by A balanced diet helps keep children healthy as they develop, providing energy and nutrients to grow and thrive. The CS Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Child Health asked a national sample of parents of children aged 3-10 about the food and diet choices they make for their child.
A third of parents (32%) think the typical American diet is healthy for children, compared to 47% for the Mediterranean diet, 31% for vegetarian, 22% for plant-based/vegan, and 13% in case of keto/low-. carb diet. Some parents report trying alternative diets for their children including 8% Mediterranean, 9% vegetarian, 6% plant-based/vegan, and 4% on a keto/low-carb diet.
When grocery shopping or meal planning, parents say they try to limit the amount of certain foods to help their child maintain a healthy diet, including limiting foods with added sugars (59%), processed foods (54%), fat (17% ) or meat (8%). Almost all parents (94%) reported that they tried at least one strategy to get their child to eat vegetables as part of a healthy diet, such as serving vegetables every day (59%), arranging vegetables as preferred by their child (53%), trying vegetables that their child had not had before (41%), letting their child pick out vegetables at the grocery store (41%) or helping to prepare the vegetables (25%), vegetables hiding in other foods (25%), or offering vegetables a reward for finishing vegetables (19%).
When determining the portion size for their child, most parents (69%) give their child slightly less than adults in the family; Fewer parents let their child choose what they take (23%), use predetermined portions from the package (5%), or give their child the same portions as adults (3%). Only 15% of parents say their family rule is that you have to finish what’s on your plate, while 54% say you have to try a bit of everything and 31% say no dessert if you don’t finish dinner . Most parents (71%) allow their child to have seconds, although some parents say only if their child finishes everything on their plate (21%) or only for healthy items (6%). Sixty-one percent of parents say they will do something different if their child doesn’t like what other family members are eating.
Parents describe their biggest challenges in making sure their child gets a healthy diet as the child is a picky eater (51%), the cost of healthy food (32%), doesn’t like food healthy with the child (27%), food waste (23%). ), and not having time to prepare healthy food (12%).
Highlights
- 1 in 3 parents think the typical American diet is healthy for children ages 3-10.
- 1 in 8 parents finish everything on their child’s plate.
- 3 out of five parents will do something different if their child doesn’t like what other family members eat.
Implications
Feeding young children can be difficult because of their general avoidance of unfamiliar foods and their often changing food preferences. The preschool and elementary years are an important time to establish healthy habits around eating patterns and taste preferences, but parents often wonder if their child is eating enough and getting the nutrients they need.
Only one-third of parents in this Mott Poll considered the typical American diet to be healthy for children; this may reflect parents’ recognition that the standard American diet is characterized by high amounts of saturated fat, added sugars, sodium, and refined carbohydrates, which can generate excess caloric intake beyond nutritional needs. This can contribute to weight gain and weight-related illnesses.
Family eating rules can promote or hinder a child’s healthy diet. Experts often recommend that “parents provide, and the child decides”; this means that parents are responsible for providing healthy options, allowing the child to choose the foods they eat and how much they want to eat. Asking children to eat everything on their plate, or to withhold dessert unless all other food is eaten, can lead to overconsumption, especially if portion sizes are too large. of the child. Portion size is key to mitigating the risk of childhood obesity, but getting a child’s portion “right sized” can be difficult for parents. The US Department of Agriculture provides a site called MyPlate that helps parents estimate the recommended balance for the major food groups and offers guidance on portion size estimation.
An important role for parents is to make good choices when grocery shopping so that children have healthy choices for meals and snacks. Not many parents are using this approach. Parents may have difficulty identifying unhealthy food, as foods marketed as healthy options may contain added sugars or processing. Some parents may not be aware of the negative impact certain foods have on their child’s long-term health, such as the link between “ultra-processed” foods and an increased risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In other cases, parents may give in to their child’s request for unhealthy foods or prefer those foods themselves.
Vegetables contain a variety of essential nutrients, but parents often face challenges trying to get their child to eat them. Offering vegetables daily helps to build familiarity. Including children in the selection and preparation of vegetables, as well as creative presentation or the use of healthy dips, may convince children to try a vegetable they are opposed to at the start. Parents should be persistent in the hope that children will be more open to eating vegetables regularly over time.
Many parents will do something separate if their child doesn’t like what the rest of the family eats, but the other food is often less healthy. Rather than letting the child choose a different menu, parents should provide a balanced meal and encourage the child to try at least a small amount of healthy foods that are not his choice. And since children learn by watching and imitating, parents should model the behavior of a well-balanced diet as their child’s eating habits and taste preferences mature.
Some parents view Mediterranean, vegetarian or plant-based diets as healthy alternatives, but few have tried them with their children. Parents may be unsure whether these diets provide adequate nutrition for young children or feel uncertain about how to ensure that such diets meet the child’s nutritional needs. In particular, for diets that limit animal products, parents will need to ensure that their child gets enough protein through alternative sources such as meat substitutes, tofu, or legumes.
Although ketogenic diets are popular among adults, they are generally not suitable for children. Ketogenic diets help treat certain types of epilepsy; outside of that specific situation, parents should avoid a ketogenic diet because it puts them at risk for deficiencies in the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.
