How To Plan A Healthy Diet for Your Child?

Proper nutrition is vital at any stage of life, but this is especially true for kids. Children need a healthy diet to fuel their growing brains, muscles, and bodies. While much of what children need is similar to adults, a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat amount they need is most important.

What goes wrong?

By the age of five, the brain reaches its full growth stage. The child’s physical development begins from the age of five, for which proper blood circulation and iron supplementation are required.

Dr. Suvarna Pathak, at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, raises a concern. “Parents go easy on their children’s diets nowadays. Children’s regular diets include processed foods such as biscuits, sandwich noodles (refined and fried), sweets, and chocolate. Excess refined foods and trans fats in children’s diets harm their physical development at an early age. Kids do not get sufficient vitamins and essential nutritional ingredients. This is also the reason why cases of gastrointestinal problems and other problems linked to the gut increasing.”

The diet of children in the rising stage should mainly include vitamins and minerals. A well-balanced diet that includes essential nutritional components such as calcium, proteins, iron, and vitamins allows the body to achieve unhindered development until it attains puberty.

Diet Advice for Kids

Here are some healthy diet advice for your child:

• Don’t force younger kids to eat all of their plates. Kids get tired of the same taste quickly, which is why they always eat just half of their main course but still want a pudding. They only get bored with the taste of the main course.  
• In fact, younger kids are much more likely to eat food they have made for themselves, so let them help you cook nutritious meals.
• Encourage children to eat daily, especially breakfast. Research shows that breakfast eaters appear to be slimmer than people who skip this meal.
• Talk to your child about the advantages of eating well and looking for their body. In general, health is not a priority for kids, so focus on other important topics.
• Don’t make your child’s weight and size an ‘issue.’ To help your child lose weight, focus on healthy foods. Stop using the ‘diet’ word; do not weigh your child regularly. If you eat sensibly and exercise daily, your child will be more likely to do the same.    

Aim to limit these harmful foods in your child’s diet 

• Added Sugar: Restrict added sugars.  Naturally occurring sugars are not added sugars, such as those in fruit and milk.
• Saturated and trans fats: Limit saturated fats such as red meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy products, mostly from animal food sources. Seek ways to replace vegetable and nut oils for saturated fats, including essential fatty acids, and vitamin E.  Healthier fats are also naturally available in olives, almonds, avocados, and fish. 

DAILY SERVINGS FOR A CHILDREN’S DIET

1. Bread / Starches: Most children need 5 or more servings per day in their diet. The serving amount is listed below according to the age group.

Child Aged 1 to 3 years:

• 1/4 cup pasta, potatoes, or rice
• 1/2 to 1 slice of bread
• 1/2 ounce dry cereal
• 1/4 bagel or muffin

4 to 6 years:

• 1/2 cup pasta, potatoes, or rice
• 1 slice bread
• 3/4 ounce dry cereal
• 1/2 bagel or muffin

7 to 11 years:

• 1 cup pasta, potatoes, or rice
• 2 slices bread
• 1 ounce or 3/4 cup dry cereal
• 3/4 bagel or muffin

2. Fruits: Most children need 2 to 3 servings per day in their diet. The serving amount is listed below according to the age group.

Child Aged 1 to 3 years:

• 1/4 cup pureed fruit
• 1/4 cup juice

4 to 6 years:

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup canned fruit
• 1/2 piece fresh fruit
• 1/2 cup juice

7 to 11 years:

• 1 cup canned fruit
• 1 piece fresh fruit
• 1/2 cup juice

3. Meat / Meat Substitutes: Most children need 3 or more servings per day in their diet. The serving amount is listed below according to the age group.

Child Aged 1 to 3 years:

• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter (after age 2)
• 1-ounce meat, fish, or poultry
• 1/4 cup cooked dried beans or legumes
• 3/4 ounce cheese

4 to 6 years:

• 1 Egg
• After the age of 2, 1 to 2 Tbsps peanut butter 
• 1 to 2 ounces of meat, fish, or poultry
• 1/3 cup cooked dried beans or legumes
• 1/3 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
• 1-ounce cheese

7 to 11 years:

• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsps peanut butter (after age 2)
• 2 to 3 ounces of poultry, fish, or meat
• 1/2 cup cooked dried beans or legumes
• 1/2 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
• 1 to 2 ounces cheese

4. Milk or Yogurt: Most children need 3 to 4 servings per day in their diet. The serving amount is listed below according to the age group.

• 1 to 3 years: About 1/2 to 3/4 cups
• 4 to 6 years: About 3/4 cup
• 7 to 11 years: About 1 cup

5. Vegetables: Most children need 2 to 3 servings of cooked or raw vegetables per day in their diet. The serving amount is listed below according to the age group.

• 1 to 3 years: About 1/4 cup
• 4 to 6 years: About 1/4 to 1/3 cup
• 7 to 11 years: About 1/2 cup

6. Fats: This group includes oils, margarine, butter, and salad dressings. 1 to 3 servings per day is the requirement for most children in their diet. The serving amount is listed below according to the age group.

• 1 to 3 years: About 1/2 to 1 tsp
• 4 to 6 years: About 1 tsp
• 7 to 11 years: About 1 Tbsp

7. Sweets and Desserts: You should serve the number of servings shown below to your child per week. 

• 1 to 3 years: 1 to 2 servings per week 
• 4 to 6 years: 3 to 4 servings per week 
• 7 to 11 years: 4 to 5 servings per week

Final Thoughts

Overall, focusing on diet quality is the main message.

• The form of carbohydrate in the diet is more important than the amount of carbohydrates in the diet because some sources of carbohydrates are much better than sugar, potatoes, and foods made from white flour, such as vegetables (other than potatoes), fruits, whole grains, and beans.
• Sugary drinks, candy, and other junk foods are not included in The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate. These are not regular foods and should only be eaten rarely, if ever.
• The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate promotes the use of healthy oils instead of other fat types.

Habits are not formed instantly, but little improvement will surely put our children on the road to healthy eating.