Best Foods for Child
Anyone who has ever tried feeding a child (other than cereal or ice cream) knows that they don't always eat what you want them to eat. It's exhausting trying to figure out what to eat. Moreover, simply offering it does not guarantee that your children will consume it.
However, children need nutritious food, including healthy fats for their brains, calcium for their bones, and all the vitamins and minerals found in vegetables, among other things. To relieve some stress and ensure you're feeding your baby healthy foods, we've put together expert mealtime tips as well as a list of the 11 best foods for your baby…
These eleven foods are not only super healthy for your kids (and you!) but they're also very versatile and easy to prepare.
Best foods for child
1- Yogurt
Yogurt is a great choice for breakfast, snack, or even dessert, but watch the added sugar content. It's a healthy snack packed with protein and vitamin D, which many kids don't get enough of. Yogurt also contains probiotics, which are good bacteria that are essential for a healthy gut.
A simple way to choose healthy yogurt? Buy plain yogurt, which has no added sugars. Most flavored yogurts contain added sugar. Some of the newer products are just fruit flavored, but plain is always a safer choice.
It's easy to add flavor by sprinkling berries and wholegrain cereal on top, or by creating a fruity parfait. Make frozen yogurt balls or frozen yogurt bark to make it more attractive to kids.
2 - Beans
Beans are an underappreciated superfood. They are rich in protein and fiber, as well as being inexpensive and quick to prepare. Buy low-sodium canned beans, such as black beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans. Simply open the can, rinse it to remove excess sodium, and add it to your favorite dish
“In a quesadilla, substituting ground beef for beans or stir-frying beans with pasta helps maintain high-quality, lean protein while adding a key nutrient, fiber,” says Andrews.
Children ages 4 to 8 need approximately 25 grams of fiber per day, and most products marketed directly to children, such as fruit snacks and cheese crackers, contain little or no fiber.
"Fiber promotes healthy digestion and keeps your kids feeling full for longer, so they don't ask for a snack 5 minutes after dinner," says Andrews.
3 - Eggs
One large egg contains 6 grams of protein as well as vitamin D, B12, and iron. Some eggs are also fortified with omega-3 fatty acids, which aid in the development of children's brains.
Skip pastries, fried foods and processed meats for breakfast and instead make scrambled eggs for your kids. If your kids aren't a fan of scrambled eggs, try egg salad or egg casserole instead.
Eggs are also an excellent first food for babies. Doctors used to advise against giving eggs to babies until 12 months of age, but new research suggests that introducing allergen foods between the ages of 6 and 12 months may help prevent food allergies.
4- Avocado
Avocado is a simple way to incorporate healthy fats into your child's diet. They are high in monounsaturated fats, which reduce inflammation and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Because fat moves slowly through the digestive system, it keeps babies full for longer.
But what is the best thing about avocados? its adaptability. You can eat it with a spoon, mash it on toast, add it to a smoothie, mix it into chicken or tuna salad, or make an avocado pesto pasta sauce. Avocado is also an excellent first food for babies.
5- Sweet potatoes
Need something nutritious but don't have much time? Wash and pit a sweet potato and microwave it for 3-5 minutes (depending on its size). Cut it lengthwise, then put it on your child's plate.
Sweet potatoes are appealing to children of all ages, whether they're 6 months, 6 years, or 16 (because they're sweet!). It is rich in vitamin A, fiber and potassium. Reducing salt and increasing potassium helps maintain blood pressure and heart health.
6- Milk
Milk contains calcium and vitamin D, which help build strong bones. One 8-ounce cup contains 8 grams of protein and is rich in phosphorus, vitamin B12 and potassium. Cow's milk should not be given to babies until they are one year old.
Offer whole milk until age two, but limit their intake to 32 ounces a day or they may be too full to eat their own food. After the age of two, children can drink low-fat milk, aiming for three servings of dairy per day (yogurt and cheese count as well).
If your child hates cow's milk, there are many alternatives on the market today. However, check nutrition labels and select unsweetened or plain varieties for your kids. Each milk replacer has slightly different nutritional profiles, with soy milk containing the most protein. And as long as the milk is fortified, you'll get the same benefits of calcium and vitamin D.
7- Nuts and seeds
Replace low-fiber, crunchy (those in the air) kids' snacks with nuts and seeds to get a healthy dose of fiber, protein and healthy fats. Offer cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and other nuts and seeds to spice things up.
