Key Parts of Children's Nutrition on Holidays

The weather warmed up and a whole winter have passed now. Now it's time to relax, get some rest, have some fun. But without a doubt one of the most difficult tests of life with children is the holiday. Apart from the illnesses that await your child, the diet that you dread all year round also passes a heavy test during the holidays; it is never in the comfort and health of the home. Yeditepe University Hospitals Pediatrics Specialist Asst. Prof. Dr. Seyhan Perihan Çobanoğlu Saf answered the questions about child nutrition during holidays with children.

One of the most important points on vacation is hygiene. The smaller your baby is, the more important hygiene is undoubtedly the luckiest cut, only breastfed babies. Hygiene requirements for babies who take food or additional food can be challenging. Therefore, the parents should have a portable sterilizer with them and carry their own spoon for children under 2 years of age. Asst. Prof. Dr. Seyhan Perihan Çobanoğlu Saf emphasized that if a more active holiday is planned outside the all-inclusive system, the spoon, as well as the cooler bag and food thermos, are the products that families should take with them in order to have food ready during transfers.

Another point is the intake of sufficient amount of fluid. Encourage your child to drink water frequently. Freshly squeezed juices, ayran and milk are a good option next to the water for fluid needs. Carbonated and ready-made sugary drinks have no place in children's nutrition.

Breakfast is the most important meal to pay attention to; it must definitely be included in the child's diet and should be close to the time at home. Ready-made powdered food mixtures and jar foods for children who have just switched to supplemental food can be savior. Alternatively, adding fruit and milk to oatmeal may be a good option.

For older children; breakfast with plenty of vegetables, fruits , cheese and olives should be preferred, away from fermented products. Fermented processed meat products that we do not recommend are becoming even more unhealthy in hotels.

Eggs are a must have for every child's breakfast. However, the point to pay attention to during the holiday is that it is often too boiled, and its protein can be denatured. You should prefer eggs that have been boiled for three to five minutes. If you are going to feed your child an omelet, you should ask for it to be made with freshly broken eggs and a previously unused, unburned oil. For lunch, I definitely recommend taking fresh or dried fruits and nuts such as walnuts and almonds with you. It would be a good solution to throw a fruit net and glass grater into your suitcase for babies who have just switched to supplemental food.

The most practical solution for families for lunch and dinner is soup. However, the soup contents of hotels contain more water and flour than necessary, so you can enrich the content by adding boiled vegetables to the diet menu. You should prefer boiled meat products as much as possible and avoid fried ones. You should be careful to include boiled or baked vegetables as a salad in your child's meals. But I suggest you pay attention to whether the salad, that is, raw vegetables, is clean enough. If you are unsure about its cleanliness, avoid raw vegetables because they may carry the risk of serious food poisoning.

In particular, you should not include pastries on the breakfast menu of every hotel in your diet. Because the saturated fats and high carbohydrates they contain will both limit your child's energy and lead to fat storage. The last thing I would suggest you add to your holiday feeding routine is probiotics. Although you try to offer the foods with health, their tiny digestive systems will go out of routine and will be surprised, so I recommend giving your child a probiotic supplement that your doctor will recommend during the holiday and for the next week.