Healthy foods or balanced diet are those which contain a variety of edibles, rich in calories, they are tasty, most foods supply great health benefits, and also, they make a balanced diet. Whenever you talk about the healthy foods for balanced diet, you think of the following:
| Seasonal fruits Low-fat dairy Red meat | Vegetables Whole grains White flour | All types of Nuts Sweet drinks Poultry | Beans Low salt Rice |
Everyone loves to spend a healthy life and also knows very well that it is only possible if the above-mentioned foods are used on regular basis. Somehow its common to see heart disease and obesity in our children, early on. These foods are not only good four health but also very tasty. Of course, you would love to pick up a plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts and also milk to enjoy a healthier meal with the view to stay healthy.
What about kids who are vegetarian? I believe, if you can live without dead animals, please do so. Properly planned vegetarian diets can be healthful and nutritionally adequate, providing extra health benefits. There has been a positive relationship between vegetarian lifestyle and reduced risk of obesity, hypertension diabetes, chronic illness and some types of cancer.
If you absolutely can’t exclude red meat and dairy I have listed the following you can consider a Balanced Diet For Children
Eliminate you family’s consumption of fast food
Poor nutrition, including an unhealthy balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals – may cause a child to tire easily. As a result these children gain a poor appetite experiencing slower growth, and lag of muscle coordination. Cow milk or whole milk is no longer of any nutritional value. Instead I recommend almond milk, coconut milk, or rice milk if anything.
Deal with the stress factors in your child’s life
Adolescents and young adult suicide rates have tripled in the last twenty five years. Warning signs may be; running away, radical personality change, noticeable changes in eating and sleeping patterns. If you observe these behaviors, the Academy of Pediatrics says to take these steps
1. listen to the child, don’t dismiss them.
2. Be honest, if your worried, let them know.
3. Share your feelings. Let your child know he is not alone, furthermore you can show you are here to help navigate those negative feelings.
4. Get help. Our children are depressed and suffering silently whether its divorce, death of family member, parents fighting or arguments. The stress can be school related and problems with peers, academics. This stress can lead to obesity or even suicide. Pat close attention to any warning signs.
My final suggestion for a balanced diet and to beat obesity is to create a family fitness plan
Physically active lifestyles that begin in childhood will often last a lifetime. A basic exercise component for overall health and fitness should include thirty to sixty minutes of physical activity daily. A minimum of thirty minutes of aerobic or sports activity should be three or four days each week. For instance, by asking yourself :â€How active is my child “ ? Is the first step of reviewing your child’s activity on a typical day. Let your child pick and choose the activities he enjoys the most. Don’t concentrate only on the thirty minute exercises. Also include cutting the grass, bike riding, chores, walking and play time. Help your child by finding activities you can do as a family.
This part of the article is being published for you to have soul information and basic knowledge with the noble purpose to make you aware of the hidden nutrition facts of some extraordinary foods: What you should consume more of.
Fresh Fruits
No one can deny the healthy fact of fruits that also includes barriers. Everyone likes to add this food in his/ her everyday meal being sweet and very delicious. They are being described in detail as under:
1. Apples
Apple is considered the king of fruits as it meets your food requirements to a great extent. It is better if you eat an apple for the breakfast. Apples have the following nutrition facts:
| Vitamin C | Fiber | Plentiful antioxidants |
2. Avocados
It is very healthy fruits because they contain healthy fats rather than carb. Avocados are:
| Very tasty | Creamy | Full of fiber | Contain potassium & vitamin C |
3. Bananas
Banana is the world’s popular and delicious fruit duly liked by every age group person. Bananas have the following nutrition properties:
| Potassium | Vitamin B6 | Fiber |
4. Blueberries
It is very delicious and the most powerful source of antioxidants. Blueberries are very healthy and carry a lot of health benefits.
