Is it okay for children to like eating meat?

Most parents are very happy to see their children have a good appetite. They think there is nothing wrong with seeing their children eat meat, as it can make their children healthier and promote their growth and development. But is this really the case? Children who love to eat meat have a much lower acceptance of vegetables and fruits. If this situation continues, they will be malnourished, and the children will become overweight and suffer from long-term diseases such as constipation.

Moderate intake of meat and a balanced ratio of fruits and vegetables

Nowadays, fast food is popular, and we have more opportunities to eat meat than before. Meat is delicious and is loved by both adults and children. There are many reasons for loving to eat meat, but developing a habit of loving to eat meat will accumulate burdens on the body and cause adverse health effects. Although there is nothing wrong with eating meat, it must be eaten in moderation and balanced with the nutrition of fruits and vegetables. Cultivating a good and healthy physique from an early age will allow you to easily have a strong physique that will not get sick when you grow up.

Why do children love to eat meat?

The reason

When babies start to try to take in protein after one year old, it is not difficult to find that they are very receptive to meat. Some children will even "not love meat without meat" and will only eat obediently if there is meat at every meal. If parents do not cultivate their children's correct healthy eating habits for a long time, the preference for eating meat will also affect the children's reduced nutritional intake from other foods, which can easily lead to problems in growth and development, immunity, etc., and even increase the risk of chronic diseases. In addition to personal preferences, the following three reasons are also the main key to their decision.

Fat, sweetness

Regarding the reason why children love to eat meat, Huang Yahui, a nutritionist at the Women's and Children's Hospital of Taipei City, said that meat does have elements that make people feel delicious, such as the fat and amino acids in it, which make the taste relatively sweet. Adults will consume it in moderation and increase the amount of vegetables they eat for reasons such as beauty and weight loss, for health reasons, and religious beliefs. However, it is undeniable that meat still has its unique appeal compared to vegetables.

Many seasoning variations

Many seasonings are often added to meat during cooking to make it taste delicious and sweet, especially when eating out, many additives such as MSG and starch are added. Through different cooking methods, the taste of meat is pleasant and varied, which attracts children to love meat.

Dietary environment

The eating environment at home is an important factor that influences children's eating habits. If the elders like to eat a lot of meat and fish, or if the mother's cooking is not balanced in the ratio of vegetables to meat, for example, there is only one vegetable and three meat dishes, resulting in fewer vegetable choices, when children have been exposed to the eating environment given by their parents for a long time, and have not been taught the correct and healthy eating concepts, over time, children will imitate the behavior of adults and also like to eat braised pork belly and fried chicken nuggets, or think that eating more meat will not affect their health, and even develop unhealthy eating habits such as eating chicken chops and grilled sausages when they are hungry, and drinking hand-shaken drinks.

Pros and cons of eating meat

Advantages》Supplement protein, beneficial to muscle growth

Nutritionist Huang Yahui pointed out that recent research reports show that protein intake is related to sarcopenia in the elderly. Since meat is the main source of protein, many elderly people have dental problems and cannot eat meat, which leads to insufficient protein intake, which can easily lead to muscle loss and weakness. Therefore, eating meat can maintain healthy body functions, supplement protein nutrition, and is beneficial to muscle growth.

In addition, red meat is rich in iron. For children in the developmental stage, beef, pork, and lamb are all high-quality red meat food sources. Although vegetables also contain iron, the absorption rate of plant iron is higher than that of animal iron. Deep-sea fish, which is also a source of protein, is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, which are also beneficial to children's vision and brain development.

Disadvantages: Can easily cause obesity and cardiovascular disease

Eating meat can supplement protein, but if you eat too much meat, it will be a big burden on the body. Nutritionist Huang Yahui explained that eating too much meat will be accompanied by excessive intake of fat, especially red meat such as pork, which has a lot of saturated fatty acids. Eating too much can easily cause obesity and cardiovascular problems. Fatty meat has a soft texture and will make children like to eat it. Therefore, the fat problem must be paid attention to when consuming meat.

Since lean meat is hard after cooking, it is easy to get stuck in the teeth when chewing. If the oral cavity is not cleaned thoroughly, it is easy to cause tooth decay. Secondly, children are used to playing while eating, and they do not chew the meat completely, which is also a burden on the digestion of the stomach. Nutritionist Huang said that more and more news reports have pointed out that the proportion of high uric acid in school children found in health examinations is higher than in previous years. This is related to the eating habits of modern children, which are more meat and beverages, less vegetables, and less water. Therefore, there is a trend of higher uric acid in younger and younger children.

In fact, eating too much meat may also cause the early onset of secondary sexual characteristics, because the industry wants livestock to grow quickly, and may use antibiotics, growth hormones, etc. It is common to report that elementary school girls who are still in the developmental stage have early menstruation because they like to eat fried chicken, which is related to eating too much meat. In addition, in order to improve the taste of meat, seasoning tends to be high in fat, salt, and sugar, and even chemical additives are added to processed meat, which not only causes high calorie problems, but also adds extra burden on the kidneys and liver.

Eating meat in moderation is nutritious and healthy

If you want to eat meat wisely, the basic rule is to take appropriate amounts according to age. According to the National Health Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, children aged one to three are advised to take three servings of beans, fish, meat and eggs, two servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, and 1.5 to 2 bowls of whole grains and root vegetables. Boys and girls aged four to six have different needs. For beans, fish, meat and eggs, girls should take three servings a day, while boys should take three to four servings, and the amount of vegetables should be slightly increased by about one serving.

Eating too much meat is bad for your health?

Does eating too much meat necessarily mean you are unhealthy?

