Consider the fat, sugar and salt content of the food you select for the menu. Based on your experience with what constitutes a balanced diet.

Child and Adolescent Development
Read the Lecture Extension 7.1, How Children Can Come to Prefer High-Fat Foods. Your assignment is to review the literature on childrens nutrition and food preferences and prepare a weekly menu for children (early and middle childhood as well as adolescence) based on your findings. Consider the fat, sugar and salt content of the food you select for the menu. Based on your experience with what constitutes a balanced diet. Also consider the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in the foods you select for the menu. Why are you recommending certain foods? Why are you restricting certain foods? What types of foods are used as rewards, if any? Will the menu change during the holidays and for special occasions? Lecture Extension 7.1 How Children Can Come to Prefer High-Fat Foods by L. L. Birch Approximately 34 percent of the energy in the average Americans diet is derived from fat. In the course of the school day, the most frequently consumed foods (for example, candy, potato chips, cheese, peanut butter) contain at least 50 percent fat. Many people are aware of foods that are high in fat content and of the consequences of a high-fat diet: however, this knowledge has resulted in little reduction in the fat intake of most people. Childrens food preferences are substantially influenced by what they see adults eat. High-fat foods are widely available in stores and fast-food restaurants. Many high-fat foods also contain high levels of sugar and salt, which make them even more attractive. Some high-fat foods, such as cheeses prime beef, and rich desserts, symbolize preferred status in society. Special treats are also a central part of special occasions. Birthday parties center around cake and ice cream. Halloween and Easter promote candy consumption. Clearly, a variety of social forces lead children to prefer foods high in fat. Although consumption of fat has some adaptive values as a concentrated energy sources, an innate preferences for fat in humans has not been established. The only know inborn taste preferences if for sweetness. Indeed, fatty foods do not have a common taste. Although people know when they taste something sweet they often do not know when they taste something high in fat. Sweetness has such a pronounced taste that it often makes foods that have a high fat content. Although a food may be preferred, the fat in it may not be easily recognized or detected. Eating is a social event for children. They look to others for cures as to what and how much to consume. Evidence indicates that preschool interactions during mealtime are marked by high frequencies of adult prompts that encourage eating (Ianotti, OBrien & Spillman, 1994). When certain foods (usually high in fat) are used as rewards for behavior or achievement, their desirability is encouraged. When healthy foods are used as a means to a reward (eat all your carrots, then you can play), children come to view these foods as something that must be endured and not enjoyed. To facilitate a healthy diet, children should be provided with opportunities to learn to like, rather than dislike, healthy foods.