One of the most crucial things you can do as a parent is to assist your kids in developing healthy eating practices. A child's balanced diet must include the three food groups—vegetables and fruit, whole grain goods, and protein foods.
A child needs three meals daily and one to three snacks (morning, afternoon and possibly before bed). The food you provide during meals and the snacks you serve are equally significant. The healthiest options are whole, fresh, unprocessed foods—fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, and meats—and home-cooked meals. Here you find a proper healthy diet plan for children.
Sugar and sugar substitutes
Foods without added sugar or sugar alternatives should be made available. Reduce your intake of honey, molasses, syrups, brown sugar, and refined sugars, including sucrose, glucose-fructose, and white sugar. They all contain comparable amounts of calories and promote tooth decay.
While sugar substitutes like aspartame and sucralose are significantly sweeter than sugar and have no nutritional value, they do not add calories or promote tooth damage. These could cause your youngster to develop the habit of just enjoying sugary meals and make it challenging for them to accept fruits and vegetables. Limiting them to your child's diet is a wise suggestion.
Juice and water
- When your child is thirsty, especially between meals and snacks, offer water.
- Keep your daily juice intake to one serving (125 mL; 4 oz) of 100% unsweetened juice.
- Adding real fruit to your child's diet rather than fruit juice increases their intake of beneficial fibre.
- When kids drink too much at meals or between meals can make them feel full.
Sodium
Sodium is the mineral which maintains appropriate fluids in your body. This is also required for nerve and muscle function. But, eating too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which enhances the risk of heart disease. Sodium is also referred to as salt.
- As often as you can, give your child wholesome, low-sodium foods.
- Foods that have been processed and pre-packaged frequently contain a lot of salt.
A fondness for salty foods, which is connected to obesity and sickness later in life, might result from consuming too much sodium as a youngster.
- To compare goods, use Daily Value (DV) on food labels. Search for foods having a 15% DV or lower salt level.
Have a look at these nutrient-rich foods:
- Protein: Select seafood, unsalted nuts and seeds, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, and soy products.
- Fruits: A variety of fresh, canned, frozen, or dried fruits should be consumed by your youngster. Look for fruit in cans that are labelled as light or packed in their juice. This shows its low sugar content. Remember that one serving of fruit equals 1/4 cup of dry fruit.
- Vegetables: Several fresh, canned, frozen, or dry veggies should be offered. Each week, select peas or beans together with bright vegetables. Use canned or frozen vegetables that are lower in salt when selecting.
- Grains: Choose entire grains like oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, brown or wild rice, whole-wheat bread or pasta, etc.
- Dairy: Encourage your youngster to consume dairy products with minimal or no fat, like milk, yoghurt, and cheese. Dairy beverages that have been fortified also qualify.
Conclusion
The principles of nutrition that apply to adults and children are the same. Everyone has the same needs, including those for vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein, and fat. Nutrients are the term for them. As they get older, children require varying amounts of certain nutrients.
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