ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Getting children to eat from all five food groups is recommended for healthy growth, but for many families in South Georgia, putting one balanced meal on the table can be a challenge.

A balanced plate should include all five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. But for a growing number of families, getting all of those foods consistently is not realistic.

Nutrient-rich foods help children grow, learn, and fight off illness. But doctors say many families are struggling to cover the basics. This struggle is particularly evident in South Georgia, where one in four children lives in a home where having enough food is a daily challenge, according to Second Harvest of South Georgia.

“If you’re not getting the right balance or even enough variety of different foods and different nutrients, your body can’t develop appropriately and also can’t function at its best,” said Dr. Flannery Ishoy, a pediatric nutritionist at Phoebe Putney Health System.

Ishoy works with children and adolescents daily, as well as with their families, to get them on the right track when it comes to their child’s nutrition. She said the five food groups are more of a goal than a guarantee, as many people simply are not used to or cannot afford the local option.

“A lot of families are just so busy, you know, both parents probably work, and kids are in school, and they are constantly just running here and there, and frankly, fast food is just the easiest, fastest thing for a lot of families,” Ishoy said. “You really do kind of get what you pay for, so while these processed foods are going to be easier, they are very sparse, and they have a lot of calories, but they don’t have a lot of traditional value to them.”

The issue extends beyond access to include education. Many parents want to prepare healthy meals but do not know how to stretch ingredients or build a balanced plate when certain food groups are not available.

Ishoy said it is acceptable to have a relaxed approach to introducing balanced meals. If families can build a few days out of the week for home-cooked, balanced meals, they are already ahead of most.

“I am really passionate about the education portion of it, just empowering people, families, patients to make those decisions for themselves,” Ishoy said.

The focus moving forward is education. Doctors say teaching families and children how to build healthier meals with what they can access could be as important as providing the food itself.

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