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Title: Milk for Your Child's Healthy
Mouth
Author: Minh Nguyen
Article:
Studies show that most kids don't get the calcium they need. In
fact, more than half of teenage boys and girls don't get enough
calcium. Bones grow most during the childhood and teenage years.
By eating and drinking foods with calcium, children and teens
can build up calcium-rich bones for now and for when they are
adults. This calcium helps keep bones strong and may prevent
them from getting fragile and breaking later in life.
Milk and other dairy foods are excellent sources of calcium. Calcium is a mineral that helps make teeth strong and healthy.
Even before baby teeth and adult teeth come in, they need
calcium. And after teeth come in, they continue to take in
calcium so they can develop fully. Calcium makes gums healthy.
Getting enough calcium as a young adult may help prevent gum
disease later in life. Calcium makes jawbones strong and healthy
too. Jawbones need to be strong -- they hold the teeth in place.
According to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, National
Academy of Sciences, 1997, one 8-oz glass of milk contains 300mg
of calcium. Children between ages 1-3 need about 500mg of
calcium (one and on-half glass of milk). Children between 4-8
years old need about 800mg of calcium (two glasses of milk). And
children of 9-18 years old need 1300 mg (four glasses of milk).
Kids can get calcium from:
* Milk and other dairy foods, like cheese and yogurt, are very
good sources of calcium. One 8-ounce glass of milk has about 300
milligrams of calcium. Just a few glasses can go a long way
toward giving kids the calcium they need each day. Milk also has
other vitamins and minerals that are good for teeth and bones.
The vitamin D in milk helps the body absorb calcium.
* Other healthy foods with calcium are dark green, leafy
vegetables; orange juice with calcium added; and soy milk with
calcium added.
The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends the following
types of milk for children:
* Babies under one year old should have breast milk or formula
with iron added.
* Children ages one to two should drink whole milk.
* Children ages two to five should be gradually switched to
fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk.
Food labels can tell you how much calcium is in one serving of a
food. Look at the % Daily Value next to the calcium number on
the food label.
* Try to eat and drink foods with 20% or more Daily Value of
calcium (like milk). These foods are good sources of calcium.
* A food with 5% Daily Value or less has just a little calcium.
* For most adults, 100% Daily Value = 1,000 milligrams of
calcium -- but children ages 9-18 need extra calcium, or 130% of
the Daily Value. This age group needs 1,300 milligrams, an
additional 300 milligrams of calcium each day. That means one
extra 8-ounce glass of milk or extra servings of another
calcium-rich food.
Not everyone can drink milk. Some people get an upset stomach if
they drink milk or eat dairy products. This may be (but is not
always) a sign of lactose intolerance. Lactose is the sugar
found in milk and dairy foods. When lactose is not digested it
may cause an upset stomach, bloating, diarrhoea, and gas. Lactose
intolerance is not common in young children. It is much less of
a problem if milk or dairy foods are taken with meals. Talk to
your paediatrician if you think your child might have trouble
digesting milk and dairy foods.
About the author:
For information, visit
Paediatric
Dentistry.
Soft Dental,(www.softdental.com) is Houston's
Top General Dentistry.
Title: What Do I Feed My Baby?
Author: Robin Darch
Article:
For the first four to six months of your baby's life, his or her
diet consists solely of milk, whether from breast or bottle.
When it comes time to start feeding your baby solid food, many
experts give conflicting advice about what the right types of
food to feed your baby. Some of these experts are of course,
right in your own family. Grandma, Aunt Bessie, your sister, and
others will all want to help you out by telling you what is
best. What they may not understand is that recommendations may
have changed since they were the mother of a new baby.
Dr. Ronald Kleinman, chief of Paediatric Gastroenterology and
Nutrition at Massachusetts General Hospital, recalls nutritional
guidelines that differ greatly from today's recommendations.
