HBEC4103 - Improving Nutrition in Early Childhood Education

This essay discusses the critical role of nutrition in the lives of young children, emphasizing the importance of healthy eating habits for preventing diseases, nourishing the body, enhancing concentration, and boosting energy levels. It examines the food served in Malaysian preschools, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses in their nutritional offerings, including a focus on rice-based products. The essay also explores the values associated with good nutrition and provides recommendations for improving nutritional practices in preschools, such as diversifying food choices, limiting sugar and salt intake, and educating parents on healthy eating. The importance of breakfast and avoiding restrictive diets for children are also emphasized. This resource is available for students on Desklib, a platform offering a wide array of study tools and solved assignments.

Running Head: Psychology 0
Psychology
(Student Name)
2/13/2019

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Table of Contents
Part 1..........................................................................................................................................2
Introduction............................................................................................................................2
Importance of eating healthy food..........................................................................................2
Part 2..........................................................................................................................................3
Food served at Preschool........................................................................................................3
Values in relation to good nutrition........................................................................................4
Recommendations on improving good nutrition....................................................................4
Suggestions on how to educate parents..................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................7

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Part 1
Introduction
Nutrition plays an essential role in the lifestyle of every individual. Food is the major
source through which the individual can inhale nutrition. Food is important things in the life
of every individual besides water (Mann & Truswell, 2017). Moreover, strong consumption
means eating the diversity of foods that help in giving the nutrients which are required to
maintain the health experience good quality and have energy. Nutrients include fat, water,
carbohydrate, vitamin, as well as a mineral. When united with being physically active as well
as maintaining a vigorous weight, eating healthy food is one of the brilliant manners to help
the body to stay physically powerful and healthy. According to the analysis of Consumer
Food Service Market Research 2011 in Malaysia, the population of individuals eating
unhealthy food is more than people who are eating healthy food. After recovering the
economic crises in 2008-09, Malaysians spent more amounts on eating out in 2011 (Branca,
Piwoz, Schultink & Sullivan, 2015).
In the following part, there will be a detailed analysis of the importance of healthy
food among young children and how they can enhance their habits to live a healthy lifestyle.
Importance of eating healthy food
Eating healthy food and maintain diet in regular play a prominent role in making the
young generation healthy. There is certain importance of adopting healthy food as they are
explained in the below points:
Prevent diseases and illness

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The consumption of healthy food plays a significant role in ability of the body to
prevent as well as recover from the illness and diseases. At the situation, when the body of an
individual is healthy due to the reason of healthy eating properly with regular exercise
diseases the risk of illness among the young generation. An individual is less likely to
become sick when there is the existence of a healthy life in their life. Therefore, healthy food
and diet prevent the young generation from serious diseases and illness that help in
developing their body in a more effective manner (Hawkes et al., 2015).
Nourishing Body
A healthy diet and eating habits nourish the body that helps the individual to perform
at optimal levels. According to the requirement and need of body when an individual
consumes the vitamins as well as minerals then it helps in enhancing the energy level of the
individual. The healthy diet lowers the risk of colon problems, diabetes, as well as heart
disease. A properly nourishes body can also resist the germs as well as microorganisms better
than a corpse that is majorly dependent on an unhealthy diet routine (Perkin et al., 2016).
Enhancing concentration power
The consumption of healthy food and diet would help the individual to enhance their
concentration power that directly links to their growth of career and life. It has been proved
by the researchers that the individual who is healthy has a great concentration power as a
comparison to the unhealthy people due to the reason their body is weak that resist the bran to
learn something new or recognize the things in an effective manner as a comparison to the
healthy people. The healthy diet helps in stretching the brain that creates sharp memory that
has a direct to the growth of the young generation in a more effective and efficient manner
(Todd et al., 2015).

