Kids Nutrition: Why Early Healthy Eating Habits Matter
"Good nutrition is the secret sauce for raising healthy, happy,
and successful kids."
—Ellie Krieger
In the world of parenting stressors, nutrition takes the top spot for me. I can manage through sleepless nights, screen time and behavior challenges, sicknesses, and even whining. What gets me are the behaviors surrounding too much ultra-processed food and not enough whole foods. I’m concerned about the immediate and long-term consequences of artificial dyes, sugar, gluten, and seed oils without replacing protein, micronutrients, and electrolytes. On top of that, the societal pressures, overall acceptance of less-than-idea food, and frequent "you turned out fines" are barriers I don't foresee going away.
But enough about my woes, let's look at the concerns.
Today, we face an overwhelming abundance of ultra-processed foods and the promotion of these foods leads to an overconsumption of them. In fact, a whopping 40% of the calories that 2 to 18-year-olds consume are empty calories. Half of these calories are from a mere six foods: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk. This leads to alarming health trends among children such as obesity and diabetes.
It's evident that our shift away from wholesome foods is impacting the well-being of the younger generation, despite living in an age of information, however, as parents, caregivers, and educators, we have the power to shape our children's health by guiding them toward nutrient-rich choices that support their physical, cognitive, and emotional development. These small changes of providing the right approach and the right nutrients from the beginning are an investment in their overall well-being and potential for a healthier and happier life.
The Significance Of Instilling Healthy Eating Habits
"Healthy eating is a gift we can give to our children, setting them up for a lifetime of good health and vitality."
—American Academy of Pediatrics
Childhood is a critical period for growth and development, making it the perfect time to introduce healthy eating habits. This narrow window of time is important from both a physiological perspective as well as a behavioral one. Creating a healthy environment around food is a gateway for a lifetime of eating practices. Proper nutrition during childhood, even in the first year of life, has been shown to have an impact on physical and cognitive growth, enhancing immune function, and preventing the risk of chronic diseases in later life.
Additionally, healthy eating habits established in childhood tend to carry over into adulthood. By encouraging nutritious choices early on, we help children build a positive relationship with food, leading to healthier eating patterns throughout their lives.
Long-Term Benefits Of A Nutritious Diet for Growth and Development
A nutritious diet significantly impacts children's growth and development in various ways.
Cardiovascular Disease Risk. It’s well believed that the first years of a child’s life have a strong association with their health in adolescence and beyond. Scientists have found that “The preschool or ‘toddler’ period is a pivotal time during which long-term dietary habits are established with potential life-long effects on appetite, obesity and other risk factors for CVD.”
Less Risk For Obesity. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children ALSPAC found that there is a “critical time” when children begin to increase their intake of sugars, between 1.5 and 3 years old. This early childhood sugar intake provides a “strong association” between obesity between 7-13 years old. Another study found an association between protein intake as an infant and a decrease in obesity later on in life.
Metabolic Dysfunction. Researchers have found that greater weight gain, as early as the first 6 months of life, is correlated with metabolic dysfunction (compromised HDL, insulin and glucose levels, elevated blood pressure, and waist size) in adolescence.
Cognitive Development. Proper nutrition supports brain development, helping children achieve their full cognitive potential. One study, Early nutrition and health: short- and long-term outcomes, found a link between omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and cognitive function. Another study found that deficiencies in micronutrients like iodine, zinc, vitamin A, and iron are linked to worse brain development. Researchers also found that growth in infancy is linked to IQ at the age of 9 years old. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also found that:
“Failure to provide key nutrients during this critical period of brain development may result in lifelong deficits in brain function despite subsequent nutrient repletion.”
Behavioral Dysfunction. A 2022 review reported that “children and adolescents with poor nutritional status are exposed to alterations of mental and/or behavioural functions that can be corrected, to a certain extent, by dietary measures.” Research has more specifically shown that not getting enough macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) is associated with a variety of concerns including behavioral issues.
Factors Influencing Kids' Nutritional Intake
Several factors influence the eating habits of children, and understanding these factors can help us create a positive food environment:
Pregnancy: It turns out that kids’ food preferences are shaped before they even see or taste food. While we know that different flavors (e.g. mint, garlic, carrot) can be transmitted from the mother’s mouth and to the amniotic fluid and breast milk, researchers conducted a study to see how this impacted a baby’s preference using carrot juice and found that babies who were exposed to the carrot juice in the womb as little as 12 times had a higher degree of preference compared to those who were not exposed. Unfortunately, influencing preferences this early on is a two-way street.
When researchers looked at the influence of alcohol and junk food on rat mothers and pups they found that the pup’s brain pathways were altered so that the pups had “more pleasure for the smell of alcohol” and “had to eat more sugary, high-fat food to get the same ‘rush’ of dopamine that makes eating junk food so pleasurable”
Parental Role Modeling: Parents and caregivers serve as primary role models for children. When children observe their caregivers making healthy food choices, they are more likely to adopt similar behaviors. A study, "Parental role modeling of fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks is associated with children’s adequate consumption." found that "Children who reported parental role modeling of vegetable consumption at snack and green salad at dinner were significantly more likely than those who did not to meet the daily fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations."
Peer Influence: Friends and peers can significantly impact kids' food choices. Kids are going to want to eat what they see other kids eat, especially if they’re high in fat and sugar.
Food Accessibility: The availability of nutritious food options has proven to play a crucial role in shaping children's choices.
Marketing and Media: The food industry's marketing efforts often target children, promoting less nutritious options. Kids see about 12 food-related ads every day and these aren’t geared toward carrots and bananas. When researchers looked at the relationship between media and kids’ food intake, they came to a not-so-surpising conclusion. "The results show that the amount of media consumption has a negative effect on children’s nutritional knowledge over time."
Sensory Processing Disorders: Children with sensory processing challenges may experience aversions to certain tastes, textures, or smells, impacting their food choices and willingness to eat a varied diet.
Parent’s Education Level: The ALSPAC longitudinal study found that the mother’s educational level has an impact on a child’s diet. The authors reported that “lower education was associated with a more energy-dense diet with less fruit and vegetables consumed.”
Parent’s Weight: That same study also found that the strongest risk factor for a child’s chance of being obese as a child was when one or both of the parents was obese before the pregnancy.
Stress: It's well-known that high levels of stress are linked to overeating, craving less-than-healthy foods, and a disrupted microbiome and GI system. High stress can look like anything from poor sleep, sickness, anxiety, loneliness, a tense house, and anything in between. One study, “The Effects of Psychological and Environmental Stress on Micronutrient Concentrations in the Body: A Review of the Evidence,” found that "the bulk of evidence suggests psychological and physical stress can influence concentrations of several micronutrients."
Takeaway
Every cell in our body is made up of things we consume. From the moment of conception, these cells work together to provide healthy development physically and mentally. We know that healthy foods are good for this development and an abundance of ultra-processed foods inhibit this development creating a cascade of unhealthy effects leading to behavioral issues, obesity, diabetes, lower IQ scores, and much more.
There are a variety of factors influencing the food we give to our children (and the foods they prefer). Some of these factors include TV commercials, sensory processing disorders, stress, and even dietary choices made during pregnancy. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing every one of these issues, by becoming mindful of them we are one step closer to instilling healthy eating habits which create a lifelong impact on their health.
This is the first of many articles on navigating the world of food and kids so look for much more to come on specific strategies to help raise kids in a more healthy way.
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