As a parent, you want your child to grow up happy and healthy. Proper nutrition is vital for their development, but knowing what to feed them is difficult with so much misleading information. It cannot be obvious.
In those precious growing years, nutrition provides the fuel and building blocks for your child's rapid physical and cognitive development. Getting the right balance lays the foundation for health and well-being.
Why Does Good Nutrition Matter?
If you prioritize good nutrition now, your child can benefit from nutrients that aid growth and fight illness. Down the road, this makes them prone to preventable health problems. No parent wants that!
The good news is that getting nutrition right doesn't have to be complicated. Focus on including more of the foods and nutrients below every day. Before you know it, your child will be thriving!
The early years are when good nutrition matters most for healthy growth. This blog post will suggest the six best things to add to your child's daily nutrition for growth. So, what should you have in your child's daily diet?
Let’s break it down!
1. Protein for Building Blocks
Young bodies need more protein relative to size than adults do. Protein provides amino acids, the body’s building blocks for muscle, bone, skin, hair, enzymes and hormones.
Great protein choices include eggs, yoghurt, cheese, fish, poultry, beans, lentils, and soy products. Please have your child fill a quarter of their plate with lean protein at meals.
2. Fruits and Vegetables for Vitamins and Minerals
Fruits and vegetables deliver essential vitamins, minerals and fibre kids need to grow. These include bone-building vitamin K and infection-fighting vitamin C. Produce also provides antioxidants to protect young cells.
Offer a rainbow of fresh or frozen fruits and veggies. Please have your child fill half their plate with produce at meals. Great kid-friendly choices are berries, bananas, broccoli, snap peas and sweet potato.
3. Healthy Fats for the Brain and Body
Don't shy away from healthy fats! Young minds need omega-3s and omega-6s to form brain and nerve cells. Plant-based fats also enable the absorption of some vitamins.
Get these from olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish like salmon. Use olive or avocado oil for cooking. Sprinkle chia seeds on yoghurt or add walnuts to salads.
4. Calcium and Vitamin D for Strong Bones
Calcium builds durable bones to last a lifetime. Vitamin D helps the body effectively absorb calcium from food. Low vitamin D is linked to rickets in children.
Dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurt provide calcium and vitamin D. Aim for 2 to 3 servings of dairy daily. Also, try sardines, tofu, fortified cereals and orange juice with added calcium and vitamin D.
5. Iron for Energy
Young kids need plenty of iron to produce haemoglobin that supplies oxygen to muscles and the brain. Too little causes fatigue, weakness and impaired cognition.
Excellent sources are red meat, poultry, fish, spinach, lentils, beans, iron-fortified bread, and cereals—pair plant sources with food high in vitamin C to enhance iron absorption.
6. Water for Hydration and Health
Getting enough water supports every function in your child’s rapidly growing body and brain. Water transports nutrients, forms saliva, regulates body temperature and keeps energy levels up. Mild dehydration can already impair mood and cognition.
Have your child sip water regularly throughout the day. Infuse with sliced fruit for flavour. Getting adequate fluids now prevents urinary tract infections and constipation, too. It also helps maintain concentration for learning.
The Earlier, The Better!
Instilling healthy eating from a young age makes it stick better as your child grows up. Now, you're armed with the top 6 nutrients for your child's growth and well-being.
Provide more of these nourishing foods daily to set them up for a lifetime of good health!
