Are you worried about your kid's health? Or are your little munchkins very much fond of junk foods and avoid taking healthy food?
If yes, then don't worry…
We are here with the top 5 tips for kids' nutrition and healthy eating. But, before that, you should know that since kids are at a growing stage, their nutritional and calorific needs are different from yours as an adult.
And with a healthy diet, you should also opt for
some supplements for your little one. Especially at the initial stage, when
your baby is completely dependent on milk. If your baby is dependent on the
mother's milk, then it's good. But if you give them formula milk, then in such
a case, you must opt for vitamins, calcium and iron supplements for kids.
5 Tips For Kids' Nutrition
1. An appropriate eating regimen for kids should be varied
Every kid's diet plan is unique according to their health. Age is also a critical factor that cannot be avoided at any cost. Every child's diet should include selected foods from all 5 food groups, ensuring that they get all the required nutrients.
The five food groups are:
- Starchy Foods - It includes bread, cereals, potatoes, rice. These foods should make up a large part of a child's diet, and children should be encouraged to eat all these foods.
- Fruit & Vegetables - It includes fresh, tinned, frozen, dried fruits and vegetables. To encourage kids to like these types of food, they should be given 4-5 servings each day.
- Dairy Foods - It includes milk, yogurt, cheese.
- Meat & Proteins It includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, and nuts.
- Fatty and Sugary foods - It includes lean meat, oily fish, milk, yogurt and cheese rather than cake, chocolate and pastry.
If you choose a good combination of foods from the categories described above, this will help ensure that your kid is getting most of the vitamins and minerals they need for good health. However, surveys showed that many children don't get enough of a large range of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron. Furthermore, it also discovered that children tend to get too much salt, fat, sugar, and saturated fat in their diets; this is particularly a problem for teenagers who have more control over their diets. They tend not to eat what is beneficial for them.
2. Check your kids daily calorific intake
If your child is a picky eater and you are unsure about the quantity of daily calorie intake. In such a case, understanding how many calories your child actually needs might help you worry a little less.
Here, we categorized the estimated daily calorie needs for moderately active boys and girls aged 2–18.
Take a quick glimpse.
Calories Intake Amount For Moderately Active Boys
●
2 yrs: 1,000 calories/day
●
3 to 5 yrs: 1,400 calories/day
●
6 to 8 yrs: 1,600 calories/day
●
9 to 10 yrs: 1,800 calories/day
●
11 yrs: 2,000 calories/day
●
12 to 13 yrs: 2,200
calories/day
●
14 yrs: 2,400 calories/day
●
15 yrs: 2,600 calories/day
● 16 to 18 yrs: 2,800 calories/day
By "moderately active," we mean active 1 hour a day, at least 5 days a week.
Calories Intake Amount For Moderately Active Girls
●
2 yrs: 1,000 calories/day
●
3 yrs: 1,200 calories/day
●
4 to 6 yrs: 1,400 calories/day
●
7 to 9 yrs: 1,600 calories/day
●
10 to 11 yrs: 1,800
calories/day
● 12 to 18 yrs: 2,000 calories/day
3. Check Your Kids Salt Intake
There is no particular suggested daily allowance for sodium in kids, unlike the adult 2,300mg of sodium a day, a typical salt intake for children would usually be up to about:
●
2 to 3 yrs: 1000–1500 mg
●
4 to 8 yrs: 1200–1900 mg
●
9-13 yrs: 1500–2200 mg
● 14-18 yrs: 1500–2300mg
4. Ensure The Presence Of Vitamin D In Your Kid's Diet
Many children become deficient in vitamin D, especially in winter, because the sun – the main source of vitamin D – is missing. Vitamin D is found in some natural foods such as oily fish ( mackerel, pilchard, sardines, salmon, and tuna). Some foods contain small amounts of vitamin D (infant formula milk, margarine, and breakfast cereals).
5. . Ensure The Presence Of Iron In Your Kid's Diet
It is vital to include iron-rich food in a little one’s diet, as iron enables HB to carry oxygen around the body. Low iron levels can particularly be an issue for vegetarians as it is more difficult to absorb iron from fruit and vegetables.
Iron Intake Amount For Kids
●
Birth to 6 months: 0.27 mg
●
7 to 12 months: 11 mg
●
1 to 3 yrs: 7 mg
●
4 to 8 yrs: 10 mg
●
9 to 13 yrs: 8 mg
●
14 to 18 yrs: 11 mg (boys)
● 14 to 18 yrs: 15 mg (girls)
There are several iron supplements for kids available in the market. You can get these supplements in many forms like liquid drops, syrups, chews, gummies, and powder.
I hope you find this article useful. To get more
tips about kids' health stay tuned!
Hello, My name is John Smith, I am a freelance writer and I would love to build up my writing portfolio online.