Starting the first day at school is a significant milestone in your child’s life. From the first day onwards, children not only start their academics but also their realization of independence, social life, friends and new activities. The school-aged children mostly fall in age group of 4-16 years of age and these years are most crucial for their physical and mental development. It is at this age that parents need to talk about healthy choices and nutrition as children have media, friends and popular brands to influence their choices.
Since the growth spurts in children are far higher during first 15 years of their life, it is important to maintain a healthy and well-balanced nutritional diet for them to meet the marked increased in their requirement for energy.
Benefits of Good Nutrition in Early Life
Eating Habits developed during early years of life leave lasting effects on health, mind and spirit of children. Children who are fed with right diet and nutrition at early age and are encouraged to continue that diet during school years are most likely to continue same pattern in their later life stages. Based on several researches and studies, good nutrition and well-balanced diet in early years result in following benefits:
- Stabilization of their energy levels which in turn positively affects their mood and focus.
- Maintain healthy weight
- Increase physical strength with strong bones and joints which can assist in sports and physical activity
- More attentive in studies which allows them to reach their potential
- Prevents mental issues that are prevalent in children today such as ADHD, stress, anxiety, demotivation, mental fatigue and anger.
Hormone imbalances in kids which leads to sleeplessness, anxiety, mood swings, and early puberty are mostly related to intake of food which comes under Endocrine Disruptors category and should be avoided since early age.
5 Food Groups that are Essential in your Child’s Diet
Based on different nutrients that each food group offers, there are five main food groups that you should aim to include in your child’s diet:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Dairy (Fat or Low-Fat)
- Grains
- Protein
Vegetables and fruits provide sources of energy in form of antioxidants, vitamins, fibre and water. Carbohydrates, that are main source of energy for our bodies, is naturally included in all food groups and its most healthy form is available in vegetables and fruits.
Dairy including milk, yoghurt, cheese have high protein and calcium and are mostly packed with healthy fats. Based on child’s physical requirements, parents can opt for full-fat or reduced dairy for their children as both are recommended by health experts.
Grains are an important source of carbohydrate that contains oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, which gives the body energy to function actively. However, among various options in grains including rice, bread, pasta, noodles, oats, barley and others, parents should aim for grains that have low glycemic index. This means that some sources of carbohydrates have slower rate of converting into glucose. This in turn has steady effect on blood glucose levels and children can have longer-lasting energy instead of energy bursts like with soda and candies.
Proteins are a significant source of useful vitamins and minerals including iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, B12. The nutrients present in proteins are essential for physical, muscle and brain development in children.
How to develop habit of balanced nutrition in children
Since school going children are more independent that home-schooled or younger kids, it is difficult to monitor what they eat during lunchtimes or snacks that they buy with their pocket money. The key to maintaining healthy nutritional intake in children is making them understand what they are eating instead of forcing healthy meals on them.
There is a wide variety of food items within each healthy food group and letting children explore that list and understanding what each food contains can help with their fussiness and picky behavior. Some of the steps to inculcate habit of healthy diet includes:
- Make breakfast a necessity, even if it is on a run since not only that helps children stay alert, it also curbs the urges for high-carb junk food.
- Let children be a part of meal plans. Not only will this allow them to get knowledge about what they are eating but it will also give them chance to decide what to eat in lunch.
- Make a good example of healthy eating at home and explore different healthy recipes on your own to include more options for your family.
- Processed, sugary, carbonated or salty foods and drinks should be avoided since the start to inhibit developing such habits from home.
