As a parent, one of the most important tasks you have is to help your child or children get the healthiest and best healthy food for their growth. Children need a more balanced diet in this present world of different unhealthy junks and unhealthy food.
It is more advisable to have food for your kids from 3 major food groups; vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and protein foods. In addition to this, there are a dozen healthy foods rich in the essential nutrients needed by a growing child. We would like to talk about food rich in iron and calcium, including their benefits. We won’t forget to mention healthy carbs and fats that can be taken by kids. Also, we would point out some food to avoid when it comes to your child’s feeding.
Iron enrich the food with their benefits
Let’s discuss food rich in iron and their benefits.
In feeding your child, there are some iron-rich healthy food you should consider in their meals. These include:
- Lean red meat including lamb, pork, and beef.
- Liver.
- Seafood; including oysters, tuna, salmon, clams, and shrimps.
- Beans; lima, navy, black, pinto, soya beans, kidney, and lentils.
- Greens like; collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and turnip.
- Whole grains fortified with iron; cereals, bread, pasta, and rice.
- Vegetables like swiss chard, parsley, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and watercress.
- Molasses (black-strap molasses).
- Nuts.
- Egg yolk.
- Dried fruits; dates, prunes, raisins, and apricots.
Whenever you look at the labels, always check out them, if they are foods fortified with iron. A rule of thumb is to check for a food that provides between 10% to 19% DV or more for iron. The benefits you stand to gain from a balanced iron intake includes healthy blood volume and increased red blood cell production, better energy levels, and better athletic performance.
Calcium enrich the food with their benefits
Calcium is very important for a child seeing that it makes up much of their bones and teeth. Also, it plays a major role in the health of their heart, muscle, and nerve signaling. For an average child, the recommended daily intake (RDI) is around 1,300 Mg of calcium. Let’s look at some great sources for calcium-rich food.
- Seeds like chia seeds, poppy, celery, and sesame.
- Cheese, especially Parmesan cheese
- A yogurt stands as one of the best sources of calcium as it provides over 245g of calcium per cup.
- Sardines and salmon.
- Beans and Lentils.
- Almonds.
- Whey proteins.
- Dried figs. They contain about 28g of calcium.
- Milk
Some of the benefits of calcium include; strengthening of bones, weight loss, protection of cardiac muscle, colon cancer, and kidney stone. Also, calcium controls alkaline pH level, provide dental care, helps in nutrient transportation, and regulation of blood pressure amongst others.
Carbohydrates enrich the food with their benefits
Nutrient-rich carbohydrates are an essential part of our health. Seeing that carbohydrates are a good source of energy. Though some people feel that restriction of carbs is the best way for weight loss. However, this is not entirely true. It is true that foods high in carbohydrates are not healthy for your child, but there are some healthy carbohydrates you can bank on. Some of these are; sweet potatoes, brown rice, mangoes, oats, quinoa, beans, white potatoes, beets, carrots, bananas, dates, and even buckwheat.
Fats had always had a bad reputation over time. The entire truth is that some fats are bad while some are entirely healthy. These healthy are even known for helping in weight loss. Some healthy fats include; avocados, extra virgin olive oil, coconuts, and coconut oils, cheese, fatty fish or fish oil, full-fat yogurts, whole eggs, and even dark chocolate.
Food to avoid
As much as possible, there are some foods you should avoid giving your children for various reasons including but not limited to; too much salt, sugar, and even saturated fat. Foods to avoid includes; bacon, chips with added salt, crisps, raw and lightly cooked eggs, rice drinks, raw jelly cubes, and even raw shellfish.
Now, you are highly aware of the important healthy Food and nutritious elements your child need. Thus, including iron, calcium, carbohydrates, and Healthy fats in your child diet to assure them a better health state 😊.
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