Healthy Diet Basics
All children need the same types of basic nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The amounts however are usually dictated to by the various different ages of children in question, which in turn will dictate the appropriate amount of calorie, proteins, minerals and vitamins for complete and effective growth.
However getting the child to consume healthy meals can often be quite a challenge and healthy means usually mean uninteresting and bland food to the child mostly distorted taste buds. Children usually enjoyed foods that are very flavorful, sweet or simply not really healthy for them. However with some research and proper planning it is possible to design a complete diet plan that is nutritionally balanced to suit various age groups the children may fall into.
Getting the full range of proteins, iron, calcium and vitamin A should ideally be the focus of the diet plan in place. When it comes to the appetite of children, there will usually be noticeable fluctuations and this will be reflected according to the growth the child is experiencing at any particular juncture in their lives. Ideally a general gauge to go by would be that most 3 year olds would need about 1300 calories daily, while a 10 year old would need about 2000 calories daily and the adolescent would need 2800 calories a day.
Including a healthy amount of vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meats and beans would be ideal when it comes to trying to provide for a complete dietary plan. Snacks are also fine but should be
nutritionally based too.
Importance Of Breakfast
The importance of breakfast should never be taken for granted as the energy that provides for optimal mental and physical health starts with a good healthy breakfast plan.
Breakfast is a good way to get the body’s system awake and off to a good working start as it help to refuel the body after the long rest. It has been noted that children who eat breakfast tend to eat
healthier overall and are more likely to participate in physical activities and are mentally alert, thus allowing the child the opportunity for healthy growth.
Skipping breakfast can usually cause the child to be irritable, tired, restless and basically distracted and unable to get both their body and mind in sync to get through the day effectively and productively. The mood and energy levels will usually drop by mid morning if there is no proper breakfast intake daily.
Reducing Flour And Sugar
Basically not known for its healthy qualities, being able to eliminate large portions of flour and sugar from a child’s basic diet plan would be an ideal goal to work towards. These ingredients do little to
promote healthy and wholesome growth in children of any ages, thus consciously eliminating these from the diet plan would be a step in the right direction.
It would be a good and sensible idea to adopt a lesser intake if these two items from the very start, as the idea of flour and sugar in the child daily intake would not really benefit in any way except perhaps to enhance flavor and volume in the foods eaten. This elimination or control will help the child achieve a more healthy weight gain percentage and overall healthier body condition.
Optimal weight conditions usually means the connecting optimal number of calorie intake and with the reduction of flour and sugar in the diet plan this ideal platform can be easily achieved.
Ideally the high calorie items such as breads should be replaced with low calorie items such as legumes that will also help to keep the child satisfied for longer periods of time.
Dangers Of Fats
Generally it is an accepted fact that every child needs some amount of fats within the daily diet plan as these fats contribute to the energy levels that gives the body what it needs to work in a healthy manner. However too much of the fat intake will eventually effect the body system in ways that are eventually damaging to the child’s eventual growth and health.
Children who make it a habit of consuming high fat diets will eventually cause the unhealthy fats like saturated fats and trans fats to clog the arteries, thus adding to the disruptive blood flow for the
body’s needs. This will then lead to the higher possibility of sustaining heart problems as the child grows older. Current statistics show that more people are having some form of heart problems at much earlier stages in the life.