What Do Young Children Eat While They Are in Childcare?
What Do Young Children Eat While They Are in Childcare?
This study looked at how much of young children’s daily food and nutrients come from meals and snacks eaten in childcare.
What We Did and Why We Did It
Researchers studied 46 children aged 1.5 to 4 years in the Guelph Family Health Study. Parents recorded everything their child ate over a full day that included time in childcare. Researchers then worked out how much of the child’s daily food and nutrients came from foods eaten in childcare compared with foods eaten elsewhere. Many young children spend a large part of their day in childcare, where much of their eating takes place, so researchers wanted to understand how much childcare foods contribute to children’s overall diets.
What We Found
What We Can Learn From This
Foods eaten in childcare made up almost half (46%) of children’s daily energy. Compared with the rest of the day, childcare foods were:
- Higher in healthy items like fruit (56%), vegetables (54%), whole grains (53%), and legumes (71%), and lower in added sugars (30%)
- Lower in some important nutrients, including vitamin D, iron, and meat and alternatives
This shows that childcare plays an important role in shaping what young children eat, and often provides plenty of healthy foods. There may still be room to boost certain nutrients like iron and vitamin D, so supporting childcare settings to offer balanced meals and snacks can help children get the nutrition they need.
Limitations
This was a small study, and most participating families were White and from higher-income households, so the findings may not apply to all families.
Read the full article published Here.
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