World Food Day was celebrated on Saturday 16 October. On the occasion, the Ministry of Health presented the book “Nutrition while playing”, an ebook aimed at primary school students (6-11 years old). The text stimulates readers on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, which cannot be separated from adequate nutrition.
Nutrition education is the most important contribution that parents and children can make in terms of prevention. If this work is undertaken from an early age, even better. So let’s see how to raise healthy and fit children by avoiding these mistakes and following these easy rules from the Ministry of Health.
The basic principles for proper nutrition
What, in particular, should a budding little specimen eat? A boy’s diet should include almost everything, except in special cases where the doctor has prescribed otherwise. The diet represents the set of foods from which the body draws all the foods it needs to carry out vital activities.
Apart from the mother’s milk of the first months of life, then no other food alone contains all the nutrients that the body needs. So kids should vary the foods, also dosing them in the right quantities.
The ministerial brochure, for example, underlines how the Mediterranean diet respects these rules. So there is plenty of space for fruit and vegetables, bread and pasta (and cereals in general, preferably wholemeal), milk and derivatives, then legumes, eggs and meat. As can be seen, there is a lack of carbonated drinks or foods rich in unnecessary calories and lacking in nutrients.
Some small footnotes
Finally, the ebook does not fail to underline other 3 fundamental aspects also (or above all?) For minors.
The first refers to physical activity. If the goal is prevention, it is impossible to achieve the goal by setting everything only on nutrition. Moreover, theirs is the age of development, so the movement fits very well with this period of their existence.
Secondly, it emphasizes the importance of the 3 “minor meals”, namely breakfast in the morning and 2 snacks in the middle of the morning and mid-afternoon. For example, this queen of autumn cake is perfect for breakfast or for 2 “accessory” snacks.
Finally, he underlines the importance of water and therefore of the need to hydrate. It might seem a superficial observation, but the Ministry points out that water is the major component of all living organisms. In particular, it constitutes 80% of the weight of a child and 70% of that of an adult.
Healthy and fit children avoiding these mistakes and following these easy rules from the Ministry of Health
Therefore, let’s avoid encouraging the consumption of junk, processed, prepackaged foods rich in white flours, salt and sugars. Let’s not forget that the day should start with the right amount of time dedicated to a healthy breakfast. Then the day continues, accustoming our child to drink often.
Finally, let’s not make the mistake of encouraging a too sedentary life. We encourage our children to walk, ride a bike, stay in full contact with nature and play sports.
Finally, the interesting booklet closes with some particular references, and we point out 2 of them all. First of all, it is always necessary to read the label of a food: it is its identity card, and knowing it thoroughly is essential. Secondly, we remind (perhaps more to parents) that the cooking methods of a food are different. So there is no shortage of alternatives to get the little ones to take essential nutrients.
Deepening
This colorful fall cake is surprisingly fluffy and good, as well as easy to make.