5. Oranges
It is very delicious and have different qualities and belong to the citrus fruit family. Oranges usually contain the following nutrition facts:
| Vitamin C | High amount of fiber | Antioxidants |
6. Strawberries
Strawberries are juicy & very delicious and carry the following food facts:
| Low carbs Loaded with Manganese | High amount of Vitamin C Very nutritious | High fiber Low Calories |
7. Miscellaneous fruits
Besides the above mentioned, there are the following other fruits and berries that are also good for maintaining your health:
| Pears & Plums Cherries | Peaches Grapes | Olives Grapefruits | Melons Pineapples | Mangoes Raspberries | Lemons Kiwifruits |
8. Eggs
Eggs are eaten everywhere in the world and liked by children, adults, young & old because they are full of nutrition. For instance, the studies have proved them safe & healthy and no fear of being full of cholesterol.
9. Meat
We have a variety of meat to eat such as lamb, goat, chicken, and beef, etc. Especially, meat is very delicious to eat if cooked well, unprocessed and gently cooked meat is the best nutritious food you may love to eat. You should always keep the following types of meat in your diet plan:
| Lean Beef, a low carb diet | Chicken Breasts, Low in fat | Lamb, high in omega 3 fatty acids |
10. Nuts and Seeds
Although nuts & seeds are high in fat and calories, but still they are a good source for losing your bodyweight. Following are the common nuts and liked everyone and as such these are considered healthy food:
- Almond: They are very tasty and full of vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, and antioxidants. Various studies have proved that almond nuts are good for bodyweight loss besides improving metabolic health.
- Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are also full of different healthy nutrients such as calcium, manganese, magnesium & fiber. You should, therefore, keep them in your diet plan to have a balanced diet.
- Macadamia Nuts: Wow! These are very tasty nuts and have monounsaturated fats which are good for your general health. Macadamia nuts have low omega -6 fatty acids as compared to the other nuts.
- Walnuts: Like many other nuts, walnuts are also full of fiber & minerals and are high in nutrition values.
- Coconuts: Coconuts are also known as a healthy food as they are full of energy in the shape of fiber, fatty & powerful acids, and medium-chain triglycerides.
11. Vegetables
Vegetables are an excellent source of nutrients and are used all over the world. The vegetables can be eaten raw and cooked. There is a variety of vegetables and the same is our daily use food as the vegetables are available throughout the year. The most common vegetables are, however, listed below:
Bell Peppers: Bell Peppers’ another name is capsicum or sweet pepper, a very popular, and tasty vegetable. The bell peppers are sweet, crunchy and contain vitamin C + antioxidants. This vegetable is available in the following attractive colors:
| Green | Yellow | Orange | Red |
- Asparagus: It is also a well-known vegetable and carries vitamin K besides having a low amount of calories & carbs.
- Broccoli: Broccoli has its wonderful tastes whether eaten raw or cooked. Certainly, It is full of vitamin C, K, and a good amount of fiber. It is entirely different than the usual vegetables.
- Carrots: The root part of the carrot is used as a vegetable. Carrots are filled with nutrients such as vitamin K and fiber.
- Cauliflower: It is a cruciferous vegetable and a very tasty and healthy dish.
- Cucumber: Cucumbers are found all over the world and considered a watery vegetable as it contains much amount of water + vitamin K. Cucumber is eaten raw as a salad and low in carbs & calories.
- Garlic: What to speak of garlic’s use, it is extremely healthy and its use by everyone regardless of the country cannot be denied. Garlic has powerful biological effects and organ sulfur compounds and improved immune function.
- Onion: Onion can also be eaten raw as well as used in other recipes. Onion has a strong, but unique flavor. It is full of health benefits and it contains bioactive compounds.
- Kale: Kale is used as salad being crunchy when eaten. People love eating kale because it has an exceptional amount of fiber, vitamin C & K besides a range of other nutrients.
- Tomatoes: Not only you, but all of us consider the tomatoes as vegetables, but in fact, they are fruit. Anyway, the health benefits of tomatoes cannot be ignored whether you eat them raw or cooked. They have certain nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium.
- Other Healthy Vegetables:
| ZucchiniLettuce | TurnipEggplant | Swiss chardLeeks | Squash Celery | RadishCabbage | Mushroom Brussels |
12. Fish
Seafood, especially fish is very tasty, healthy & full of nutrients, and carries numerous health benefits for people of all ages.
Such as, Various studies have proved that the fish may save people from many diseases like heart disease, depression & dementia and leads to living long provided they ensure to use fish on regular basis.
