When do children consume the most sweets?

Children under 5 years old consume about 20% of their total daily calories within an hour of leaving nursery - Photo: The Telegraph

A recent study found that children under 5 years old consume about 20% of their total daily calories within an hour of leaving daycare.

Children eat the least nutritious food after school

Many working parents are used to a routine. In the morning, they wake up and rush out of the house. Then it’s time for the parents to go to work, while the children are at daycare. In the afternoon, they pick up their children, go home to prepare dinner, and put the children to bed on time.

After a long day at daycare, it’s natural to buy your child a snack. But the quality of the snacks is a concern, researchers found.

In addition to being high in calories, the foods and drinks parents feed their children at this time add up to 22 percent of their daily sugar intake, and account for about a third of the snacks children eat, according to a press release.

The study, published in the journal Child Health Care in April, looked at food journal data from more than 300 families with children attending 30 child care centers across Hamilton County, Ohio, between 2009 and 2011, the Washington Post reported.

Researchers examined multiple transition periods — one hour before and after dropping off children at school; and one hour before and after picking them up. The children, who were just over 4 years old on average, consumed about 1,470 calories per day.

Within an hour of leaving daycare, children ate the least nutritious foods. They also consumed 290 calories - or about 20% of their total daily intake.

Parents contribute to creating habits for children

The researchers note that stress, time constraints and parents' desire to soothe or comfort their children may also affect them, and call for more research into "these potentially critical transitions."

“Every parent knows how hectic that time of day can be. Parents may feel stressed, children may be cranky, hungry or tired,” Kristen Copeland, PhD, senior author of the study and an attending physician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, said in a statement.

There's nothing wrong with treating your child to a meal every now and then. But the ride home from school can also be an opportunity to practice healthier habits, rather than less healthy ones.

Dr. Kristen Copeland

“There’s nothing wrong with treating kids to a meal every now and then. But that ride home can also be an opportunity to practice healthier habits, rather than less healthy ones,” he says.

The study authors recommend that parents keep sliced ​​fruits and vegetables, cheese, and cheese in their cars, and limit beverages to water or milk.

“Preschoolers are at the height of habit formation in their lives. They grow up with habits,” Copeland adds.

He notes that since children often look forward to the ride home from school, this is an opportunity for parents to establish healthy habits that can last a child's lifetime.

Additionally, the researchers concluded that focusing on nutrition during this school-to-home transition could have “huge” nutritional benefits for children.

Dietary recommendations vary by activity level and gender, but children ages 4 to 8 should consume between 1,200 and 2,000 calories per day.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thoi-diem-nao-tre-em-tieu-thu-nhieu-do-ngot-nhat-20240510045609151.htm