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Boosting level of Energy
By eating a healthy diet as well as combining this with the exercise could end the
routine of an individual with a more vibrant life. Eating healthy food boosting the level of
energy among the young children and improve the bodily functions that help to improve the
immune among the children. The body of young children is weak as a comparison to the
mature generation that needs to be protected through immune. Therefore, a healthy diet
boosts the energy level among young children that is greatly required on their overall
development of body and brain.
Mood and Cognition
A well diet can guide to the overall presentation of the intelligence and body.
According to the analysis of researchers, food with elevated in antioxidants can help in
promoting the generation of neurons into old age while enhancing the aptitude to exist cells
of the mind to converse with each other that result in cognitive performance.
The healthy diet also pals an essential role in frame of mind and psychological
healthiness. According to the Journal of psychoanalysis, a well diet is linked with a inferior
occurrence of nervousness disorder, depression, as well as dysthymia (Kelder, Hoelscher &
Perry, 2015).
Part 2
Food served at Preschool
Malaysia has taken various steps to promote a healthy lifestyle among people. They
have taken initiates from the preschool, where the young children spend their half time at that
place. Some of the preschools follow the healthy chart and some of the preschools do not

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follow such a chart. The Malaysian schools mostly prefer non-spicy foods for young children
in their schools which are mainly served by them. They have not a particular diet chart that
they followed strictly
 In the breakfast, are divided into vegetarian and non-vegetarian as they mainly serve
fruits to the vegetarian and omelet to the eggaterian. They start their diet chart with
fruits and juice that made the day healthy of their children.
 The lunch is the main course for preschool, in which they majorly focused on rice
products such as Nasi Lemak, Dosa that made the day of their children lighter. They
also serve fish to the non-vegetarian children that made their life healthier (Lee &
Lee, 205)
Other than that, most of the children bring snacks with them such as saluted chips,
cookies, bread sandwich that can be eaten by them in the schools in the break secession.
According to the analysis, it has been observed that there was lack of knowledge on
healthy eating as well as it would be a relevant topic for a dissertation. They majorly focus on
rice that suggested that a lack of knowledge of different food groups. The endorsement of
well consumption in school is one of the mainly essential chances to make sure that children
can decide a strong diet at the present and afterwards in life. Therefore, preschools majorly
focus on proving nutrition to young children (Balachanthar, S., Zakaria & Lee, 2018).
Values in relation to good nutrition
The schools are expected to serve healthy food choice to help the growth as well as
maintain the health of children that help in reducing the future risk of diet-related chronic
disease. The food served in preschool is according to the guidelines and recommendations. It
has been analyzed that fatty foods dominate the foods riches with protein. A very small

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proportion of food menu is served with vegetables; products of milk as well as the category
of fruits. Most of the schools have different values towards good nutrition. According to the
analysis, most of the preschool in Malaysia mainly focus on rice in lunchtime for the
children. They believe that rice will be light for their body with full of nutrition therefore,
they mainly focus on rice products such as Nasi Lemak, Dosa that been served by them in
preschool to the children (Kumar,Singh & Kumar, 2016). According to the Malaysian
population, the fruits contain high nutrients that help them in developing their body,
therefore, they suggest eating one fruit on a regular basis that helps in promoting the health of
the children in a more effective and efficient manner. Moreover, the fishes are the major
source for the Malaysian people to enhance their health; they believed that fish has a number
of nutrition that enhances the power of brain in children that help in the development of the
children in the early age. Fish contain vitamins that nourish the body of an individual in a
more effective manner (Nor, Latif, Ismail & Nor, 2016)
The national council for curriculum as well as an assessment of Malaysia states that
developing health-promoting practice through their time in school can encourage the child to
take increasing control over their own health that helps to establish as well as maintain the
healthy behaviors from an early age of the individual (Tan, Chai & Min, 2017).
Recommendations on improving good nutrition
There is a great need to concentrate on healthy nutrition that helps in developing and
strengthening the health of children. There are certain manners through which they can
enhance their good nutrition which is explained in below points:
 The children are needed to eat a diversity of foods in order to have a sufficient
nutrient intake. Stick on one food would not cover all nutrition that is needed in the
body. Therefore it is highly recommended that they should eat a variety of food