If your child has a nut allergy, the seeds may be a safe option and a good source of nutrition. Nuts contain a lot of magnesium, which is important for bone development and energy production.
Walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which your body can't produce (so you have to eat it). Serve nuts on their own or with dried fruit, and incorporate flaxseeds into smoothies.
Suggestion… Sprinkle chia seeds on peanut butter toast, use sliced almonds instead of chicken “bread” crumbs, and enjoy!
8- Whole grains
Whole grains provide fibre, a nutrient sorely lacking in children's diets. The fiber keeps them satiated and regular. Children need about 25g per day, but many snacks only contain 1-3g per serving.
Look for ingredients that are 100 percent whole wheat or whole grain (don't be fooled by the prepackaged marketing) and at least 3-5 grams of fiber per serving. Oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta (try half whole-wheat and half white if you can't tolerate whole-wheat), brown rice, whole-wheat tortillas, and bread are all simple whole-grain foods for babies. When making pancakes, cookies, or pizza dough, you can also use whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour.
9 - Berries
Each cup of berries contains 4 grams of fiber and is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants such as anthocyanins. Blueberries, blackberries and strawberries contain less sugar than other fruits.
Fresh berries make an excellent snack for kids or a delicious addition to yogurt. If berries aren't in season, buy unsweetened frozen berries and put them in a jar of overnight oats or a smoothie.
10 - Vegetables of all kinds
Both children and adults do not consume enough vegetables. Congratulations if you can get your child to eat any vegetables! However, the more varied and varied the vegetables, the better. Leafy greens like spinach and kale are rich in vitamin K, orange and red vegetables are rich in vitamin A, bell peppers are rich in vitamin C, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower contain cancer-fighting compounds and feed good gut bacteria.
"Really, it's about taking the 'fear' out of vegetables — while a slice of pizza is easy to come by, a stalk of broccoli can look intimidating," says Andrews. “So make it easy to find your veggies. Wash and cut celery, carrots, and cucumber sticks for snacking and store in the refrigerator.
If you have some green space, grow a small garden with cherry tomatoes and sweet little peppers. And when the children themselves grow the food, they are proud of the results and therefore more willing to indulge in the reward.”
Andrews also suggests introducing new vegetables along with ones your child already knows: "Building your own taco bars or pizza night at home is a great way to encourage little chefs!"
11 - Apple
Apples, like most fruits, make an excellent snack. The best foods for your child. They're sweet (or tart, depending on the variety), juicy, and low in calories (about 90 calories for a medium-sized apple). They are also high in vitamin C and contain about 5 grams of fiber per whole, unpeeled apple.
Parents often give their children peeled apples or apple juice as substitutes for a whole, unpeeled apple or a whole apple cut into pieces. When you peel an apple, you lose about half of the fiber in it, and apple juice has less fiber than a whole apple and more sugar and calories.
Tips for getting your children to eat the best healthy foods
How can you actually get your kids to eat more of these super healthy foods? Try these ideas.
Use MyPlate as a guide. Make half of their plate fruits and vegetables, a quarter a whole grain like whole-wheat bread or pasta, and a quarter a protein like eggs, meat, cheese, beans or nuts.
Remember that your job as a parent is to provide a variety of foods; It is your child's responsibility to take it.
If you involve your children in the cooking process, they are more likely to try the food. Try some simple meals kids can help make.
"Be a role model for healthy eating," adds Vogt. “Kids watch everything you do! Sit with your kids, eat by yourself every 3-4 hours, enjoy healthy snacks and meals, make meal times fun and relaxing, chat, turn off phones at meal times, and make it time to connect.
De-stress. According to research, children who are forced to eat certain foods often grow up to hate or avoid those foods as adults. Forcing children to eat certain foods makes mealtime stressful for both you and them.
“Keep calm and keep going,” Vogt advises. “As parents, it's a long process — I hate to say it, but it can take years. You must be very 'cool'. There is no pressure on the child to eat, and there is no pressure on you to force the child to eat.”
Andrews advises removing negative language from the dinner table. "Saying, 'You probably won't like it, but try it,' tells the child that the food is not worth trying!" argue. Introduce new foods in addition to those they are already familiar with.
Remember that you are not alone. Ask for help if needed! Connect with nutritionists, child psychologists, and pediatricians.
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