Balanced nutrition is vital during childhood because it promotes normal growth and development of a child. Feeding is the fundamental event in the life of children that plays a crucial role in determining long-lasting eating behaviors. Childhood is a period in life where a child experiences rapid emotional, social, and physical growth, influenced greatly by the eating patterns. Multiple studies have revealed that diet plays a major role in a child’s development and behavior. Children are usually at the mercy of their parents in what is available for them to eat (Pawluk-Frost, 2015). This paper seeks to discuss healthy whole food diet vs. unhealthy diet and their relation to children's behavior and development.
Healthy Diet vs Unhealthy Diet
Healthy diets include foods rich in nuts, fish, vegetables, and fruits. Healthy food choices assist in keeping children healthy and possibly help in minimizing the chances of triggering development of behavioral issues. Consumption of diets, which are low in artificial ingredients, such as food coloring and Trans fats as well as low sugar, contributes significantly to improvement of a child’s health. Half of a child’s plate should include vegetables and fruits, providing healthy proteins like nuts, eggs, and lean meats, replacing refined grains with whole grains, serving water instead of fruit juices and soda, and steaming, grilling, and broiling foods instead of frying them. Healthy diets minimize risks of diseases and improves behavior of a child because it contributes to physical and cognitive development of children (Ngure et al., 2014). Therefore, creating healthy feeding habits in the early life stages of children may result in good behavior as they transition into adulthood.
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The most common behavioral problems associated with poor diets among children include aggression, irritability, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Unhealthy diets high in sugar, Trans fats, artificial food additives, and fast foods have potential association to these behavioral problems. Other unhealthy diets include highly processed ingredients, synthetic hormones, additives, high fat, artificial colors and flavors, and high salt. These diets do not contain various nutrients and are high in calories thus predisposes them to disease risk and behavioral problems (Larsen, Hermans & Sleddens et al., 2014 p. 247). Therefore, children who eat unhealthy foods may have various challenges, including experiencing problems in learning, being easily irritable or listless, getting fatigued easily, and having trouble concentrating. Ultimately, these factors could contribute to social and behavioral issues.
The cause of ADHD is unknown but multiple studies have linked excessive sugar consumption over a long period could result in development of symptoms related with ADHD. ADHD is a developmental disorder affecting the learning, attention, and behavior of a child. The cause is attributed to interference of chemicals in the brain that can affect the reward-related parts of the brain. Studies have recorded a substantial relationship between intake of fast food and sugar, and ADHD. Additionally, evidence reveals effects of food colorings on ADHD, with some artificial food colors being associated with ADHD. According to the study by Putnam, Cotto and Calvert (2018), removal of artificial colors from diet improved the behavioral problems in children and worsened when it was reintroduced. Moreover, Trans fats are found in several prepacked foods like snacks, baked foods, fired foods, and fast foods. Trans fats has been associated with aggressive and irritable behaviors in children. It is crucial for parents to omit ingredients that predispose children to ADHDA. A healthy dietary pattern can minimize the symptoms of ADHD.
According to O’Neil, Quirk and Housden et al. (2014), certain foods have adverse impact on the mood. Such food activate the physiological and chemical changes within the brain, which in turn alters the behavior of a child. Poor diets can cause children to experience mood swings, predisposes them to depression, fatigue and crankiness thereby influencing their behavior. Hence, unbalanced diet could affect the mood of a child, which alters their behavior.
Studies have found that healthy and balanced diets have a huge impact on behavioral problems, such as ADHD, in some children. It is important for parents to pay attention to general nutritional contents based on the principles of balanced diets. An example of a child’s balanced meal includes a high intake of essential fatty acids, fresh fruits, vegetables and lots of water. The meals can be frequent but in small healthy portions. It is important for parents to stock their homes with healthy foods because, in most cases, children tend to eat what is available at home. Parents can provide a healthy diet for their children by making sure they eat vegetables and fruits on a daily basis, serving learn meat and healthy sources of proteins, choosing healthy snacks, limiting sugary drinks, fat intake, fast food and low-nutrient snacks. Moreover, parents should chose whole grain breads and cereals to provide children with more fiber content in their diet ( Yee, Lwin & Ho, 2017 p. 47).
Conclusion
It is evident that a child’s nutritional diet experience has a long-lasting impact on his/her development and behavior. The adoption of healthy diets is highly encouraged to ensure normal growth and behavior of a child. Healthy eating habits allow children to regulate their emotions better and cope with stress effectively. However, poor diets have adverse impacts on the development and behavior of children. Unhealthy diets have ingredients that fuel different behaviors and have negative impacts on children. Therefore, it is important for parents and caregivers to ensure that children eat a balanced diet to foster their normal development and improve their behavior.
References
Larsen, J. K., Hermans, R. C., Sleddens, E. F., Engels, R. C., Fisher, J. O., & Kremers, S. P. (2015). How parental dietary behavior and food parenting practices affect children's dietary behavior. Interacting sources of influence?. Appetite , 89 , 246-257.
Ngure, F. M., Reid, B. M., Humphrey, J. H., Mbuya, M. N., Pelto, G., & Stoltzfus, R. J. (2014). Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), environmental enteropathy, nutrition, and early child development: making the links. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences , 1308 (1), 118-128.
O’neil, A., Quirk, S. E., Housden, S., Brennan, S. L., Williams, L. J., Pasco, J. A., ... & Jacka, F. N. (2014). Relationship between diet and mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review. American journal of public health , 104 (10), e31-e42.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4167107/
PAWLUK-FROST, R. O. X. A. N. N. E. D. A. W. N. (2015). THREE DOCTORS: Molding and developing exceptional children . S.l.: WESTBOW PRESS. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=EG0oCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT63&dq=eating+unhealthy+brings+problems+to+children&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZlbnxmebeAhXmsaQKHbUtArMQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=eating%20unhealthy%20brings%20problems%20to%20children&f=false
Putnam, M. M., Cotto, C. E., & Calvert, S. L. (2018). Character apps for children's snacks: effects of character awareness on snack selection and consumption patterns. Games for health journal , 7 (2), 116-120. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5938642/
Yee, A. Z., Lwin, M. O., & Ho, S. S. (2017). The influence of parental practices on child promotive and preventive food consumption behaviors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity , 14 (1), 47.Retrieved from https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-017-0501-3
