Frequently asked questions - intro
How bad, nutritionally, are convenience meals in supermarkets?
It's no surprise that many convenience meals are relatively high in fat and sodium (salt) compared to a home-made meal, for example. Sometimes there's not -sight- nor -sound of a vegetable to accompany the meat and rice/pasta in these meals either.
However not all ready-to-eat meals are inadequate nutritionally. The Bia Kid meals are a great example - where taste and convenience are combined with high quality ingredients, without the addition of unnecessary additives, salt or sugar.
Your children are eating a good protein source for growth (chicken or premium lean mince), carbohydrate for energy (pasta, noodles etc) and fibre, vitamins and minerals for health (vegetables and tomato sauces). So if you're tight for time or simply not around, these meals can be a great alternative to your own home-made meals and infinitely far better that the local fast food offering.
How much salt or sodium does my child need?
Approximately 80% of the salt (sodium) in our diets come from processed foods. Approx 5% occurs naturally in foods and the other 15% is discretional (we add it in cooking or at the table).
Children need very little salt so check food labels to make sure they are not consuming high salt snacks and processed foods. Bia Kid meals have no added salt and are preferable to many adult ready-to-eat meals that add salt for flavouring.
| Age in years | Salt level | Sodium level |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | 2g | 0.8g |
| 4-6 | 3g | 1.2g |
| 7-10 | 5g | 2g |
| 11 and over | 6g | 6g |
How can I get my child to try different fruits and vegetables?
The most important way to get your child to eat and try more fruits and vegetables is to be a great role model yourself. Let them see you eat your fruits and vegetables every day.
Bring them shopping and let them pick out new fruits and vegetables to try. Also, have a large supply of fruits and vegetables at home - whether they are fresh, frozen or in juice form - so if they available for snacking.
Cut fruits and vegetables into different shapes and sizes and even dip them in low-fat fruit and vegetable dips. Have your child keep track of all the different fruits and vegetables that they try! Then praise praise and more praise.
Is it OK for my child to skip breakfast?
You've heard the phrase that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? Well it is true! Children focus, concentrate and learn better if they eat breakfast.
It fuels their bodies with important nutrients and keeps them from getting morning hunger pangs. And if they eat breakfast, it helps to control the urge to snack or eat an enormous lunch.
Some quick, easy ideas for a breakfast are porridge with a little honey, cereal and chopped banana with milk, toasted bagel with cheese, chopped fruit and yogurt.
Is it OK for my child to snack between meals?
Most children eat four to six times a day. Snacks however are just that - a quick break not another meal. They can provide important nutrients and energy that your child needs to grow, play, and learn.
Snacks like fruit, vegetables, smoothies, milk, cheese and crackers or yogurt are great. Avoid the snack foods with lots of added sugar, salt and fat. Serve snack foods in small amounts and have snacks 2 to 3 hours before a meal so they will still be hungry enough for lunch or dinner.
My child has been advised to avoid milk for a while to see if his eczema clears up. Are there other calcium-rich foods besides milk that I can give him, to make sure her gets enough calcium?
As you probably know, calcium is important for strong bones and teeth and in helping your muscles work right. If you don't get enough calcium, your child won't build strong bones and they may fracture or break easily.
Most young children (aged 1-10) need about 800 milligrams of calcium each day. Try these calcium-rich foods to make sure you get all the calcium that you need every day:
- Broccoli and Kale
- Tinned Sardines and Salmon
- Calcium-fortified orange juice
- Calcium-fortified cereals
- Calcium-fortified Soya milk and yogurts
Are fizzy soft drinks bad for my child's bones?
Suggestions that fizzy soft drinks "leach" calcium out of our bones are not supported by research. In fact, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently tested several different kinds of fizzy carbonated drinks and found that only those with caffeine increased the loss of calcium in the urine.
Earlier studies also suggest that our bodies can compensates for this increase in calcium excretion later on in the day, and that overall, caffeine is not a significant cause of calcium loss or osteoporosis.
There is however a link between increased bone fractures and fizzy carbonated soft drinks in some population studies and this is because children are increasingly consuming soft drinks instead of calcium-rich milk. So make sure your child is meeting their daily calcium needs and consuming fizzy soft appropriately.
At what age do children start needing dietary fibre?
Too much fibre is not good for young children, but most researchers believe that some dietary fibre, about the amount in a slice or two of wholemeal bread, is good even for toddlers.
Beginning at age three, current recommendations call for the grams of dietary fibre equal to a child's age plus five. For example, a five-year old needs 10 grams a day, which could come from one or two servings of whole grains foods and four servings of fruits and vegetables.
Fibre offers the immediate benefit of helping children avoid constipation, but a life-long habit of taking in enough fibre helps lower the risk of some cancers and heart disease, which tend to develop later in life.