Nico Kadel-Garcia wrote:
Marshall Price wrote:
Kumar wrote:
Today, I looked at my daughter force-feeding her 2-year-old boy. Such
aided/forced or excessive feeding to kids can be common in most
mothers as a practice, misconception or just sentiment-- love &
affection. Can't it cause an acquired habit to overeat and expose more
insulin to target cells and mediating diabetes2?
I'd say she needs help -- either a book or a psychiatrist! What she's
doing is a well known, serious problem.
And it's irrelevant to Type 1 diabetes, and the causality of Type 2 and
obesity is often reversed: the Type 2 and high insulin levels trigger hunger,
and weight gain, exacerbating the diabetes. So force feeding infants is
something to worry about for plenty of other reasons, I'd consider the risk of
diabetes to be one of the least critical concerns.
Here's a good, brief page of advice for Kumar, assuming the baby's on
solid food.
http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_NutritionABC.htm
It's from the American Academy of Pediatrics. I hope the text is legible:
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American Academy of Pediatrics
Nutrition
How do I know if my child is eating enough?
Children eat when they are hungry and usually stop when they are full.
Some parents worry because young children appear to eat very small
amounts of food, especially when compared to adult portions. A child who
is growing well is getting enough to eat.
To check your child's eating pattern, pay attention to his or her food
choices.
*
Make sure no one food group is completely left out. If this
happens for a few days, don't worry. But prolonged neglect of a food
group could keep your child from getting enough nutrients.
*
Encourage your child to be adventurous and eat a variety of foods
within the food groups, too. Even within a food group, different foods
provide different nutrients.
Child-size servings
For youngsters, adult-size servings can be overwhelming. Offering
child-size servings encourages food acceptance.
Here's an easy guide to child-size servings:
*
Serve one-fourth to one-third of the adult portion size, or one
measuring tablespoon for each year of the young child's age.
*
Give less than you think the child will eat. Let the child ask
for more if he or she is still hungry.
Snacks count
Snacks make up an important part of childhood nutrition. Children must
eat frequently. With their small stomachs, they cannot eat enough at
meals alone for their high energy needs. Three meals and two or three
healthful snacks a day help youngsters meet their daily nutrition needs.
To make the most of snacks, parents and caregivers should control the
type of snack and time it is served.
*
Type. Offer a variety of food-group snacks. Choose mostly snack
foods that supply enough nutrients to justify their energy, or calories.
*
Timing. Plan snacks. Schedule snacks around normal daily events,
and space them at least two hours before meals. Children should learn to
get and feel hungry, instead of feeling full all the time.
Foods to choose
*
From the Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group: a whole-grain
bread, crackers, cereal, grits, pasta, rice, bagel, tortilla, cornbread,
pita bread, muffin, English muffin, matzo crackers, rice cake, pancakes,
breadsticks, pretzels
*
From the Vegetable Group: asparagus, beets, bok choy, broccoli,
carrot, cauliflower, collard greens, corn, cucumber, green and red
peppers, green beans, jicama, kale, okra, peas, potato, pumpkin, snow
peas, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, vegetable juices, zucchini
*
From the Fruit Group: apple, applesauce, apricot, banana,
berries, cantaloupe, fruit cocktail, figs, fruit juices, grapefruit,
kiwifruit, mango, nectarine, orange, papaya, peach, pear, plum,
pineapple, raisins, prunes, starfruit, strawberries, tangerine, watermelon
*
From the Milk, Yogurt and Cheese Group: skim, 1%, 2% and whole*
milk, yogurt, cheese, string cheese, cottage cheese, pudding, custard,
frozen yogurt, ice milk, calcium-fortified soybean milk
*
From the Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts** Group:
lean cuts of beef, veal, pork, ham and lamb; skinless chicken and
turkey; fish; shellfish; cooked beans (kidney beans, black-eyed peas,
pinto beans, lentils, black beans); refried beans (made without lard);
peanut butter; eggs; reduced-fat deli meats; tofu; nuts**; peanuts**
*Children under two years of age should only drink whole milk.
**Nuts, peanuts and seeds are not recommended for children under four
years of age because they are a choking hazard. Small pieces of hard,
uncooked fruits and vegetables also pose a choking hazard to children
under age four.
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--
Marshall Price of Miami
Known to Yahoo as d021317c- Hide quoted text -
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