A complete guide to baby health, a must-read for mothers

Nowadays, children are the treasure in every parent's hand, and parents take care of their children in every possible way, from food and clothing to housing and transportation. Whether it is food, clothing, housing, transportation or other things, parents always want to give their children the best, and never want their children to suffer a little. As long as the child is a little uncomfortable, the parents will be very worried. Therefore, more and more parents are beginning to pay attention to some knowledge about baby health. They learn from the Internet and accumulate experience in life to prevent their children from getting sick and feeling uncomfortable. As the saying goes, disease comes from the mouth, so we must have good eating habits.

The so-called good eating habits refer to eating habits that can fully implement the four basic principles of a balanced diet, namely food diversity, balance, moderation and individualization, into daily eating behaviors and make such eating behaviors evolve into one's own habits. Any eating behavior that meets the above principles can be called a good eating habit, otherwise it is called a bad eating habit.

In order to facilitate parents and children to remember, good eating habits are summarized into seven do's and seven don'ts as follows:

1. Eat a variety of foods and don’t be picky or partial to certain foods.

There is no food in the world that can provide all the nutrients needed by the human body, so we must eat a variety of foods. Any picky eating or partial eating will hinder our ability to obtain comprehensive nutrition. Some children are only picky about certain foods. Parents can choose other foods from the same food group instead. However, serious picky eating and partial eating, such as not eating meat or vegetables, must be corrected. The daily menu should include 5 nutritious food groups, none of which can be missing

2. Eat a balanced diet. Don’t eat more of what you like and less of what you don’t like.

Different foods have different nutrients. The body has a certain amount of requirements for each nutrient. It is not good to consume more or less. If we eat more of what we like and less of what we don't like, although the food variety appears to be rich, there will be a deviation in the amount of nutrients, which will destroy the balance of nutrients. Foods of all levels should be consumed in proportion, and attention should be paid to the matching of foods in the same group, such as the matching of coarse and fine, the matching of dark and light vegetables, the matching of fish, poultry and meat, etc.

3. Eat on time and don’t eat snacks between meals

Three meals a day are our main channels for nutrition intake, which is in line with the physiological characteristics of the human digestive system. Eating too many snacks between meals will affect the amount of food you consume during the main meals. Some students often buy food from roadside vendors after school in the afternoon. These foods not only have simple nutritional ingredients, but also most of them have food hygiene problems. Parents can prepare snacks for their children after school, but the quantity should not be too much.

4. Eat three meals in moderation. Do not skip or eat less breakfast or lunch, and eat more dinner.

The total energy of three meals a day should be 30% each in the morning and evening, and 40% at lunch. Skipping or eating less breakfast can affect your physical health, reduce your physical strength and affect the normal brain activity. If you eat a light lunch, you will overeat at dinner. In addition, you should eat moderately during holidays and family banquets. Don't eat too much or eat too fast, otherwise it will damage the normal digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract and even cause vomiting or indigestion.

5. Eat a light diet and avoid high-energy foods such as fried foods, candy, ice cream, and sugary drinks.

More than half of a child's total daily energy should come from food, about 1/6 from protein, and only about 1/4 from fats and oils. Excessive intake of heavy oil foods or sugars will not only lead to excessive energy intake, greatly increasing the risk of modern civilization diseases such as high blood pressure, high blood lipids, obesity, and coronary heart disease in children, but also make it difficult to digest because it is too sweet, and the lack of dietary fiber affects the digestive function, causing digestive tract diseases such as constipation and gastritis.

6. Choose food that suits your body type, not just based on taste.

Food can nourish us but also harm us. For example, children with weak spleen and stomach who are greedy for raw and cold food may suffer from gastrointestinal discomfort or diarrhea. Children with severe internal heat who are addicted to fried food or eat mutton hotpot may often suffer from oral ulcers or dry stools. This is because the properties of the food are not compatible with children's physique. Parents should be familiar with the warm and cool properties of food and provide food that is consistent with their children's constitution. They should also adjust the food according to the change of seasons.

7. Eat in a civilized manner. Do not watch TV, read, play or talk loudly while eating.

The dining environment should be quiet, and we should cultivate the habit of chewing slowly. Relaxing and soothing music can help people maintain a happy mood. Parents can talk about the dishes at the dinner table to stimulate children's appetite or introduce nutritional knowledge. The dining table is not the place to correct children’s bad eating habits. Daily education should be strengthened and children should not be scolded during meals.