It doesn't matter if your kid is a picky eater or a great feeder, whatever you serve in their plates should be the healthiest food you can find. For their fitness and healthy development, kids should be encouraged to eat fresh and healthy foods rather than junk. And in as much as kids hate healthy foods, you need to be stern and encourage them to eat healthy foods.
Why? Well, the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, sugars, fatty acids and other components) determine the mental development of kids. It also determines whether they are attentive in school or not, and diet is an essential element in the development of a healthy immune system. So, while avoiding overeating and obesity, which are the best foods for healthy organs and strong, intelligent kids?
Vitamin-E rich foods
Is your child in the 80 percent category of kids below the age of 8 who miss their daily vitamin E needs? And, do you know that feeding your kids low-fat and fat-free foods decrease the amount of vitamin E they need per day? So, while trying to prevent your kids from being obese, you need to ensure that your kids get enough vitamin E from the diet.
The main sources of vitamin E include fortified cereals, nuts, avocado, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, plant oils, tomato sauce, wheat germ, and spinach.
Why is vitamin E essential for kids? Well, it turns out that this vitamin is the best natural antioxidant known to man. Therefore, this vitamin protects cells from damage.
So, while trying to encourage healthy eating, you need to avoid serving kids fat-free foods. They can take low-fat foods, and you could reduce their portions when they're taking full-fat foods.
AvocadosBesides their richness in vitamin E, avocados are a great source of healthy and natural unsaturated and monosaturated fats. These fats are essential for the healthy development of brain cells, and they also promote good heart health.
NutsEven though your worried sick about allergies, especially if you or your partner have nut allergies, you should stop your kids from trying out nuts. To be safe, start with peanut butter and make sure you spread a thin layer so that it's not a choking hazard.
Calcium-rich foods
Recent statistics show that most kids aged between 4 and 8 years don't get enough calcium in food. This is possibly because we are drinking more juice and no milk.
Unfortunately, doing this is detrimental to the health of your kids because calcium deficiency affects kids' bones. Calcium is essential for bone mass. And since most of an adult's bone mass depends on the bone's development during childhood and adolescence, it means that you need to serve your kids more foods with calcium. Calcium deficiency could also cause stunted growth while increasing the risk of getting osteoporosis later in life, and especially in girls. So, even though they don't like milk, it's your role as a parent to make them drink more milk and other calcium-rich foods.
The other reason why you should encourage intake of calcium-rich foods is that most of the calcium-rich foods are rich in vitamin D. Vitamin D is not only essential for strengthening bones but also effective in preventing type I diabetes and a host of other diseases.
So, even if your child doesn't like milk, you have to find a way of making them take it. Adding flavor is okay if that's what it takes for them to drink milk.
You could also introduce your kids to foods like tofu-enriched with calcium.
Besides milk, other sources of calcium include natural juices, yogurt, cheese, fortified cereals, waffles, and soy milk.
Fruits and green leafy vegetables
They probably hate broccoli, and those steamed carrots or asparagus, pineapples or oranges but, vegetables and fruits are essential for your child's health.Other than fiber which improves digestion, the fruits and veggies are rich in minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals, fiber, water and other nutrients which promote the healthy development of cells. If you have to serve more of one fruit and less of the rest, then, you should consider serving your child more berries thanks to the richness of antioxidants and vitamins.
Fiber-rich foods
Other than fruits and vegetables, kids can get fiber from legumes and unprocessed breakfast cereal. Fiber, though indigestible is essential in keeping kids fuller for longer, promoting healthy digestion and preventing diseases which occur later in life. You should, therefore, let your kids eat more whole-grain bread, more brown rice, beans, oats, pears, apples, raspberries, and oranges. Lentils, air-filled popcorns, green peas, sweet potatoes, and nuts are other great sources of fiber.
Iron-rich foods
Iron is necessary for the production of red blood cells needed to carry oxygen.It's also important in healthy brain development with iron-deficiency seen as a major cause of some developmental, learning, and behavioral problems. You'll also lower your child's risk of lead poisoning by serving them more iron-rich foods.
So, to improve your child's performance in school and to lower the need for a math tutor, let your kids eat lean cuts of beef – think sirloin, chicken breasts, or fortified cereal. Shrimp, beans, chickpeas, tomato paste, whole wheat bread, and soy nuts are great sources of iron.
Omega fatty acids
Omega fatty acids, especially omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are crucial for the development of brain cells and the good health of the heart. You should, therefore, serve your kids more salmon and tuna.
Eggs
Eggs are a great source of protein. So, as long as your child doesn't have egg allergies, you can let them eat an egg a few times a week. Besides protein, eggs are carriers of vitamins needed for the development of healthy eyes, bones, teeth (vitamin A and D), good brain and heart health (choline), and healthy thyroid function thanks to selenium. Just make sure that they don't eat too many eggs because of its high cholesterol level and the high concentration of saturated fats.
Now that you have these details of the best foods for your child, here are the strategies you should follow to ensure the health of your kids
Make breakfast a priority Ensure that mealtimes are compulsory Get your kids involved Make small shifts towards healthier foods.
Sign in to leave a comment.