Raising Healthy Kids: 5 Guidelines on What Your Child Should Be Eating

Your kid’s nutritional needs are as vital as yours. But diligent parents like you must have wondered what nutrients are exactly the ones your tot needs. The Mayo Clinic says, while children have a need for similar nutrients as their parents, they will have a more specific amount of certain nutrients at a particular age.

Hence, we have compiled these dietary guidelines as to what nutrients your kids should be having.

1. Protein

   This is responsible for building strong muscles. This nutrient can be sourced out from meat, eggs, poultry, seafood, beans, soy, nuts, and seeds.

2. Fruits

   These are natural sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are very helpful to protect the cells in your kid’s immune system. With their protection, the immune system will be able to function well in protecting the child’s health. You can serve fruits fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, depending on your kid’s preference. Just minimize on serving fruit juice, unless it’s 100% fruit since processed juices contain high sugar content.

3. Vegetables

   These are supplements of other nutrients such as zinc, which help increase the functionality of the immune system. You can also serve vegetables that are freshly cut, or canned, frozen, or even dried. Depending on your creativity of enticing them to eat, it’s important to serve them with green, leafy vegetables, beans, and starchy veggies, among others.

4. Grains

   These are the body’s natural supplier of energy. Serve your kids with whole grains instead of whole-wheat loaf, brown rice, popcorn, or oatmeal, among others. If you must serve grains, do so in moderate servings of pasta, white bread, and rice.

5. Dairy

   These food products help increase your child’s bone strength, as they provide vitamin D for better calcium absorption. Dairy foods include milk, cheese, and soya drinks.

As you can notice, these foods are in fact the basic ingredients of a balanced meal. Ensure that you’ll be preparing these foods for your kids at home for their overall wellness.

In some parts of the world, however, the health conditions of kids below 5 years old are not good. The World Health Organization recorded that about 6 million kids of this age pass away every year due to varied health issues. You can do something to make a difference to the life of at least one kid. If you would like to take part in the preservation of these kids’ health, make a donation for their overall welfare.

At Save A Child International, we work towards providing accessible healthcare solutions to less privileged kids in Sub-saharan Africa. As a Children’s Charitable Organization in Atlanta, Georgia, we can partner with you in pursuing initiatives towards changing the world one healthy kid at a time. The Charitable Donation in Georgia can surely go a long way in providing chances of recovery from their illness.

Are there other health tips you would like to share for your little one’s health? Share your message below.