Parents typically try to ensure the best for their kids, across ethnicities and income groups etc. They are also particular about making the best food choices for their children. However, this is not easy, given the variety of options and confusion about healthy food choices! As a parent, you have to choose foods for the children that enhance their mental and physical growth and address nutritional deficits simultaneously. It is necessary to learn about potentially unsafe foods for toddlers and additives and condiments too.
Basics of a children’s diet
Usually, a kid’s diet should comprise foods and beverages that offer a balanced mix of all vital nutrients-including vitamins and key minerals. It should be enriched with foods with nutrients suited for natural growth. Ideally, their emails should have a mix of lean proteins, fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. The last one is especially important for proper brain development.
Choosing additives for children’s diets carefully
Food additives are used widely in so many foods and drinks and the inclusion of such ingredients helps in improving the taste, texture, and shelf life of the dishes. There are many natural and artificial ingredients. Parents need to be especially careful when it comes to additives in foods for their kids. They should learn about food additives used and which ones to avoid.
Some of the widely used food additives are artificial coloring agents, high fructose corn syrup, sodium nitrates, and various preservatives. Overuse of such additives can make foods harmful to anyone, more so for younger ones. Possible health risks can include delayed brain development, poor cognitive skills, obesity thyroid issues in the long run, etc.
Picking healthy food additives for kids
There are several handy ways to reduce artificial additive usage in foods meant for your toddlers. These are:
- Before buying food for the kids, checking the labeling carefully is a must. This is a sure-shot way to find out the details on additives and their percentage in such foods.
- It would be a good idea to choose fresh and whole foods for toddlers over processed ones.
- To ensure the additives in foods for your kids do not exceed the safe limits, stick to buying organic and farm-fresh foods as far as possible.
Conclusion
Kids often prefer picking ready-to-eat and processed foods over nutritious dishes because the former type is laden with additives that enhance the flavor and taste. They often discard the healthier and fresh alternatives as the taste is not that great! To overcome these hurdles, parents can resort to the following measures:
- Introducing fresh fruits and veggies in the kid’s meals early in life is useful.
- Eating healthy foods is a good way to inspire the kids to adopt a similar diet!
- Eating meals together, while minimizing mobile usage can help develop healthy eating habits.
- To enhance food taste, parents can use natural and healthy additives like lemon zest, juice, black pepper, etc.
Summing it up
To develop healthy eating in kids they should be served home cooked meals. Such meals are healthy and tasty and does not contain additives. In the long run your kids will be happy and strong.
