Food for children
In the meantime, there is an increasing number of foods produced and advertised especially for children. However, there is no nutritional medical necessity for these products at any age, not even for small children. Their composition does not offer any advantage over conventional products and they are usually more expensive than these.
The grain content of a muesli bar is quite lean compared to that of a slice of wholemeal bread. The popular brown and white slices are also advertised as a healthy snack between meals. Within the healthy child nutrition they belong however to the sweets.
The calcium content of children’s products is also used for advertising purposes. However, these products usually contain a lot of sugar and fat in addition to calcium. A cup of natural yoghurt is by far superior to these products as a source of calcium.
Fruit preparations for children usually contain a lot of sugar, fruit flavors and only a hint of fresh fruit. Yoghurt with fresh fruit is clearly the better alternative. “Fast food” means fast food and here you can find dishes like hamburgers, curry sausage and kebabs.
Corresponding restaurant chains are now spread all over the world and meet the attitude towards life of children and young people. If the diet is otherwise balanced, these dishes can also be eaten occasionally. Strict bans would not be appropriate here and would only increase the attractiveness of such products. Salad with a hamburger enhances the meal and during the course of the day one can pay attention to the intake of fresh fruit and vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
Summary
The listed nutritional recommendations for children and adolescents are based on scientific findings and paint an ideal picture. This is how the daily diet should look like and is intended as a framework and target. It is important to know this framework and to approach this target as best as possible every day.
This will work better on one day than the next. It is rather about finding the right way to an individual, healthy diet together. The fun of eating should also be in the foreground in the nutrition of children and young people.
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