What are the Must-Have Nutrients in Your Kid’s Healthy Diet Plan

Why should you include vitamins?

Vitamins are important constituents of enzymes in your child’s body and perform various functions such as:

● Regulate nerve function

● Metabolise energy

● Make DNA and red blood cells

● Enhance immunity

● Keep skin and eyes healthy

● Promote digestion by helping absorb other nutrients

● Ensure cell and tissue repair

Here are the functions performed by specific vitamins in your kid’s body:

● Vitamin A –ensures good vision

● Vitamin B-complex –responsible for proper overall development

● Vitamin C –enhances immunity

● Vitamin D –makes strong bones and teeth

● Vitamin E –ensures healthy skin, good immunity, and prevents damage from free radicals

● Vitamin K - helps blood to clot and builds bones

Vitamins are found in fresh fruits and veggies, eggs, milk, fatty fish, and polyunsaturated plant oils like soybean and safflower. Ensure that the diet plan for kids includes fruits, veggies, dairy, and plant oils.

Why are minerals important?

Minerals are micronutrients, as they are required only in trace amounts. They are essential for your child’s healthy development as they perform a lot of vital functions in the body, like:

● Help utilise other nutrients and vitamins

● Promote growth

● Help in healing

● Essential for energy production

● Necessary components of enzymes and hormones

Here are examples of functions that specific minerals perform in your kid’s body:

● Iron helps carry oxygen in the blood

● Calcium is needed for strong bones

● Magnesium is important for energy, bone health, and to ensure good sleep

● Zinc is important for brain health and good memory. It also is vital for the production of thyroid hormone

● Potassium helps regulate blood pressure

Minerals like iodine, manganese, selenium, fluoride, sodium, copper etc. are also necessary for good health. Minerals can be found in fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, dairy, cereal, meat, and fish. So, your diet plan for kids should include these.

Why are proteins essential for your child?

Proteins are the building blocks of DNA and muscles. They are essential for the growth, repair and maintenance of your child’s body. Proteins are essential for:

● Transport and storage functions in the body

● Cell and tissue repair

● Formation of antibodies that fight off bacterial and viral infections

● Supply of energy

● Formation of enzymes and hormones

Why does your kid need carbs?

Carbohydrates are your child’s main source of energy. Carbs fuel the brain, muscles, kidneys, heart, and central nervous system. Kids need carbs to stay alert during the day.

Good sources of carbs include whole grains like brown rice, wheat, oats, beans, fruits, dairy, and starchy veggies like potatoes. Your diet plan for kids should include carbs from such sources. Avoid unhealthy carbs that contain simple sugars like candy, soft drinks, and processed foods.

What other nutrients does your child require?

Fat is another nutrient that is essential for your child’s development. Unsaturated fats like Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are essential for nerve cell and brain development during early childhood. Fats also perform other functions like:

● Keep the body warm

● Provide energy

● Help in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K

● Make up the structure of cell membranes, especially in the brain

● Reduce inflammation

Good sources of fats include nut butter, avocado, cheese, coconut, eggs, whole milk, dark meat, olive oil, walnuts, seeds, vegetable oils, yoghurt, wild salmon, dark meat, etc.