title: Eating and nutritional problems in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Australia good food is abundant and relatively cheap but childhood obesity is increasing and many children are offered suboptimal nutrition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The impediments to healthy food choices and strategies for promoting a healthy diet in childhood are discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Good nutrition in childhood is important, not only for the health, growth and development of the child but also for long term health. A child's energy requirement can easily be met from snack food, at the expense of more nutrient rich foods. There are no 'good' or 'bad' foods: it is the overall package of intake that is important. Children need to be offered a variety of nutrient rich foods at regular times during the day.
authors.affiliation: New Children's Hospital, Westmead.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McVeagh
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D005192:Family Health; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016487:Parenting