Dietary Habits in Preschool Children: Preventive Guidelines and Dietary Practice

Preschool age is a well-suited period to get children accustomed to a healthy diet for developmental and nutritional reasons as well as for educational considerations. The, Optimized Mixed Diet" is a practical, food-and meal-based concept of a preventive diet for children in families and day-care as well. The main guidelines for food selection are reduced to simple messages to reach parents, educators, and children. Adults in the child's environment as positive role models and a flexible dietary education enhance the establishment of favourable dietary habits and body weight development. The actual dietary practice of preschool children deviates in central regards from the preventive guidelines, in particular, consumption of plant foods with low energy density is too low and consumption of high-fat, high-sugar products is too high. Prevalences of overweight and obesity increase drastically between the preschool and school age which makes the preschool age a predestined period for implementation of effective health promotion and prevention measures. The vast majority of preschool children attend day care centers. Therefore, offering healthy meals according to the, Optimized Mixed Diet" and promoting water as preferred beverage in these institutions is a promising and low-barrier approach of environmental prevention to effectively reach children of all social levels. J Klin Endokrinol Stoffw 2011; 4 (2): 11-5.