As parents, we don’t like to force our child to eat foods they don’t like or make them clean their plates, there are lots of healthy foods kids like. Parents often overlook these healthy foods and go straight to what they think are more “kid-friendly foods”, such as hotdogs ,pizza, french fries, chicken nuggets ,juice and soda.
Foods children should eat are those that are high in fiber, low in fat and have calcium, iron and other vitamins and minerals .Examples are as follows:
MILK ….. Milk is a good source of calcium, vitamin D and protein for kids and should be a part of every child’s diet – unless they have milk allergy .In fact, depending on their age, most kids should drink 2 to 4 glasses of milk(low fat milk ,if they are at least 2 yrs. old) each day, especially if they aren’t eating or drinking any other high calcium foods.
APPLES …..Apples are great snack food. They are juicy, sweet ,have vitamin C, are low in calories .Unpeeled whole apple is best to eat for it has about 5g of fiber.
PEANUT BUTTER ….. many parents are avoiding peanut butter because of the worry about food allergies and because it is supposedly high in fat, but it is mostly mono and poly unsaturated fats, so it is better than the saturated fats that are found in many other high-fat foods. Unsaturated peanut butter provides your child with vitamin A, iron, vitamin E,vit.B6,folic acid, magnesium, zinc and copper, in addition to being a good source of protein.
YOGURT….. Yogurt is a healthful food for kids, especially for kids who don’t drink a lot of milk, as yogurt is a good source of calcium.
TUNA FISH….. fish can be a healthful food ,unless your kids eat fish sticks or fried fish sandwiches .Tuna fish is a great source of protein and provides omega-3 essential fatty acids and many vitamins and minerals . To make your child’s tuna fish sandwich even healthier, use low-fat mayonnaise and whole wheat bread.
BREAKFAST CEREAL…… when choosing a breakfast cereal for your kids , try to look for one you can’t simply eat out of the box like candy. Good choices include whole grain cereal that is calcium fortified and has added fiber .
EGGS….. Eggs are good source of protein and contain some iron and many other vitamins and minerals.
VEGETABLES….. There are plenty of vegetables that kids do like , such as cooked carrots ,corn ,peas, and baked potatoes. Cooked carrots can be an especially healthful choice as they are high in fiber, vit. A, vit. C and potassium. Keep offering your child vegetables, even they don’t eat them, eventually they will eat.
OATMEAL….. Infants enjoy oatmeal cereals . Oatmeal is high in fiber that is good for your kids ,just like most other whole grain foods.
There are lots of healthy foods we could offer to our child, it is a matter of choice and discipline.
By: MS. MARY ANN C. BALUYOT | Teacher III | Capunitan Elementary School, Orion, Bataan
