According to a Holistic Health Coach, kids need the same nutrients as adults do, like carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fat. It is important that they have a balanced diet as well, but it’s not always easy as most kids are picky eaters. Hence you need to incorporate healthy food ideas into their daily diets for their healthy growth.
What your kid eats throughout the day is responsible for his/her health which is why it is important to add fruits, vegetables, protein foods, dairy, and grains into their diet because they provide the nutrients required by their bodies. Here are the basic health and nutrition information that you require to help your kids get a nutritious and healthy lifestyle.
Advantages of Healthy Eating:
- Stabilize their energy- Kids are very energetic and need to replenish their energies quickly to continue their daily activities. A healthy meal ensures that the energy requirement of the kids is met.
- Improve their mind- Healthy food improves cognitive reasoning which is necessary for a growing child. It also builds memory and improves the mind.
- Even out their moods- A hungry child can get cranky at times and often, only a healthy diet can provide their tiny stomachs the necessary satisfaction, thus uplifting their moods.
- Help them maintain a healthy weight- Kids are required to maintain a healthy body weight which can support their weight. Fast food or junk food is harmful to the growth of your child and may not be very supportive of the idea of healthy body weight.
The Five Food Groups for Proper Nutrition:
- Fruits- You should focus on whole fruits in an array of colors that would help fascinate the kids. Opt for fresh fruits, canned fruits (instead of syrups) and dried fruits instead of unhealthy snacks.
- Vegetables- Again brightening your child’s plate will help them focus on their food more, instead of bland looking food. Vary your veggies and use fresh vegetables for your kids. You can also opt for a dip with seasoning along with vegetables.
- Grains- Using whole grain cereals, bread, and pasta will provide them with more nutrients than half-grain foods. Incorporate healthy grains like oatmeals, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice etc into their diets.
- Protein foods- You can choose a variety of protein foods like beans, quinoa, lentils, seafood, lean meat, eggs, and poultry. Along with this, you can focus on the beans variety like chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans etc into the food plans.
- Dairy- Learn to prefer low-fat, unflavored, fat-free dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese etc instead of whole-fats. Low- fat products are able to provide the much-needed calcium as well. You can also blend your dairy into smoothies to help excite your kids.
Tips for Healthy Nutrition for your Kids:
- Start with breakfast- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and eating a protein and healthy-fat filled breakfast is a great way to start the whole day. Not only do proteins make your kids stronger, but a healthy breakfast also helps them stay fuller for a longer time.
- Make mealtimes a priority- Teach your kids never to miss mealtime and explain to them the unhealthy effects of skipping meals. You should sit with the kids and talk to them during mealtimes to encourage proper eating. Sitting with the kid can also help you in monitoring their eating habits.
- Get kids involved- Taking your kids to help while purchasing groceries or letting them pick out their own food can build your child’s interest in food. You can also ask your child to help while cooking and let them take ownership of the food. All these things help in promoting healthy eating among your kids.
- Make small shifts to healthier foods- Shifting altogether too healthy foods may make the child rebellious and annoyed. Hence it is advised to make small shifts towards healthy substitutes gradually like changing whole milk to low-fat milk or white bread to wheat bread or whole-grain bread.
- Limit sugar- There is no reason to ban sugar altogether, but it is extremely important to limit the sugar intake. Since most foods have some amount of sugar in them, you can alter food ideas into meals that contain less sugar than the rest.
- Be smart about fat- Remember that your body needs fat as well and it is an important part of the food groups. Fats help you stay full for longer as well as benefit our brains by improving memory and lifting the mood.
- Make fruits and veggies more appealing- Adding colors to your food in the form of a variety of fruits and vegetables helps in gaining the attention of the kids. Fresh and colorful fruits and vegetables tend to be more appealing. Apart from that, you can always use your creativity to charm your kids.
- Be their role model- Kids learn what they see, therefore make sure that you opt for healthy food ideas before indulging your child into it. Remember, being healthy starts with you.
Hope, the above ideas help your kids to enjoy healthy food ideas and indulge in more nutritious practices. As a holistic health practitioner, Vidhi Beri believes in creating realistic plans to help embrace a healthy lifestyle for individuals and families alike. She follows the idea of individual capacity and helps her clients through their health journey. Know more about her by visiting her website or contact her for any questions.
The Five Food Groups for Proper Nutrition: