Balanced Diet Guidelines

• Always go for fresh fruits and vegetables instead of packaged or frozen. Offer the kids a variety of colours. This is not just visual stimulation but it peaks their interest in new things. Five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is optimum.

• Foods rich in minerals are vital for a child's growth. Potassium rich foods like sweet potato, tomatoes, white beans, spinach, lima beans are easily available. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sesame seeds and baked beans are a wonderful supply of calcium, which is absolutely essential for bone development.

• Fruit juices and cut fruit are a major source of dietary fiber. Plenty of these will help avoid constipation in children. The more colourful the fruits are the better they'll go down. Avoid adding extra sugar in the juices unless absolutely needed. Apples, oranges, bananas, papayas, chickoos are all easy to digest and contain enough sugars.

• Cereals are an important food group, not to be left out. Today there are plenty of ready-made brands available like Kelloggs. They're quite healthy. Oats are good for strength and can be prepared very quickly. Ragi porridge is also very healthy but add sugar so that it is palatable for the children.

• Nuts are a great snack for children. They contain oils that are much healthier than regular cooking oils and are full of vitamin E which is a good anti-oxidant. Make a mixture of cashew, walnuts, pistas and almonds and keep it handy. Nuts can be added into cooked foods as well as salads.

Read the entire article at Nutrition for Children

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