Good Nutrition

Application Week Four

Jennifer McCarty

• Summarize why good nutrition and eating habits are so important to children in each age group. Cite evidence from Chapter 6 in your text and/or other resources to support your claims.
• Refer to Chapter 8 in your course text and explain why adults should actively help children develop healthy eating habits and at least two ways this can be accomplished.
• Provide three nutritious recipes that family members can prepare with preschoolers and explain the nutritional value of each. (To locate recipes, look through the various suggested Web sites or do research as needed.) Offer strategies and suggestions to make cooking together an enjoyable learning experience for children.

It is very important that children in each age group get enough nutrition for many reasons one of those being is that children are active and always growing, so they need enough good food to each so they grow properly, and that they have enough energy to be active throughout the day. Maintaining overall health is also very important. Children need the proper amounts of each of the different types of vitamins in their diets to maintain healthy bones, and to have a healthy immune system, among many other qualities that vitamins provide. Vitamin D which helps calcium make strong bones and teeth is very important. Without enough vitamin d it can lead to stunted bone growth. Babies need enough nutrition because they are growing and changing each day so a proper diet for them is very important. For toddlers, they are very active, so a proper diet is needed so they can maintain that activity. For school-age children, they need proper nutrition for proper growth and to help their brains develop and grow.
Adults should help children develop healthy eating habits because when those children grow up they can then pass those eating habits on to their children. “Adults are responsible for controlling what food comes into the house and how it is presented to the child.”(Robertson p. 307). That child is dependant on the adult in their lives to get food, so adults are responsible for providing good and nutritious food so that child grows and develops in the best way they can. Adults can do this by keeping the junk food to a minimum. By bringing in mostly nutritious foods into the home, the child will learn what foods are healthy and which are not. Secondly, an adult can explain to their children why eating well is good and tell and show their child what foods are healthy and what foods are not so healthy.
Three healthy recipes are one Bookworm Apple Bark
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Grab your books and this crunchy, sweet breakfast treat as you dash off to school.

1 Granny Smith Apple
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2½ tablespoons golden or black raisins
1½ tablespoons dried sweetened cranberries
1 small bunch of fresh chives or fresh parsley (optional plate garnish)

Cut apple into four quarters, starting at the stem. Remove the core by cutting away to leave a flat surface on the apple quarter. Be careful not to cut too much of the edible portion of the apple away. Drop and slightly spread the peanut butter on apple quarters. Mix together the raisins and dried
cranberries then sprinkle on peanut butter. Cut chives into
one inch pieces and garnish.
This recipe has calories: 272, total fat: 8.1g, saturated fat: 1.5g, % calories from fat: 25%, % calories from saturated fat: 5%, protein: 5g, carbohydrates: 50g, cholesterol: 0mg, dietary fiber: 6g, sodium: 79mg

Each serving provides: An excellent source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C.
Second Technicolor Vegetable Pizzas
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Rose colored glasses won’t be needed to appreciate the variety of colors and blend of tastes offered by these easy to make individual pizzas.

3 cups frozen mixed vegetables with mushrooms
5 slices Italian bread (1 oz. slices; each ~ 1” thick and 5” long)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup prepared pizza sauce
1 cup finely chopped tomato
½ cup very finely diced onion
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 ½ tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions: Pre-heat oven to 350º F and place oven rack in middle-high position. Microwave frozen vegetables, then pat dry. Brush all bread slices lightly with oil and spread each with ~ 1½ tablespoons sauce. Combine all vegetables in a medium-sized bowl. Carefully spoon vegetable mixture equally onto bread slices. Sprinkle with oregano and garlic powder and then with cheese. Bake about 5-7 minutes, until bread is brown on the edges and all vegetables are piping hot. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information per Serving: calories: 182, total fat: 5.0g, saturated fat: 1.1g, % calories from fat: 24%, % calories from saturated fat: 5%, protein: 6g, carbohydrates: 29g, cholesterol: 2mg, dietary fiber: 5g, sodium: 339 mg

Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C, folate and fiber.
Third 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.
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.
What adults can do to make cooking enjoyable is have the child help and participate as much as the child is able to. Have the child mix ingredients together, or pour ingredients into the mixing bowl. Adults can also make cooking a game, as in who can pour the ingredients the fastest, or who can keep the area the cleanest. Adults have to make it fun for kids so they will want to help cook in the future.
Robertson, Cathie 2010. Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. Wadsworth.
Fruits and Veggies More Matters. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=102 Retrieved on July 7, 2010.