Dietary/Nutrition Guidance for Children

Eating well is one of the most effective ways for kids to grow up as healthy as possible. Learn how to help your child with dietary/nutrition guidance from your pediatricians at Decatur Pediatric Group in Clarkston, Smyrna, and Lithonia, GA.

Importance of a Healthy Diet for Children

A healthy diet is important to everyone on the planet – and that definitely includes your kids. As a parent, you have the power and ability to make sure they eat healthily – at least most of the time. You might not be able to control what they get from the vending machine at school or be aware of what they’re eating at sleepovers. However, occasional unhealthy choices won’t make so much of an impact if you keep them on a healthier route the rest of the time. 

  • Keeping them eating healthily provides many benefits, including but not limited to the following. 
  • Fighting childhood obesity, which has become a serious issue. 
  • Helping children who are naturally thin not drop to “underweight,” which can have its own issues. 
  • Preventing or reducing depression and anxiety, as the foods you take in have been shown to lead to or aggravate mental health issues. 
  • Reducing the risk of conditions like diabetes. 
  • Setting your children up for better habits in the future, as children tend to mirror what they see and do at home. 

Putting a Healthy Diet Into Place

Knowing you need to provide healthy foods and actually doing it can be two totally different things. The following tips can help you get started.

  • Get dietary/nutrition guidance from your pediatrician: If you look online for dietary recommendations for kids, you’ll find several great resources. However, these are general guidelines that don’t take everything into account. For instance, if a child has allergies, they might not be able to eat certain recommended foods. And the needs of a child who is “overweight” probably won’t be the same as for those who are “underweight.” Therefore, the best thing to do is to talk to your pediatrician at Decatur Pediatric Group in Clarkston, Smyrna, and Lithonia, GA to get customized guidance. 
  • Be easy with it: If you suddenly take away your child’s French fries to replace them with broccoli, you’re probably not going to get a great response. The good thing, though, is that you don’t typically have to make huge changes – especially not all at once. Your pediatrician can give you guidance on how to slowly make changes.

Ready to implement healthy changes? Schedule an appointment today for dietary/nutrition guidance in Clarkston, Smyrna, and Lithonia, GA by calling Decatur Pediatric Group at (404) 296-7133.

Our Locations

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Hours of Operations

Our Regular Schedule

Clarkston Location

Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

Smyrna Location

Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

Lithonia Location

Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed