Why is a balanced diet important for a child?

Answer 1

• A balanced diet is important for the health and development of a child if the child is to flourish and enjoy good health. A balanced diet means a diet that has food items from all the major food groups. There are five major food groups which are grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat and meat alternatives. A balanced diet strikes a balance amongst these five food groups and gives the body the right amount of nutrients that it needs for overall good health.
• Eating a balanced diet is not about having one good meal. It is about creating healthy eating habits for a child and and maintaining those habits over a period of time and on into adulthood.
• It is not at all an easy thing to do. Irregular eating habits can have small, mediocre to devastating side effects on the human body. The most common problem with western eating habits is that people eat three large meals in a day and a lot of snacks in between to end those hunger cravings. Now most of these snacks are refined processed carbohydrate foods.
• Refined processed carbohydrates contain a high amount of sugars, fats and chemical preservatives used to preserve the food. It simple terms, it is unhealthy. This can lead to weight gain, obesity, Diabetes type 2, and other diet related diseases appearing in childhood (or later as an adult). Many people fail to recognize the effects of these type of foods.
• A balanced diet is essential if a child (or a person of any age) is to flourish physically and mentally. A lack of essential nutrients can lead to:

1. failure to flourish
2. poor growth
3. poor development
4. poor physical and mental health
5. infections
6. disease
7. or even death.

For more information about the negative effects of an unbalanced diet, see the page links, further down this page, listed under Related Questions.