Healthy Eating of children
1. Background
In recent years, the quality of children’s diets drew more and more public attention. Recent trends in children’s health and eating habits are alarming. According to the report published by WHO, over 15 percent of children are overweight, double the rate in 1980s. Children’s diets are high in fat but low in nutritious foods.
This report is prepared to analyze the barriers to children’s healthy eating and provide some measures to overcome the existing barriers.
2. Analysis
2.1 Children lack awareness about healthy eating
Many children lack the knowledge and understanding of healthy food and healthy diet due to their age, so their choice of food only proceeds from their tastes, not from rational thinking. For this reason, the parents have the duty to help their children build a habit of eating healthily. First, the parents should learn more about children’s dietary needs. Then, in daily life, parents should instill the knowledge they have gained to their children through conscious pattern of behavior. For example, they can tell their children the harm of eating certain kinds of food.
2.2 Catering staff lack factual information about healthy foods
A report <Healthy eating in schools> on the survey of health and well-being published by Ofsted in summer 2006 reveals that many catering staff of schools do not have access to the up-to-date research findings on healthy foods and they cook meals in the same way as long before. Therefore, some of the meals do not have a balanced diet with a variety of nutrient substance. To solve the problem, the schools should employ some dietitians to supervise their di ...