"Several generations ago, doctors were quite dogmatic in
establishing the order of what came first, next, and next. For
example, the paediatrician would say, 'First, rice cereal. Then,
peas. Then, introduce a yellow vegetable.' There wasn't any
rhyme or reason to that dogmatism."
Without that strict guideline though, it's easy for parents to
be confused about which approach to take. What type of food is
the best to start with? How much should my baby eat each day?
What types of food are bad or harmful to my baby? What if he's
allergic to something I feed him? There are also a lot of myths
to confuse you even more.
Let's explore some myths and facts about your baby's diet;
Myth: The first food that your baby is fed must be rice cereal.
Rice cereal is a great place to start, but not the only
potential first food you feed your baby. Almost any soft,
hypoallergenic food can be fed to your baby as their first food.
Mashed sweet potatoes and applesauce are two examples.
Myth: You should not feed your baby meat as a first food. As
long as the food is soft or mashed and is hypoallergenic, your
baby should be able to eat it.
Fact: You need to allow some time after each new food you
introduce to see if it causes an allergic reaction in your baby.
Food allergies can cause reactions varying in severity from mild
to serious, including anaphylactic shock. However, the American
Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) reports that
only eight percent of children under age six have adverse
reactions to ingested foods, and that only two to five percent
have confirmed food allergies. People often confuse reactions to
food with food allergies. For example, if a child has a stomach
bug, he may be lactose intolerant for a week. That is a negative
reaction, but not an allergy. "There is a host of adverse
reactions to foods, and allergies are a subset of those," says
Dr. Kleinman.
Fact; Your baby has a higher chance of being allergic to
certain foods more than others, such as peanut butter, peanuts,
egg whites, shellfish, fish, and tree nuts like walnuts and
cashews. If your family is prone to food allergies you need to
wait until your baby is at least three years old before
introducing them to these foods. Even if your family is not
prone to food allergies, there is no reason to start your baby
on peanuts before age three.
Myth; If a baby refuses a food a few times, that means that she
doesn't like it. "There's a lot of good research to show that
children are notoriously stubborn about new foods," says Dr.
Kleinman. It's often necessary to introduce the unpalatable food
multiple times.
Leann Birch, head of the Department of Human Development and
Family Studies at Penn State, published a study on food
preferences in children. In it, she found that parents must
present a food six to eight times before a baby will accept it.
Don't force it, but don't give up easily, either. You really do
know more about nutrients, vitamins, and calories than your baby
does, and he's counting on you to persist.
Fact; As your baby begins to eat solid foods their motor skills
will become more efficient and they will be able to begin
feeding themselves. If you wish to speed the process along,
start out by offering your baby finger foods after they have
been on solid food for awhile, such as pieces of toasted oat
bread, small pieces of well-cooked sweet potato, banana slices,
or small chunks of avocado. Myth; Commercial baby food is
preferable to table food. Parents tend to believe that there's
something special about commercially made baby food. That's a
myth; in fact, most of the regular food on your table every
night is probably just fine for your infant to eat. By pureeing
food in a blender for your baby, you control exactly what your
infant eats. "None of the baby food manufacturers have been
found to be completely honest or accurate about what is in their
products," warns Dr. Charles Shubin, director of Paediatrics at
Mercy Medical Centre and Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at
The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Fact; You need to be extra careful when preparing food for
infants and small babies. Practice good food hygiene. Wash your
hands, scrub bowls and utensils thoroughly, keep food hot or
cold as indicated, and cook food thoroughly. Make sure you keep
the portions you feed your baby small enough for them to digest.
Fruit needs to be stewed and strained to a creamy consistency to
start out with, then you can move on to chunky, then bite sized
pieces as you progress.
Myth; Parents should only offer a small varieties of bland
foods. When your baby is 6 months old it's okay to introduce
food that has more flavour. Remember, what you enjoyed while you
were pregnant may have given the baby for a taste for it as
well. Babies learn flavour preferences from the adult feeding the
baby.
