Healthy food for children by Dr. Surabhi Gupta (Child specialist)

Today's Topic- Healthy food for kids

Through this post, I am going to explain

What is the healthy food for kids that you should give?
How to overcome Protein and iron deficiency in childhood?
What are the fat-enriched foods?
What are the harmful effects of Vitamins & Minerals deficiency?
What are the reasons for a child not interesting in eating and how to deal with this situation?

What is the healthy food for kids that you should give?

The first one year, the child is completely dependent on mother's milk so there is no need to worry about the child development. but when the child crosses one year of age, children should have healthy eating habits so they need cereal grains and other food items apart from milk. As we know, most of the mothers feed their child carbohydrate-rich food like wheat and rice which contains 80 to 90% carbohydrate. Apart from carbohydrates, a child needs protein in adequate amount for his growth. Till the child attains 1 year of age, he is living mainly on mother's milk which fulfills the protein requirement in his body as milk is a primary source of protein.

2. How to overcome Protein and iron deficiency in childhood?

Now the question is what are the foods that provide the adequate amount of protein to the child.

Protein-rich foods

A. Egg

The first food that is a very important source of protein is an egg.

1 egg contains 6 gram of protein

Now the question is does every child need the same amount of protein? The answer is NO. The protein requirement for every child Is equivalent to the weight of the child. For example, if a child weighs 12 to 13 kg, then 1 egg fulfills half of the daily protein requirement.

B.Soya bean

Another food that is an excellent source of protein is soya bean. There are three ways to use soya bean. Firstly you can Soak soya bean overnight and make the curry the next day. or else you can grind it with the wheat flour and use it in roti or chapati. We all know nutrela soya chunks are available in the market, You can roast it in ghee And makeup powder and add to the child food. this will fulfill the protein requirement in growing child.

C. Paneer

Paneer is also a very important source of protein.

D. Iron

The next important thing is Iron. we all know that iron deficiency is very common not only in India but the entire world and this is the main reason for anemia. Food that is rich in iron includes green leafy vegetables like spinach. Try to increase the amount of leafy vegetables in the child food. You can also cook the food in an iron vessel which helps in increasing the quantity of iron in the food.

Cereal grains like brown rice, wheat (dalia) and semolina ( roasted in ghee) also contributes to the iron requirement. All these are very important for overall development of the child.

3. What are the fat-enriched foods?

Apart from protein and iron, one more important thing is fat which is ignored by most of the people. Fat is equally important as that of iron and protein for the 1-year-old child. Ghee is a primary source of fat so try to add ghee in the child food. The recommended dose is 2 spoon of ghee daily. Apart from this, the daily requirement of carbohydrate is fulfilled by the cereal grains which are given to the child.

4. What are the harmful effects of Vitamins & Minerals deficiency?

Now let us discuss the micronutrients like vitamins and minerals which are missed in our daily diet. Deficiency of vitamins and minerals can lead to lack of growth in the bones which can result in growth retardation. So, always choose healthy food for kids. You can make lots of food recipes for kids those are explained in my other posts. In that case, I would suggest consulting a Doctor immediately.

5. What are the reasons for a child not interesting in eating and how to deal with this situation?

It is a common thing that child does not show interest towards the food. In that case, it is advisable not to force the child but to create a positive environment with prompts for healthy eating habits. if the child still resists eating food, then reason can be he may have a worm in the stomach or there is an iron deficiency. In that case, consult a doctor.

If you follow the advice given above, you will see a significant difference in your child's growth and healthy eating habits. If you still have any doubts or questions related to your child’s food. Feel free to ask me in the comment box or on the Query page.

Tags- Healthy food for kids, healthy food for children, healthy eating for kids, healthy eating habits, recipes for kids