Right Nutrition For A Healthy Childhood
Kids who eat the perfect measure of nutritious food varieties and are adequately dynamic, lay the frameworks for a solid life and appreciate lower dangers of long-haul medical conditions. Nourishment for kids depends on similar standards as nutrients for adults. Everybody needs similar sorts of supplements — like nutrients, minerals, vitamins, starches, protein, and fats. Kids, nonetheless, need various measures of explicit supplements at various ages.
With coming of varieties of options in the food market along with processed and packaged foods, the child desires to eat them and as a result it only provides them with fats and no other required nutrients.
Let’s now understand the essential and non-essential food elements which will help you to make an informed choice.
The necessary dietary articles for kids are as follows:
· Protein - To add protein in your child’s diet, serve cereals, seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.
· Carbohydrates- The carbohydrates are the energy providers. Not all carbohydrates are bad for health, some amount of carbohydrates shall be incorporated in the diet, which are: Rice, Pasta, potato, corns, pumpkin, bread, quinoa and many more.
· Minerals- Minerals are another vital element for the body to develop and function normally. Motivate your child to eat a variety of fresh or dried fruits. Always remember fruits are better than fruit juices. If your child likes to drink juice, make sure that it's 100 percent juice without added sugars& preservatives and limit his or her servings. Also, encourage your child to eat a variety of vegetables, including dark green, red and orange, beans and peas, starchy and others, each week.
· Vitamins- Vitamins are essential for child’s growth & development. Dairy products such as eggs and milk, vegetables such as carrots , bell peppers , leafy vegetables, grains, nuts & fruits like avocado and strawberries are rich source of vitamins.
· Calcium- Eating and drinking fat-free or low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, broccoli, leafy vegetables & fortified soy beverages is essential.
The food items that should be avoided are as follows:
· Added sugar. Avoid brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, honey, soda, sports, and energy drinks in the diet. Naturally occurring sugars, such as those in fruit and milk, are not added sugars.
· Saturated and trans fats- Look for ways to replace saturated fats with vegetable and nut oils, which provide essential fatty acids and vitamin E. The fats that mainly come from animal sources such as red meat, poultry & full -fat dairy products are harmful. To gain healthier fats, use naturally present in olives, nuts, avocados and seafood.
· Sodium. Most children have too much sodium in their daily diets. Encourage snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of chips and cookies. Check nutrition labels and look for product low in sodium.
Some examples of food that should be avoided are:
· sweet biscuits, cakes and desserts
· processed meats and sausages
· ice-cream, confectionery and chocolate
· meat pies and other pastries
· commercial burgers, pizza, hot chips, and fried foods
· crisps and other fatty and/or salty snacks
· cream and butter
· sugar-sweetened cordials and soft drinks
Stuck at homes amidst the pandemic has created a scenario where the children are binge eating leading to lifestyle issues such as obesity, Hence, it is important for the parents to gain an insight about the calories along with the vital nutrient requirement as per the gender and the age group of the child.
Follow these simple & healthy hacks when feeding your kids:
· Avoid screens and make mealtime family time
· Cut Fruits, Salad, and sandwiches into interesting shapes to make healthy foods fun.
· Encourage your children to sit with you at the table
· A healthy breakfast is mandatory
· Take them out with you for food shopping, try out new foods and show your children where food comes from.
· Try to bring in variety and new recipes.
· Avoid keeping junk food in the house
· Keep a bowl of fruit handy for a snack
· Maintain hygiene while preparing food and make sure food is prepared and stored safely
· Swap out the food which is lower in nutrients.
· Sustain the upright posture of child while feeding.
· Remember to add a Cheat Day for your child.
· Motivate your child to read the nutritional information given on the food packet.
As parents we wish to give our child with the best of everything so why compromise on the food that they have. Therefore, I suggest following the above mentioned tips and techniques to give them a healthy childhood.
About the author -
Komal Mishra, Counseling Psychologist, Kaleidoscope- a unit of Dr. Bakshi’s Healthcare.
