Nutrition In Children And Its Importance

Hi,

I am Dr. Lalit Mittal, Pediatrician. Today I will talk about nutrition in children and its importance. What are the rising concerns of nutrition in children? We see the rising cases of constipation, children are more inclined towards junk food, increased obesity, stomachache, lethargy. Now, what is nutrition? It is a balanced combination of proteins, fats, carbs, minerals, and vitamins. How can we prepare and how can we tell the children to take the proper amount of nutrition. The best method is "my plate" which gives a rough idea that how can you prepare balanced nutrition. Your plate should always be with 50% of fruits, eggs, if you are a vegetarian you can take daal, then chappati and rice and the remaining portion are for vegetables plus hydration then you should take milk.

Now, there are a lot of studies and research have shown that a balanced diet and nutrition have a very important role in enhancing your learning, cognition, and development. If your nutrition is not balanced, it can result in hyperactivity, anxiety, depression and temper tantrums. What other things you should take besides nutrition? You should always have a good sleep. Otherwise, it can result in lethargy, pos diet. So, a child should take 8-10 hours of sleep. Before going to bed there should be no eating of meals. It should be 1-2 hours before going to bed. The child should take an adequate amount of fluids. Other than this, children are more inclined towards junk food.

They should avoid taking carbonated drinks like cold drinks, jaggery, pastries. They can take milk, lemon juices, coconut water. To summaries nutrition on a count of zero to 10, I would say there should be zero carbonated drinks, at least one hour of physical activities, there should be less than 2 hours of screening time, there should eat at least 3 servings of low-fat dairy products, there should be 6 home days meals in a week and breakfast should be daily without even a single skip. Never consume outside products.

Thank You!