Myth; It doesn't matter what I eat, as long as my baby eats
healthy. Babies and children learn by example. If all you eat is
fried chicken and ice cream, they will want to only eat fried
chicken and ice cream. If you do not want your child to be
obese, set an example and eat healthy, so they will learn to eat
healthy.
About the author:
We hope these tips on feeding your baby have been helpful to
you. Robin Darch, , http://www.baby-port.info to help parents
find all the information they need about babies, baby names,
baby showers, baby gifts, products for babies, baby clothing,
and more
Title: Combating Childhood Obesity
Author: Susan Anderson
Article:
A common misconception in today's society is that a chubby baby
is a healthy baby. Yes, we all love cute, chubby babies, but the
sad reality is that too many of those chubby babies will later
turn into unhealthy, chubby adults. As parents, it is our job to
ensure we build a good foundation for our children by
introducing them to a wide variety of foods, and not let them
over indulge on sweet sugary deserts and empty calories.
With the increasing popularity and convenience of fast food,
nearly one out of every five children is battling obesity.
Obesity is now common throughout the world, regardless of race
or gender. With obesity becoming a problem at these early ages,
there is a significantly higher likelihood of adult disease and
health problems earlier in life. Obesity is fast becoming a wide
spread health danger to our human world.
With more advances in modern technology, we have found ways to
do things the lazy way, eliminating a lot of physical exercise
routines. Kids now ride scooters or four wheelers rather than
bicycles or roller skates. They now choose to spend their free
time in front of the computer, television, or with a video game
rather than outside playing tag and hide and go seek. This
decrease in exercise is a common culprit among today's children.
We, the parents, have to be strong, and limit the time we allow
them to spend playing video games or in front of the television.
Sometimes, we may have to change our own habits to get them to
change theirs. Go outside and play with your children, play
ball, go bike riding, etc. Doing things as a family often makes
them more fun, and therefore will be easier to get your kids
involved in.
It seems like everyday as parents, our lives get busier and
faster paced, and we have less and less time to accomplish what
needs to be done. We often look for the easy way out, giving in
to running thru drive thru on the way home from work, rather
than going home and cooking dinner as we should. If we prepare
our meals, we know what the ingredients are, and have the power
to make healthy choices. Going with the fast food option is more
convenient, but often is very low on the nutritional value side
of things, and also teaches your kids that it is okay to eat
that junk, often leasing them to develop bad eating habits of
their own. If you have to go the fast food way occasionally, opt
for salads and grilled chicken, or try to go with the healthiest
choices on the menu, rather than the all too alluring burger and
fries.
Kids who spend a lot of time inside in front of television or
video games also increase their risk for obesity by indulging in
junk food. They eat ice cream, potato chips, cookies, etc.,
adding to their caloric intake, while reducing the amount of
physical exercise they get, again increasing their odds for
becoming obese significantly.
Basically, childhood obesity is caused by lack of physical
exercise, bad food choices, and to be frank, lack of parental
control over their children's lives.
Obese children are at increased risk for all kinds of health
conditions. Common problems include early onset diabetes, joint
problems from carrying excess weight, heart disease, and mental
and social issues caused by being overweight. School age
children often think it is fun to pick on each other, and this
joking can cause a world of self esteem problems for the
overweight child that will often carryover into adulthood. Then
of course, the health risks are increased due to the fact that
most obese children will eventually turn into obese adults, with
a variety of other health issues to deal with.
It is important to do everything you can to prevent childhood
obesity from striking your kids, as you are the first weapon
against this dangerous problem. Teach your kids how to make
healthy food choices, and most importantly get them outside and
active, even if you have to do it too. Parents by no means take
all the blame for this problem, but we can take steps to help
combat it before it begins.
About the author:
Susan Anderson enjoys writing articles for families and
consumers which are
informative and adds value to their
lives. With a simple and down to earth
writing style,
these articles are suited for all audiences. http://www.babyshowerfreebies.com
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