Eating meat properly can maintain muscle growth and keep the body healthy. If you consume too much meat, it is easy to cause other problems, which in turn affect your health. The following will explain common health problems. Most of them are caused by unhealthy diets. People want to compensate by taking nutritional supplements to get healthy, but this is not the right way. Another problem is that bad habits are formed without awareness. However, through the advice of nutritionists, pay more attention, and adjust the correct eating habits, you can eat meat healthily.

Vitamins cannot provide nutritional needs

Nowadays, families cook less and eat out more, so the diet lacks the concept of nutritional balance. Nutritionist Huang Yahui emphasized that many parents think that taking vitamins can make up for the problem of insufficient nutrition intake, but in fact, there are still many nutrients in fruits and vegetables that cannot be replaced by tablets. For example, vegetables of different colors have different phytochemicals and lycopene, which cannot be supplemented by vitamins.

Compared to taking vitamins, the nutrients taken in from fresh fruits and vegetables are more diverse and natural. Nutritionist Huang suggested that if the usual nutritional intake is not balanced, hoping to get good health through vitamins is putting the cart before the horse. The correct and healthy concept of diet should start from daily life, including balanced nutrition, eating seasonal and local natural fruits and vegetables, and the ratio of vegetables to rice should be matched with meat, and eating fruit after meals. These are all healthier ways of eating.

Develop bad eating habits

Nutritionist Huang Yahui believes that eating meat is not bad, but if children eat too much, it will affect their intake of vegetables and fruits, which can easily lead to unbalanced diet. In addition, in order to make meat taste delicious, many seasonings may be added to enhance the flavor and taste. If children are often in such a dietary environment, they are likely to develop a habit of heavy taste, which is very bad for their health.

Basically, processed meat is the most popular among children, such as hamburger meat, bacon, smoked ham, etc., which have a sweet taste. In order to prevent meat from spoiling or increase its flavor and aroma, it may be paired with food additives. Eating too much will increase the burden on the body, so it is recommended to eat less processed meat. These eating habits will gradually affect physical health, and they are more likely to catch a cold, grow short or have other health problems after going to school.

Protein intake for children

After six months, babies can gradually take in a variety of foods. Parents should let them get familiar with various tastes. Even if they may resist at first, you should still try multiple times and use different techniques to make your child accept the original taste of food. This will help them establish eating habits in the future and will make it less likely for them to have partial or picky eating habits.

When babies try to take in protein, they can start by mixing finely minced meat, fish or tofu into rice or noodles. Fish and tofu are good sources of protein for children because they are soft and easy to digest. For babies whose teeth are not yet fully developed, they are easy to swallow and digest. The Omega-3 in deep-sea fish is more conducive to the development of eyes and brain. It is recommended to eat sharks, marlin, swordfish and horsehead fish that are not suspected of mercury and heavy metals, and other fish species rich in mercury such as salmon and tuna at least three times a week. In addition, eggs are also a good choice. They are easy to prepare and suitable for various cooking methods. They can be boiled in soup, steamed eggs, fried and stir-fried with various flavors, and children are very receptive.

When choosing meat, it is recommended to eat lean meat. Red meat rich in iron is also good, and it should be cooked in a low-smoke cooking method. Meat and fish should be eaten alternately to get the nutritional needs of both. Do not overemphasize specific foods. A moderate and appropriate balanced diet is an important way to maintain health.

Create a balanced and healthy eating environment

Balanced nutrition is very important

Balanced nutrition is very important for growing babies. When children prefer meat to vegetables, how should parents teach them to accept vegetables? Nutritionist Huang Yahui reminds that sometimes children do not eat vegetables, and parents should understand the reason, because some children will resist strange and unfamiliar food. It is not that they really do not like this food, but they are afraid to eat it because they have never eaten it before and are not used to the taste and texture of vegetables.

When your baby doesn't want to eat vegetables, parents should not force them to eat. Instead, let the vegetables they don't like appear in their daily diet. Parents should also often eat them in front of their children. When children start to want to try to eat them, they should also be encouraged. This will help them accept vegetables they don't like. In addition, the types of vegetables should be diversified. When cooking, you can choose different vegetables for your children to try. After all, vegetables are not only green leafy vegetables, but also include radishes, loofahs, winter melons, bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots, etc. It is recommended to start practicing with flavors that children dare to eat and can accept.

Find out the reason why your child eats inappropriately

Children may be picky eaters because they want to attract their parents' attention. This is because they may not have enough time to eat with their parents. Nowadays, most families have two-income families, and parents are busy at work, so they don't have time to eat with their children. When children have the opportunity to eat at the same table with their parents, they will want to do things that their parents don't like, hoping to get their parents' attention. In this regard, nutritionist Huang Yahui recommends that parents should know how to distinguish why children are naughty or picky eaters.

Food deformation, eye-catching and delicious

When children are picky eaters and really don't like the taste of a certain food, you can refer to the many children's cooking recipes on the market and transform the food. For example, you can mash the ingredients into a paste and add it to decoration, make them into meatballs and mix them with other foods, wrap them into dumplings, etc., to change the original appearance of the food so that children don't reject the food at first sight.

Avoid the main issue and use smell to divert attention

Seasoning can also be used to change children's perception of tastes they dislike. Seasoning can be done with flavors that children like and can easily accept. For example, sweet pineapples, onions, or fragrant mushrooms can all use smells to divert the baby's taste sensitivity and attention, covering up the original disliked vegetable tastes and helping children to re-recognize the vegetables they dislike.

Competitions and games make eating fun

Don’t force your child to eat if he/she doesn’t want to. In addition to increasing the frequency of vegetables in daily life, you can also use competition games to let your child compete with his/her older brothers and sisters to see who eats more balanced food, which can increase the fun of eating. Parents can also try to show their children how they are eating happily, such as saying “Mm, it’s delicious!” to lure the children to join in. These are all good ways to solve the problem of picky eating.