Give the following food items to your children: Fruits, vegetables, pulses (lentils – green gram sprouts and beans sprout), nuts, full grains (unrefined corn), millets, oats, wheat, brown rice, or carbohydrate-rich roots (potatoes, etc.), and also non-vegetarian items such as meat, fish, eggs, etc.), and milk!
- As regards fruits, children in the age group 2-3 need a cup of fruits a day! For children in the age group 4-13, 1.5 cups of fruits are needed every day! For children in the age group 14-18, especially girls, 1.5 cups of fruits are required every day.
- As regards vegetables, the children in the age group 2-3 need a cup of cooked vegetables! For children in the age group 4-8, 1.5 cups of cooked vegetables are needed. For children in the age group 9-13 (girls), 2 cups of vegetables required every day! For the boys of the same age group, 2.5 cups of vegetables are needed every day. For the girls in the age group 14-18, 2.5 cups of vegetables are required each day! Boys of the same age group require 3 cups of vegetables each day!
- As regards protein, give protein-rich items in 2-3 portions in a day! Fish must be given at least twice a week (salmon, Mathi, kanankoluthi, or trout)! Nust are protein-rich! Further, these are especially recommended for children aged above 5 years!
- Give milk thrice a day! For children in the age group under 2 years, a full glass of milk or curs is required per day!
- Juice or dry fruits: Gibe half-a-glass of juice to children under 6 years of age each day. Further, please ensure that the juice is 100% fruit juice only! After the age of 7 years, give about 355 ml (millilitres) of fruit juice each day!
- Snacks/sweets: Rather than giving snack/sweet items rich in salt/sugar/fat, better give more of vegetables and fresh fruits!
- If you are using refined or dried vegetables, select items which are salt or sugar-free!
- ENSURE YOUR CHILDREN DO DRINK SUFFICIENT QUANTUM OF WATER EACH DAY! Note that drinking water is among the most essential items! It enables transportation/transition of nutrients and minerals in the blood! It helps remove the waste material in the body as well as strengthens the joints. It helps maintain the body heat level!
- ALSO, ENSURE THAT YOUR CHILDREN DO TAKE ITEMS RICH IN HEALTHY FAT!
- Also, ensure that the children DO TAKE SATURATED FAT FOOD ITEMS – such as fish, butter, nuts, olive oil, soya, oils such as canola, sunflower, and corn) AND NOT THE UNSATURATED FAT ITEMS such as meat, coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee (clarified butter) or pork!