Healthy and yummy foods for kids

Posted in Health and tagged with Foods, Health, kids on 02/21/2012 02:22 am by admin

All parents want good health of their kids but in today’s world, providing healthy foods is very difficult as kids love to eat french fries, ice cream and soda instead of milk, fruits and vegetables. They always demand for hot dogs, burgers, pizza and other fast foods, which are rich in calories, fat and sodium. Nutritious healthy food is very important for kids as it helps in proper mental and physical growth as well as boost immune system. Healthy foods provide good nutrition to kids and help to prevent diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity.

The obesity rates in kids are reaching frightening proportions due to sedentary lifestyles and poor food choices. Providing healthy foods to your kids at this time will help them in the future. They will be healthier as well as continue to eat healthy foods in the future. To get your kids to make healthy choices, offer them foods in fun plates, cups, napkins or straws. You can also arrange the foods into smiley faces in the plate or cut them in different shapes with cookie cutters. Many kid-friendly healthy and yummy foods are there, which your kids will enjoy to eat.

Kid-friendly healthy and yummy foods

1. Breakfast

Everybody already knows that breakfast is the main meal of the day. Starting day without a complete breakfast is just like to fly a kite with no wind. Breakfast provides nutrients and energy to kids for paying more attention in the class. Kids don’t get hungry and they are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods such as chips and cookies when they eat breakfast. Developing body and brain of kids depend on regular consumption of food and when kids don’t eat their breakfast, they finish up going for 18 hours without food which create many physical, behavioral and intellectual problems for them. As per studies, kids who consume a good breakfast in the morning perform better in school as well as have decreased hyperactivity and improved attendance compared to other kids who do not eat breakfast. You must give your kids some oatmeal, whole wheat toast with peanut butter or whole grain cereal with nuts as these foods keep your kid to feel full until lunch time.

2. Healthy Fast-Food

Generally, kids’ fast food menus are not healthy and they are loaded with calories, sodium and fat. Fast food restaurants make fast food with refined white flour instead of whole wheat flour. Some fast food chains provide healthier menu options for kids, which comes with more whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy. You can provide your kids a healthy fast food by ordering grilled chicken sandwich with tomato, extra lettuce and pickles or pizza with mushrooms, broccoli and olives. Order apple slices and water or 2% milk rather than french fries and soda respectively.

3. Protein Foods

Many parents worry that their kids are not getting sufficient amount of protein in their diet. Getting adequate protein is essential for everybody, but particularly for growing children to grow properly and stay healthy. Kids require 16 to 60 grams protein daily according to their height, weight and age. Protein helps in maintaining tissues in the body as well as build, repair and replace tissues. When your kids are hungry, don’t give them a cookie as it will digest soon, in its place give them peanut butter, yogurt, chicken, cheese crackers or scrambled eggs. These foods are high in protein as well as keep your kids full for longer as they digest slowly by the body.

4. Make Healthy Foods available

Parents should buy a variety of healthful foods for their kids so that they can make wise food choices. If your kids find chips, junk food, sweets, cookies and other unhealthy treats at home then how they can make healthy food choices. You should get rid of these unhealthy treats and keep healthy snacks like fruits, whole grain breads, vegetables, yogurt and 2% milk at your home. Keep foods at the place where the kids can reach easily. You can take your kids with you while going for grocery shopping. Allow them to select what foods they like to eat in their lunch box and dinner. You can also praise and reward your kids for making good food choices to encourage them.

5. Foods with Lots of Water

Your kid can get a lot of water by consuming water-rich foods. Fruits and vegetables are rich source of water so you can provide them to your kids. Water-rich foods will keep your kids full and keep hunger at bay longer compared to dense/dry foods. Tomato, strawberries, banana, watermelon, apples and carrots are a few fruits and vegetables that contain over 90% of water. You can also give 1/4 cup of raisins or 2 whole cups of fresh grapes to your kids. Compared to dense foods, water-rich foods give larger, more fulfilling portions.

6. Fill Your Stomach

Don’t let your kids to consume meal on an empty stomach as they will end up eating too much. Salad, a cup of low-calorie soup or a piece of fruit before meals helps to decrease the amount of food you will eat in the meal. These foods curb your kids hunger and they will eat less. Salad, soup and fruits are high in water and less in calories. As per study, soup decreases the hunger levels and boosts fullness, which is similar to consuming solid foods. Soup contains complex carbohydrates, protein and vegetables, which keep you feel fuller for hours.

7. Pack Fiber Rich Foods in Lunchbox

Healthy lunch at school is very essential for kids but these days parents often pack lunch boxes with packaged ‘convenience’ foods. These packaged convenience foods are loaded with calories, sugar, fat and sodium, which increase the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Many studies have proved that when kids consume healthy foods at school they will be prepared better to study and learn. You should pack lunch boxes with fiber rich foods as they help your kids to feel full for longer. You must use whole grain bread / wheat bread, rolls / tortillas and pita pockets for sandwiches in lunchbox meals.

8. Healthy Choices of Foods

A continuous stream of healthy food choices is required by kids to fuel their daily adventures. Healthy choices of foods help your kids to learn and perform well in school as well as keep them healthy. Generally, you should provide sausage, eggs, bacon, butter, doughnuts, cream, coffee cakes and cookies to your kids, which are great source of cholesterol and saturated fat. You must try tasty, nutritious and healthy alternatives of these foods. Try regular bacon, reduced-fat milk, spaghetti with tomato sauce and some cheese rather than Canadian bacon, whole chocolate milk and gobs of cheese and butter.

9. Build a Better Dessert

Kids love desserts but parents often misinterpret that desserts are not healthy for their kids as they have too much fat and sugar. You can make dessert for your kids at home to satisfy their dessert cravings. Use wheat flour, low-fat dairy and natural sugars to enhance the nutritional value of desserts. You can make a sundae from raspberries, chocolate pudding and almonds or make fruit Kebabs by placing grapes, pineapple chunks and strawberries on skewers. After making fruit Kebabs, dip them in low-fat vanilla yogurt. You can even serve your kids one scoop of frozen yogurt with lots of berries.

10. Share with Friends

Sharing is among the significant lessons that parents should teach to their kids. Teaching kids to share things will help them in future social situations. You should pack apple slices or carrots in place of chips and cookies; trail mix from nuts; whole grain tortilla chips & salsa or whole-grain cereal in your kids’ lunch box. So when your kids share lunch with friends, their friends will also know that healthy food tastes great.