REGULAR CHILDREN NUTRITION

OUR NURSERY OFFERS REGULAR NUTRITION FOR CHILDREN. FOOD IS EXCLUSIVELY PREPARED WITHOUT ADDITIVES, PRESERVATIVE, 100 % NATURAL FOOD!

And this is our kitchen…

Since March 2005 we have our own kitchen that fulfills the conditions of regular diet for pre-school children. Delicious and various meals are prepared according to menues and recipes of our nutritionist Milica Stajević Trtak from Belgrade.

The order of meals:

REGULAR CHILDREN NUTRITION

Modern science of nutrition and numerous scientific founding suggest that food is one of the most important factors in our environment that influences our health and quality of living.

Role and importance of regular nutrition especially are fully expressed in childhood when growth and development are the most intense. It is believed that it is the basis for health throughout our life. That is why basic and most important task of regular nutrition is to provide child's body with optimal quantities of nutrients, thus correct physical, intellectual, emotional and social growth and development. Family has the most important role. It should be stressed that harmonious relationships within the family, emotional warmth and caring for child are crucial, not only for psychosocial development, but also for properties of a child's nutrition.

However, besides family, important influence on development, upbringing and creating children's habits has pre-school facility. Correction of the mistakes of family nutrition and creating correct eating habits represents very important factor of the child's socialization and becoming independent. Besides primary quality in educational work with children, in English-sport nursery school Speak up great importance is placed on high-quality nutrition.

Quality of the nutrition is seen through following and applying the principles of correct nutrition which concern pre-school children:

1.    Rationality means that daily food should provide enough energy needed for growth, development, physical activity of children. Energetic needs are determined in accordance to sex, age, daily activities, and individually are controlled in order to stop obesity (result of excessive intake of energy) or malnutrition (result of insufficient intake of calories). Nutrition in the nursery school should satisfy 75% of total daily energy needs.

2.    Optimal means well balanced nutrition that provides child's body with all nutrients required for correct growth, development and functioning. Daily meal in the nursery school should satisfy 75% of daily needs in fat, carbohydrates, and 90% in proteins, vitamins and minerals.

3.    Diversity of food in children menu is necessary for correct nutrition, having in mind that advantage is given to those with greater biological and nutrition value.

Depending on nutrition value and their percentage in nutrition, food is divided into several groups:

I. Cereals and products represent the most present group whose proportional share  is 30% in ste structure of children nutrition.. Advantage should be given to integral, graham bread, rice, corn, as well as wheat cereals as an important source of complex  carbohydrates (they provide with necessary energy, maintain sugar levels in blood, longer feeling of satiety), vitamin from B group and many mineral ingredients (Mg, P, Zn, Cu...).

II. Milk and products made of milk are necessary, integral part of everyday menu for children whose proportional share is 20 – 25%. They are full of biologically valuable proteins easily exploited by the body, energetically and nutritionally valuable milk fats, vitamins A, D, B1, B2 and niacin, especially important mineral salts of calcium and phosphorus in optimal ratio, as well as magnesium, sodium, potassium...

III. Meat, fish, eggs and their manufactured products represent a great group of nutrients with animal origin. Children should eat meat with less fat (chicken, turkey meat, veal, etc.) because they are rich with high-quality proteins, vitamins and minerals, and have less saturated fats and cholesterol. In order to use up nutrients as good as possible, one should be careful when preparing these (but also all the other) foods, as well as when combining them with other foods. It is especially important for children to eat enough fish, at least 2-3 times a week. It is easily digested, rich in biologically extremely valuable ingredients – proteins, essential fat acids necessary for correct forming and functioning of the nervous system, correct growth and development of children, vitamins A, D and E, it is a good source of phosphorus, calcium (especially sardines and similar fish with tiny, soft bones), magnesium, and sea fish with iodine. Eggs are important food in childhood, for their contents, but also for numerous ways of preparing them. They are in the first place for their biological value and ways of exploiting proteins, they are rich in vitamins A, D, E, B1 and B2, and minerals such as iron (children organism uses it 100%), phosphorus, sodium, potassium, copper, zinc...

IV. Vegetables are very important in children nutrition, especially because they are rich in vitamins and minerals. That is why it is very important to teach children to eat many kinds of vegetables. The fact that children like live colors can be helpful, so vegetables should be combined and nicely arranged with other food. This group of food should make up 10% in the structure of children nutrition.

V.  Fruit and fruit products are very important group of food for children. High nutrition and biological value is given by numerous nutritious ingredients that have good effects on digestion, exploiting energy, regulating acid-base balance, functioning of the nervous system, enzyme activity and functioning of endocrine glands. The important property of fruit is to block and remove toxins form organism. Fruit should make up at least 10 % in the children nutrition.

VI.  Fats, oils and their products represent a group of visible fats of vegetable and animal origin used in human nutrition. For children nutrition, butter and pig fat are used from fats with animal origin. These foods should not dominate in their nutrition, but should also not be completely neglected because of the content of ingredients necessary for correct growth and development (essential fat acids – linoleic and arachidonic, liposulubile vitamins A, D, E and K). However, advantage should be given to vegetable oils (especially olive, sunflower, pumpkin, etc ), which have, besides important energetic value, high biological and nutritious value. Their proportional share on daily basis should be 10 %

VII. Sugar and sugar concentrates are sugar, honey, maltex, jam, marmalade and similar products based on sugar. Their properties are quick release of easily usable energy needed for physical activity, they speed up recovery and strengthenweakened organism, have beneficial effects on mood. However, these foods are usually favorite children food, and thus should be limited to 30-40 g a day (8-10%). Their excessive use helps the development of caries, obesity, atherosclerosis and similar illnesses even in children, and especially in adulthood. The advantage should always be given to honey and maltex, as well as to natural, nutritious and biologically valuable foods.

Cooperation with the nutritionist enables successful planning and realizing of the correct nutrition, first of all due to knowing the composition and properties of foods, methods for their storing, selection of appropriate way of preparing, but also right combination of foods. That is why children are given foods with maximally preserved nutritious and biological value, beneficial organoleptic properties (pleasant smell, taste, color...), usability of nutrients is increased, but it should be pointed out that food is safe for children's health and hygienically approved.