Why children require a special diet plan?
Since we all live in nuclear families, it is quite difficult for mothers these days to figure out what kind of diet plan their children should follow in order to maintain their energy levels, strong immunity and healthy physical and mental development. Due to their rapid mental growth, children between two to six years of age require our maximum attention. They have an increasing desire to explore and that is why lack the time to sit down and eat like elderly people. Here, parents of fussy eaters face an even more difficult situation.
In addition, parents who are overweight or obese
should focus more on their child's diet because these children are at a
higher risk of developing lifestyle disorders including Diabetes, PCOS and High blood pressure or Heart disease in future.
Essential nutrients for children
Protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium,
vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and antioxidants should all be abundant
in your child's diet. You also need to make sure that your child is drinking
enough water and they are exposed to sunlight for at least 30-45 minutes daily. As we all know that Sunlight is natural source of Vitamin D.
How can we fulfill the growing need for these
nutrients?
Now, the question is, how can we meet the increasing demand for these nutrients on daily basis? Don't worry, I'll make it simple; just make sure your child's diet must include whole grains, nuts, seeds, pulses or legumes fresh, fruits and vegetables with occasional servings of meat, fish, and eggs..
Avoid sugar, maida, samolina or suji and processed or packed food as long as you can. For sweetening use only natural sweetener like sweet bananas, dates, jaggery or honey (if its pure) . Sugar and maida can also damage their teeth. I would like to add another suggestion here: don't keep looking for new, fancy foods because you are more worried about your child's nutrition. It is better to eat as traditionally as possible. So let's see how we can include healthy nutrient rich food in our child's daily plate.
1. Whole cereals – The diet must include whole wheat flour, oats, or barley. Whole cereals are also a great source of fiber, which helps to keep the stomach healthy and avoid constipation. Oats can be used in a variety of recipes, such as oats pudding topped with various nuts and dry fruits. They are also easy to digest. Use dates for sweetening instead of sugar. You can also make masala oats with paobhaji masala or Maggie masala if your child enjoys spicy food. You can offer these recipes as a mid-meal meal.
2. Pulses – One of the best sources of protein is pulses and legumes. Dal, rajmah, chholey, soya, peas, gatte ki sabzi and kadhi must therefore be a part of your child's everyday diet, ideally for lunch at home. Calcium, Iron and magnesium are also abundant in pulses. Magnesium helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, supports a healthy immune system and helps to increase bone density along with calcium. Iron is essential formation of hemoglobin.
3. Curd and paneer – Milk and its products such as curd and paneer, are among the best sources of calcium. Nowadays, most kids don't like to drink milk. If your youngster isn't lactose intolerant, you can definitely try curd or paneer. Breakfast parathas can be served with fresh curd. You can also add half teaspoon of flaxseed powder in curd because it is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which are necessary for healthy brain function.
4. Fruits – Encouraging kids to eat fruits is the most difficult part of their diet. Many kids hardly consume one or two pieces of fruit. Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are abundant in fruits which is essential for healthy immunity and other biological activities. Additionally, children who get sick very frequently should eat more fruits. Nonetheless, children's diets should contain at least three to four fruits daily. You can give them orange, pomegranate, guava, watermelon, apple, berries and grapes. If your child doesn't like fruits, you can also feed them tomato soup and orange or mausambi juice once a day. Another option is to serve mixed fruit chaat, which consists of two or three different fruits.
5. Vegetable salads and chutney - From an early age, we should encourage kids to eat salad and chutney with meals. Tomato, ginger, garlic, coriander, and rock salt can all be used in chutney. In addition to increasing the quantity of fiber in their diet, this helps to improve their digestion. Coriander is also an excellent source of calcium that helps to strengthen our bones. To increase your child's interest in salads, you can also take time to prepare colorful salads with them.
6. Nuts and seeds – Almonds (rich in protein, fiber, and magnesium), Walnuts (rich in omega-3 fatty acids), black raisins or dates (rich in iron), and dried berries (rich in antioxidants) should be given daily. Nuts should always be soaked before consumption. This can be served as a mid-meal snack as well.
Sample Diet plan for kids
Breakfast – Green moong dal cheela stuffed with boiled and mashed potatoes +
tomato chutney
Fruit break – 1-2 apple + kismiss
School lunch –
Plain paratha + bhindi ki sabzi
Lunch – Cucumber tomato salad + Channa dal cooked with
spinach + Rice
Mid afternoon – Oranges or Mausambi juice
Evening – 1 glass milk with 2-3 soaked & blended nuts or Rajgira ladoo
Dinner – Dhania tomato chutney + Roti + aloo gobhi ki
sabzi
However, it should be noted that this is basically a general diet plan that should only be followed if your child is healthy and free of health problems. However, you must seek the advice of a qualified dietitian for a personalized plan if your child has weakened immunity, is experiencing digestion issues, is overweight, is not gaining weight or is suffering from food sensitivity or intolerance or any kind of food allergy.
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