In the recent event “Food Talk” Aqiva helped us moms know more about “Diet Shift” and offer us empowering solutions to conquer this phase. Present during the event was  celebrity mom and TV host Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski who shared with us her own experience with Diet Shift,  “I have three boys, and my youngest, Renzo, is four years old. I noticed that Renzo is starting to prefer unhealthy food staples such as French fries and ice cream. I know people expect me to know how to teach Renzo to eat healthy because I’ve already experienced this with my other two boys. But the truth is, it’s not easy. It’s always a different challenge with each kid when it comes to mealtimes.”

Dr. Bernadette Benitez, a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Specialist who currently serves as the Medical Director of Wyeth Nutrition Philippines, and a consultant the Asian Hospital, Medical Center in Alabang, and Makati Medical Center shared with us that Diet SDhift is real and told the usual age when it occurs.

“It is normal for a child to go through a Diet Shift, as experimenting with new food, and developing tastes for new food, are all part of growing up. The problem is when the child gets exposed to more types of unhealthy food, and would start to prefer these over other food that are ideal for his age. This usually heightens at age 4, when he starts tasting sugary snacks from classmates, and begins craving for fried and crunchy food from the malls, etc. This is when parents should start monitoring their child’s intake of unhealthy food, and continue teaching them to eat healthy.” explained Dr. Benitez.

I can very well relate to what Dr Benitez said. My two older boy experienced this phase and my 3rd son just got out of this phase. My two older boys conquered diet shift easily but with my third son, it took a while and a lot of convincing. He now eats better and loves his veggies and fruits.

Ms. Luz Callanta, Nutrition Expert and Lecturer, discussed what are the nutrients that was commonly “lost” during this shift and the importance of this nutrients:

“Proper nutrition is needed, especially during the child’s growth and development years. This is when he needs most of the vitamins and nutrients, at the right levels. Unfortunately, this is the same time that the threat of the Diet Shift strikes, and gaps in nutrition may occur. It is essential at this stage to supplement at-risk nutrients in the child’s diet and nutrition,” says Ms. Callanta.

The event was not just about diet shift and nutrients, Celebrity Chef Jackie Laudico of Bistro Filipino taught us a few ideas on how to prepare food.. FUN ideas! great food presentation. “The best way to make children try healthy dishes is to make them interested in it. The food’s visual appeal helps in getting their attention, and eventually they would be willing to taste the healthy snack.” shared Chef Laudico.

Of course, when giving child friendly meals to your kid, always partner it with Aqiva. It is formulated with A.Q.I (Adequate, Quality and Important) Nutrients, AQIVA is packed with 40 ingredients including 25 essential nutrients, scientifically designed to support the child’s nutrition as parents teach them healthy eating habits, especially during the Diet Shift phase.

“Aqiva proudly takes on the advocacy of raising healthy children through healthy eating habits and proper nutrition. We want to help moms instill the importance and value of healthy eating in their children, and at the same time, we want children to enjoy their healthy meals–to actually like what they eat,” said AQIVA Senior Product Manager Carlo de la Paz.

For more information on Aqiva, parents may call the Wyeth Careline at 81-WYETH (81-99384) for Metro Manila,
and 1-800-10-884-2222 (toll-free) for provinces. Parents may also log on to www.facebook.com/AqivaPH