How to ensure kids eat nutritious meals
While it may be better for kids to eat something than nothing at all, there are some clever ways of getting added nutrition onto the family menu.
Ensuring your children eat nutritious meals throughout the day is one of the greatest feats attempted by modern parents, especially in a world where junk food and take-outs are so popular and readily available.
We all know that maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle is essential to the well-being of children. As unpopular as the concept of nutrition may be with kiddies, it’s our job as parents to ensure our little ones get all the nutrition they need to grow up big, strong and healthy.
Encouraging your child to eat nutritious meals can sometimes be challenging, but with a few insider hacks, you can make healthy eating child’s play.
Serve a protein-packed breakfast
Fuel your child’s brain and get them ready for heavy-duty learning (maths can be such hard work) with a hearty breakfast that has a high nutritive value and sustains energy levels until lunchtime. Kids love choice so offer two, equally nutritious options including whole-grain carbohydrates (breads, waffles, pancakes, fruit, and dairy) and proteins (low-fat cheese, turkey, scrambled eggs, and vegetarian sausage).
A breakfast buffet with sliced fresh fruits and whole-wheat muffins and fruit shakes and smoothies made with milk, ice shavings, vanilla, and honey are an added complement.
Top tip: Protein is not only filling but keeps blood sugars regulated for a longer time as opposed to serving carbs on its own. Add some protein powder to hot, cooked porridge to stave off cravings.
Fun and interesting lunchboxes
Fill lunch tins and bags with fresh sandwiches (tuna fish topped with lettuce, sliced cucumbers, grated carrots, hard-boiled eggs, and chopped celery) and use biscuit cutters to get them into fun shapes. Put fruit salad or fruit slices into containers and add a carton of drinking yoghurt.
Lighter snacks could include popcorn, dried fruit, pretzels, mini-cheddars/bacon bits, and crackers stuffed with cottage cheese spreads or grated. If your child trades lunch with a friend, try inserting a separate parcel labeled “this is for sharing”.
For after school snacks to be enjoyed at home, post a “what’s inside for a snack” list on the refrigerator door and let your child choose between fresh juice popsicles and fruit shakes prepared from milk and frozen fruit like mangoes and berries, blending a little protein powder into the milk for an added nutritious boost.
Nestle’ Nutren Junior milkshakes for kids between the ages one to 10 are especially ideal as they deliver one-third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals, boosting immunity and heart health. This daily dose of health in a glass is available in a tasty vanilla flavour. The good news for moms on the go is that Nestle’ has a Nutren Activ range in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry to meet their needs too, serving as a meal replacement or nutritional supplement.
Top tip: Create a special “snack box” by filling compartments with cheese portions, raisins, a variety of nuts, chocolate, and peanut butter for them to choose their favourites from and mix and match a variety of options.
Get your child involved in preparing dinner
Try developing a family supper-time menu that involves the input of your young ones. They can suggest mealtime favourites from options presented to them previously, like at the grocery store where they’re allowed to make a choice between chicken or fish and peas or green beans? Try sneaking blended vegetables into cottage pie, stews, sauces, or meatballs.
If your child has been snacking throughout the day on frequent, lighter meals then flexibility might be the order of the day come supper time. If you allow your youngster to serve themselves, they are able to decide the size of the dinner portion based on how hungry they feel.
A great way to challenge children to eat as many fruits and veggies would be to have them complete a colour chart featuring categories for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and supper where they can track what they eat by colour coding. Yellow for bananas, green for all leafy vegetables like lettuce, cucumber, celery, and white for rice and potatoes.
Top tip: Junk food as a treat is alright, especially if their daily diets are balanced and nutritious. Just keep portions small.
