Kids just love
sweets
And other meals that lack nutritional value. Since the foods that your
children take can definitely impact their growth and development, it essential
to know
what foods to keep the kids away from.
Knowing which kinds of food products and
meals to avoid can help you in guiding your kids when it comes to the food that
they eat.
Of course, you
cannot monitor your kids’ activities 24/7 especially if they are in school. But
while they are still young, you need to help them develop the right eating
habits.
Stay Away From These
Limit Sugar
Everyone of
use had our childhood experiences of eating different candies and chocolates.
For children, they are at their
happiest when they get to have these yummy
candies and delicious chocolates. There is really nothing wrong in allowing
your kids to have sweets.
But you should make sure that they don’t overdo it.
According to the American Heart Association, children are limited to have 12
grams per day or 3 teaspoons a day.
There are ways
for you to reduce sugar intake. For one, you can use less sugar whenever you
prepare and cook meals.
Another option is to avoid having sugary drinks like
softdrinks and sodas. Instead of these drinks, you can replace nutritious
smoothies. Lastly, you should not allow your kids to have processed foods.
Lessen
Consumption of Products with Salt
Sodium is also
needed for the body.
But kids cannot have too much salt. One teaspoon of salt
is already equivalent to 2,300 mg of sodium.
There are guidelines when it comes
to maximum salt intake recommended for young kids. For kids 1 to 3 years old,
the maximum salt intake is 1,500 mg a day. Kids age 4 to 8 years old, they
should not consume more than 1,900 mg of sodium in a day. For kids 9 to 13, the
maximum salt intake is set at 2,200 mg per day.
How do you limit their salt intake?
There are
several ways to lessen salt intake. Nowadays, many kids just love to go to
restaurants and fast food. Most of these establishments make use of too much
sodium. To lessen salt consumption, it is strongly suggested that you prepare
meals at home instead of going to fast food restaurants.
It also
recommended having fresh vegetables instead of canned vegetables. When buying
products, you must choose low salt products.
Avoid
Eating Junk Foods
Junk foods are
everywhere. For sure, your kids would also enjoy eating different junk foods.
These products lack nutritional value and some of them even contain too much
salt and sugar. As such, you need to encourage your kids to avoid eating junk
food or if it is not possible, at least, they can lessen their junk food
consumption.
There are
different alternatives that are more nutritious. For instance, instead of
having potato chips, your kids might as well have graham crackers, fruit dips,
bagels, English muffins. Instead of having ice cream, your kids can enjoy
frozen yogurt that has low fat or even fruit smoothies.