2g, saturated fat: 0.6g, % calories from fat: 11%, % calories from saturated fat: 3%, protein: 8g, carbohydrates: 31g, cholesterol: 2mg, dietary fiber: 5g, sodium: 351mg

Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamin C and fiber, and a good source of vitamin A, folate and magnesium.

Recipe was developed for Produce for Better Health Foundation by Chef Mark Goodwin, CEC, CNC. This recipe meets PBH and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.
Recipe 2: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/galloping-good-eggplant
Galloping Good Eggplant
Preparation time: 25 minutes

 ½ cup eggplant, diced

½ cup fresh mushrooms, diced

¾ cup fresh tomatoes, chopped

3 seconds butter-flavored cooking oil spray

¾ oz. fat-free mozzarella cheese (use a string cheese stick)

Instructions: Spray skillet with cooking oil. Sauté eggplant, mushrooms, and tomatoes in skillet until tender but cooked. Drain off extra juice and top with shredded or ‘peeled’ cheese. Let it melt.

Serves: 1

1½ Cups of Vegetables per Serving

Fruit and/or Veggie Color(s): Purple, White, Red

Nutrition Information per serving: calories: 95, total fat: 2.9g, saturated fat: 0.3g, % calories from fat: 25%, % calories from saturated fat: 2%, protein: 9g, carbohydrates: 10g, cholesterol: 4mg, dietary fiber: 3g, sodium: 151mg

Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamins A and C, and a good source of potassium, calcium and fiber.
Recipe 3: http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/hsmrs/Iowa/physicalactivitiesandhealthysnacksforyoungchildren.pdf (pg. 25)
1-5” whole wheat tortilla
1 tsp. low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped or grated vegetables (tomato, red pepper, cucumber, carrot, onion, zucchini) or cooked dried beans
2 Tbsp. grated cheese
Makes 5 wrap-ups
1. Mix mayonnaise and sour cream. Spread on one side of tortilla.
2. Top with 1/4 cup chopped vegetables and grated cheese.
3. Fold the tortilla in half or roll it up for a sandwich on the go.
Avocado Option:

Mix a small amount of mashed avocado into the mayonnaise/sour cream spread.
Wrap-Ups
1 wrap-up served with 1/4 cup
cranberry apple juice

Children who are vegetarians are sometimes missing out on
“Protein (dairy products, soy milk, eggs, tofu, dried beans, nuts, fish, shellfish, poultry)

Vitamin B12 (dairy products, eggs, fortified soymilk, clams, oysters, tuna)

Vitamin D (dairy products, vitamin-fortified products including orange juice and soymilk)

Calcium (dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, white beans, calcium-fortified products, sardines with bones)

Iron (dried beans, dried apricots, blackstrap molasses, leafy green vegetables, iron-fortified cereals and bread, clams, oysters)

Zinc (wheat germ, nuts, fortified cereal, legumes, oysters, turkey, ricotta cheese, crab)

*Eating a vitamin C rich food with iron foods increases iron absorption.”
Each of these recipes have nutrition facts on the page. Which is great so then you can see if it meets not only your calorie intake for the day, but your child’s also.
You can have the child help by having them wipe the table off, cleaning the fruit off, setting the table, etc. Children can also help mix ingredients and peel oranges. Depending on their age their activities can become more helpful to you. Such as a 5 or 6 year old can help measure ingredients, liquid or solid, when a 3 year old can’t do that yet, but can help pour it into a bowl and place things in the trash. You know what the child can do, so utilize that to help get them involved.

Reilly L.  Bites of passage: what you need to know when your teen goes vegetarian – includes list of resources.  Vegetarian Times.  [serial online].  November, 2004.  Available from: BNET Business Library.  Accessed March 7, 2008.

Robertson, Catherine. (2010) Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. (4th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Learning