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according to the season that helps in covering all the nutrients that are actually
required in the body.
 Choose a diet that is moderate or balanced in sugar as well as sault. There should be
proper avoidance of giving a large number of sweet desserts, flavored drinks, sugar-
coated cereals, chips or candy, soft drinks to the children due to the reason, it contains
low nutritional values and high calories and fat which is not healthy for the children
that affect their health at a greater level (Ritchie et al., 2015).
 Eating breakfast every day would help the children to maintain concentration in class.
A healthy breakfast should be provided that would able to generate a third of the total
daily energy requirement. A typical breakfast includes a cereal such as bread, oats,
rice, protein-rich food such as vitamin C rich fruits, a glass of milk.
 The diet of mass loss are not suitable for children therefore, it is most excellent to
offer plump children a diversity of well food, right portion sizes as well as
opportunities to be active. Following these practices will help children grow into a
additional usual mass (Gordon, 2012).
 The preschool should teach the children how to study when they are starving and
when they are full. Permit toddlers to go away the foodstuff on their tableware, it the
child ask for the moment serving then serve a little section even if you consider that
the child has eaten sufficient. They can also comprise low-calorie food in their meals
as well as refreshments and tender such foods when children ask for extra (Whiteley
& Matwiejczyk, 2015).
 The preschools have the same routine of food and insist on the children on eating
similar food every day that increase the attraction and preference among the children
for a particular dish or food, the children feel resist to eat other food on a regular
basis, therefore, persist contribution a assortment of foods even if a teenager eat only

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one thing. With the time as well as tolerance, the children would able to start to eat a
wider diversity of foods in an effective manner that would help them in taking the
nutrition from other foods as well.
 Preschool, should certainly not power a kid to eat more. T is usual for the children to
eat a lot of food one day and approximately not anything on another day. Of,
preschool offers choices from each one of the food groups every day, and then the
children would able to adjust and eat an appropriate amount of food over several days.
Deciding how much to consume at a specified food or snack it the job of the child. It
is the responsibility of preschool to serves a variety of nutrition as well as tasty food
to the children.
 Preschool should respect as well as value the educational consumption differences.
They should bring in the kids to foods from a diverse culture and should hearten the
children as well as their families to split the stories about their variety of cultures to
enhance the knowledge about healthy foods according to the different culture among
children (De Marco, Zeisel & Odom, 2015).
Suggestions on how to educate parents
The parents play a prominent role in providing nutrients food to their children. They
are the main source through such the children can develop in a more effective and efficient
manner. There are certain ways through which the parents can contribute to providing
nutrients food to their consumers. These are explained in below points as they are:
Secession and training
The programs can be arrange for the parents in which dietician or any other nutrients
professional can take secession of the parents in which they can give training to the parents

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related to healthy diet and a chart they can follow for their children that would help in
enhancing the knowledge and awareness about the healthy foods among the parents.
Through social media
Social media is one of the effective platforms which can be used for any purpose.
Most of the individuals are using social media. They are mostly available on Facebook,
YouTube and other media therefore, a small clip can be prepared about the healthy foods and
nutrition in which the foods or recipes can be share to prepare healthy food or in which fruits
or vegetable has which nutrients that enhance the skills of parents that can give them chance
to experiments with the food to make them more nutrients and taste that can be easily eaten
by their children (Larsen et al., 2015)
Contest
The contest can be arranged for the parents in which, the game can be held about the
nutrition food that would help the parents to know about how much they have knowledge
about the nutrition food and how much they lag in knowing the importance of nutrition food.
The contest creates completion among the parents that would force to know about such things
in an effective manner. The winning parents will be gifted by the contest runner that would
motivate other parents as well to gain their knowledge for such foods. They can apply such
learning and knowledge in the dieting of their children that would enhance the development
of children in an effective manner (Nepper & Chai, 2016).
Motivate Parents to buy fruits
The motivational programs can be arranged by the preschool or government in which
the parents can be suggested to buy fruits for their children rather than snacks that made their
life healthier. It has been observed that if parents emphasize how important these are in the

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diet, the children would able to eat more often, compared to parents who are more about
relaxed it. According to the views of Kleinman “You do not want to be rigid about it, but you
must insist (Loth et al., 2016).
Counseling
Counseling can be arranged for the parents to educate them towards good nutrition
food. In the process of counseling, councilors will take secession of individual parent and
force them to share issues related to the health of their children, according they should
provide diet char to their parents. It increases the satisfaction level among the parents and
would able to guide them properly towards the steps of a healthy lifestyle. Parents are the role
model of children therefore; it is the responsibility of the parents to take care of the diet of
their children to prove the huge level of nutrition that made the life of the children healthier
(Sandell et al., 2016).

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References
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Branca, F., Piwoz, E., Schultink, W., & Sullivan, L. M. (2015). Nutrition and health in
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Gordon, R. W. (2012). health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child. Journal of Nutrition
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Contemporary Pediatrics, 4(1), 83-86.

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1477-1486.

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