When you turn to your pediatrician for nutritional advice or help, they will always take a personalized approach to help your child meet their nutritional goals, whether that\u2019s losing weight, getting more regular activity, or eating a healthier diet. You may have questions about your child\u2019s nutritional needs, particularly as they grow. We\u2019ve compiled some of the most frequently asked questions regarding childhood nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people seem to think that juice is healthy, and while it does contain vitamin C, there are certainly better sources for ensuring your child gets enough of this important nutrient. Today, most fruit juices found at the grocery store are chock full of sugar and can contribute to weight gain and increase the risk for cavities. A better alternative is whole fruits since they provide more nutritional value than juice will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many calories your child consumes will depend on their gender, age, and activity level. A recommended calorie range for kids between 6-12 years old is between 1600-2200 per day. Verywell Family provides a more detailed breakdown by age and gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, it\u2019s important to keep in mind that kids don\u2019t need to eat as much as we do, so their portions will be considerably smaller than ours. If your child is growing then chances are good that they are getting the nutrients they need; however, if you find that your child is refusing meals or isn\u2019t eating it\u2019s important to bring this up with your pediatrician as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help your child maintain a healthy weight they must be eating a healthy, balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein. Make sure that they are also getting at least one hour of physical activity every day. Limit sugar and processed foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Young children may seem voraciously hungry and may beg for snacks. How many are actually okay? It\u2019s normal for little ones to want food every 3-4 hours. While snacking can be a great way to prevent kids from overeating during mealtimes you don\u2019t want to ply them with treats (and you want to be sure you\u2019re providing them with nutrient-rich snacks rather than sugary ones).
A snack mid-day between lunch and dinner is typically the best time. If it\u2019s only going to be a couple of hours before a meal, then something small like a piece of fruit or a slice of cheese with crackers is good. If your child isn\u2019t going to eat for more than four hours then you\u2019ll want a snack that incorporates protein, fat, and carbs to satiate their appetite.
If you are concerned about your child\u2019s health because they are \u201cpicky eaters\u201d or are struggling with their weight, you must speak with their pediatrician to find out options that can help them lead a healthier lifestyle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you turn to your pediatrician for nutritional advice or help, they will always take a personalized approach to help your child meet their nutritional goals, whether that\u2019s losing weight, getting more regular activity, or eating a healthier diet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8,53,54],"class_list":["post-119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-nutrition","tag-nutritional-advice","tag-nutritional-needs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121,"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions\/121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oberlinroadpediatrics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}