Verified
Ever thought of what would make your kid immune to an unpredictable drizzle which made him sick or an occasional party that put his tummy in problem? We are responsible for anything good or bad that happens to our kid. With this notion in mind and holding ourselves responsible for a weak and irritated son or daughter; we need to go hand-in-hand to make sure our children are fed right first and then followed right; primarily regarding nutrition. For this purpose we need to follow a food pyramid which would be our daily guide to anything that goes into our children.
A food pyramid is a food diagram in the shape of a pyramid that indicates nutritional importance of each food items based on its nutritional importance. It is a representation of medically advised portions of each and every food items. A food pyramid is a graphic structure with a broad base tapering to a pointed top which represents the level of consumption and nutrition. Grains, breads, cereals, rice and pasta makes the base of the pyramid to a wide range with large portions nutritionally recommended. Those are the foods that need to cover the biggest part of human diet. This should be added with a number of servings of fresh fruits and boiled or processed vegetables everyday to ensure a healthy life all along. The higher the pyramid goes,
we find the importance of milk and milk products such as cheese, curd.
Eggs, nuts, beans, fish and meat comes after these in the top level of the food pyramid which indicates that these also need to be included in our daily meals but in smaller portions compared to the better ones. Food pyramid makes clear the importance of food rather than the taste that makes us consume one food more than the other. A food pyramid follows the nutrition which we should adhere in the kids diet, moulding it into recipes that lure their taste buds. That is the method that parents should adopt to get their children accustomed to the food pyramid without causing hindrance to their taste buds. All is well if the foods are seasoned and boiled and decorated well to match their alluring vision and level of appetite.
The main advantage of following the food pyramid is that we can ensure the health and stamina of our kids with recipes that hold items in the food pyramid as the main ingredient. We should drop the belief that an occasional snack pack that takes its place instead of the calories and vitamins and minerals that should be there; is only going to ruin the children’s health for the worse. By following the food pyramid parents can be reassured that time spent is time earned; instead of escaping the daily effort we must put in the kitchen. Of course there are confusions on how to use the food pyramid to balance the diet of children. There can be variations in age compared to the portions recommended as well as the nutritional deficiencies that need be handled.
This can be handled by proper planning and selection of food items and food portions that should be taken every day by your child. It has become a necessity to keep a chart and planner on how much of dairy products, cereals, grains, fruits and vegetables the child should have every day; that follows the guidelines of the food pyramid as well.
A recommended planning that can be done for each food and its portions pertaining to the age is necessary. A plate that meets the kids appetite and meets his nutritional needs is what the food pyramid is meant for. That can be met through constructional administration of recipes that entertains the childhood palate. As of now the old food pyramid has retired and the new food pyramid looks for a nutritional package that fits all ages; with the variation of portions. The new concepts that hold the nutritional recommendations are many. Oversized portions of food items are avoided due to increasing rate of obesity and diabetics irrespective of age in kids also.
Snacks are replaced by half plates of fruits, boiled seasoned vegetables and unsalted nuts. Milk is replaced by calcium-rich or low fat milk or even soy milk pertaining to the obesity that follows the consumption of lactic acid. Grains are consumed by making sure that they are mostly whole grains. Differential protein resources are sought from seafood, beans, and poultry in small portions; consumed weekly. Thus the food pyramid has in time got expression as a food plate which has its own portions of nutritional charts as per the age.
On a personal level, the food pyramid meant for kids has its own online establishment where you can chart your own food requirements by setting your children’s age and dietary preferences where you will get enough recipes that entertain your child’s tastes and also his dietary needs. This portal that helps you to follow the food pyramid for your child is a blessing to those who confuse themselves with the duty of feeding their kid right. On a personal level, I recommend every parent to use a comparatively equivalent mix of tamarind and jaggery paste in each and every portion of food to tickle the child’s taste buds as well.
A kids food pyramid guide needs to satisfy the count of each and every food group that is a part and parcel of daily needs of kids. Thus we conclude that the diet should contain cereal group, fruit group, vegetable group, milk group and meat group. All these should include in every serving as well which makes it a nutritious meal. To satisfy the content of cereal group we need to choose from a variety that includes half a cup of cooked rice or pasta, cooked cereal or a few slices of bread; all according to the child’s preference; but to be made sure that it should be given in at least 6 servings. The vegetable group is incomplete without half a cup of raw vegetables and one full cup of leafy vegetables that include spinach, lettuce and the like in two servings strictly.
The fruit group claims one full fruit everyday, with three fourth a cup of mixed fruit juice and a quarter cup of dried fruits and nuts unsalted; in two servings a day to match the food pyramid chart of kids. Milk group recommends two cups of milk with recommended health mix, half a cup of curd and a few ounces of cheese to satisfy the food pyramid well. Three servings of two to three ounces of cooked lean meat, fish, poultry makes the structure for Meat group in a food pyramid. Oil and fat content and variety in your food should be taken care of in the food pyramid.
Inspite of the content principles and statistics, one issue that we need to take care in a food pyramid is the percentage of saturated fat that should never exceed 10 percentage in the diet. With this we have tailored a framework of dietary preferences which consort to the food pyramid of kids.