Child nutrition provides children with a balanced diet that meets their nutritional needs for growth and development. A healthy diet can help children: Develop and learn, Prevent obesity and weight-related diseases, Improve their immune system, and Be healthy and productive.
Here are some tips for providing a healthy diet for children:
- Provide a balance of nutrients: A child’s diet should provide enough energy for growth and development, but not too much of any one dietary component.
- Choose healthy sources of protein: Lean meat, nuts, and eggs are all healthy sources of protein.
- Eat whole grains: Whole-grain breads and cereals are high in fiber.
- Reduce refined grains: Try to reduce the amount of refined grains in your child’s diet.
- Limit junk food: Fast food and junk food should be limited.
- Offer water or milk: Sugary drinks and sodas should be replaced with water or milk.
- Encourage fruits and vegetables: Make half of your child’s plate fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid added sugars: Check nutrition labels to avoid added sugars like brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, and honey.
- Limit salt: The maximum amount of salt a child should eat depends on their age.
- Replace saturated fats: When cooking, try to replace saturated fats with vegetable and nut oils.
