5 Essential Nutrients for Healthy Growth in Children

1. Proteins

Proteins help your child in building new body cells, breaking down food into energy, fight infection, and carry oxygen. Foods that contain high levels of protein are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, beans, and dairy products.

2. Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are as essential for your child as any other food. The body use fats and proteins for building and repairing tissues. Foods that contain high levels of carbohydrates include breads, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes.

3. Fats

Fats are a great source of energy for kids and are easily stored in a child’s body. They are also important in helping the body to properly use some of the other nutrients it needs. Foods that contain high levels of fats include whole-milk dairy products, cooking oils, meat, and fish.

4. Calcium

Calcium is essential in helping to build a child’s healthy bones and teeth. It’s also important for blood clotting and for nerve, muscle, and heart function. Foods that contain high levels of calcium include milk, cheeses, yogurt, ice cream and egg yolks.

5. Iron

Iron is necessary for a child to build healthy blood that carries oxygen to cells all over the body. Foods that contain high levels of iron include red meats, liver and poultry. Folate deficiency can cause anemia in children. Foods that contain high levels of folate include whole-grain cereals, lentils and spinach.

Food for healthy teeth

Proteins are vital for the formation and maintenance of the tooth structure. Proteins also protect the lining of your mouth. Some of the good sources of proteins that are easily available are soy, eggs, beans, poultry, seafood and dairy products.

Calcium and phosphorus are the building blocks of teeth and a rich supply of these nutrients protect the teeth against tooth damage. Some foods which supply high amounts of calcium and phosphorous are milk and milk products, seafood, tofu, almonds, green leafy vegetables, legumes and broccoli. Cheese is exceptionally high in calcium.

Vitamin D is a vital mineral that helps in calcium absorption. Sunlight is the richest source of Vitamin D. Other readily available sources of vitamin D are milk, fish, eggs, and cod liver oil.

Potassium is an essential trace mineral that helps in blood clotting, especially when gums bleed after an injury. Some good sources of potassium are fresh fruits and vegetables. You can also find high amounts of potassium in cooked spinach, cooked broccoli, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Did you know fluoride is a great mineral that prevents the tooth against cavities and also promotes the absorption of calcium in the body. Tap water is a source of fluoride and other sources rich in fluoride are black tea and seafood.

Foods to stay healthy by Famhealth

Cereals are rich source of calcium, iron, and vitamin B. A cereal, which is coarser and grainier, is considered more healthy and nutritious. Experts say that a good cereal meal provides you with essential nutrients like carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables- Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber and essential micronutrients. Do you know the more colorful the fruits, denser the nutrient. Eating five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables is considered good for health.

To stay healthy, we need some fats in our diet; however consuming a fatty diet is harmful to our body. Experts suggest that the limited intake of saturated fat rich food items like ghee, butter, coconut oil etc. minimizes the risk of heart diseases and high blood cholesterol levels.

It is said that drinking about 8- 10 liters of water every day keeps the body hydrated. However; during summers or if you have an active lifestyle it is good to drink more water. Soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugar cannot replace the good benefits of water.

Experts say that exercise is the cornerstone of healthy living. Performing a 30 to 45 min daily exercise and sports like swimming, aerobics, power yoga etc. has shown good effects on our body.

Food as Medicine

As Hippocrates rightly said centuries ago – “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Here we bring you a realm where our food and nutrition expert Dr. Mona Johar tells us about treating food as medicine in a very easy and simple way.

CHILDHOOD OBESITY

GUT HEALTH

PREDIABETES

DEPRESSION

HEART DISEASE

The Fourth Month of Pregnancy

Physical Changes

Moles and freckles may become darker with the increase in skin pigmentation. There is pigmentation around the nipples
A dark line may appear down the centre of the stomach
An increased appetite results in clothes getting tight
The waistline starts to expand
The baby bump begins to show as a gentle rounding of the stomach
The breasts may still be of normal size but they will grow in the coming weeks.

Features of the Baby

Length: 6 inches
Weight : 135 gms
This is a period of rapid growth for the baby.
Fine hair appears on the body and face
The skin is transparent showing the blood vessels underneath
Joints have formed and hard bones are developing
Sex organs are mature enough to disclose the sex
Baby sucks the thumb
Baby’s heart beats twice as fast as the mother
Baby moves around vigorously though the mother still cannot feel it
The baby has a neck of its own
The baby’s fingers have their own finger print pattern
The head is still large for the body.

Suggestions

Both the partners must give up smoking if not done already.
As the appetite is growing the mother needs to be more careful of what she is eating and avoid unhealthy food. It pays to be sensible and watch the weight.
It is a good idea to check with the doctor who may recommend iron supplements around this time. Iron supplements should be taken on a full stomach and preferably with a good source of vitamin c to increase their bioavailability.
Normally after the first trimester the folic acid supplements are stopped.
It is time to make a second visit to the antenatal clinic where there would be an ultrasound scan; a serum screening test and amniocentesis if there are any chances of the baby having any abnormality.

Question of the day

How can you be sure that the baby is normal?

The chance of the baby being abnormal is very slim as most abnormalities occur in the initial weeks and end in a miscarriage. By now the baby is fully formed and if the parents ensure a good lifestyle, which provides a safe environment for the baby, the risks can be reduced further.

To read more on Pregnancy, click on the link below,

Pregnancy

Tag: Supplements