Following important kinds of fish & other seafood are described below:
| Salmon Fish | Sardines Fish | Shrimp | Edible Shellfish | Tuna Fish | Trout Fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| An oily fish Very tasty Nutrients & Vitamin D Omega-3 | Small in size Oily The most nutrients Tasty | Shrimp is not a fish but known as seafood. Especially, It includes lobsters & crabs. Shrimp is low in fat and calories. However, it is high in proteins. Multiple nutrients are found in shrimp including vitamin B12 and selenium ,etc. | Complete meat Nutrient density Mollusks, clams and oysters are the types of edible fish. | It is very common in Western countries. It has low fat & low calories but has high proteins. | Like salmon fish, trout fish is very tasty, found in fresh water, and carries healthy nutrition facts. |
13. Grains
It is very healthy and good for kids & the young but the elders should keep grains’ use limited as they need a low-carb diet. Grains include rice, oats, quinoa, bread, green beans, kidney beans, lentils, and peanuts. These are, however, described briefly hereunder:
- Rice: Rice, especially brown rice is a popular food among people of all ages. The Rice gives good tastes if cooked well and these are full of nutrition and have a reasonable amount of fiber and vitamin B1 & magnesium.
- Oats: Oats are extremely healthy and tasty as they have a good amount of fiber and nutrients. Oats carry very good ,also health benefits for the human body.
- Quinoa: Quinoa has been becoming a popular food for those who care & very conscious about their balanced diet. Quinoa is not only a tasty grain but also contains powerful nutrients like fiber & magnesium. You can get plant-based protein by using quinoa.
- Breads: Breads are of many types and as such bear different health values for the users. Following types are, however, common and liked in most of the parts of the world:
| White bread | Ezekiel bread | Home-made bread |
|---|---|---|
| Healthier bread made from organic or whole grain. | It is made from the whole grain and is termed as the healthiest bread. | It is the gluten-free, low-carb breads you can make at home. This could be the best choice from the health point of view. |
- Green beans, Kidney Beans, and Lintels
The beans’ family is good to add to your balanced diet being healthy as they are also fully loaded with healthy nutrition facts like fiber, vitamins, minerals, plant-based proteins, and alike. Especially, you need to cook them properly to enjoy the taste & health benefits.
- Peanuts: Peanuts are full of nutrients and antioxidants duly proven through various studies. Particularly, peanuts help lose bodyweight.
14. Dairy
Dairy products are part & parcel of our food and these are known as a healthier source of nutrients. Particularly, full-fat dairy, low-fat & no-fat dairy has been playing a vital role in our health and fitness. Our daily use dairy items include the following:
| Cheese | Whole Milk | Yogurt | Butter & Butter Oil | Cream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full of nutrients & delicious | Contains a huge amount of minerals & vitamins, animal proteins, calcium, and healthy fats. | Milk is fermented by mixing live bacteria in it. It also carries a lot of health benefits. | Butter derived from cow milk is very healthy and contains very important nutrients in addition to vitamin K2. | Not Ice cream. Cream is also derived from milk and used as food dressing or eaten to have health benefits. |
15. Other Healthy Foods
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil contains antioxidants and quite useful for heart-health. It is the healthiest oil as compared to other vegetable oils. It can be applied to your body & hair and eaten as well.
- Potatoes: Potatoes contain a substantial amount of potassium and are found almost in every part of the world. Especially kids like to eat potatoes.
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are sweet (as their name indicates), delicious, starchy, and have a sufficient amount of antioxidants besides other healthy nutrients and for balanced diet.
- Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate is delicious and loved by everyone, especially the kids. It contains antioxidants and magnesium.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: The use of apple cider vinegar is very common in the world for the betterment of their natural health. Various studies have proved that vinegar helps lower the blood sugar level and also helps in body weight loss.
We are eating ourselves to death. Compared to other countries America is an obese nation. By looking at my information and going through this specific American diet list, we can come up with a few innovative ideas for coordinating fitness and family exercise while establishing smarter eating habits. Our children need some encouragement with a sense of achievement and self-confidence. Finally, start your family’s journey today.
To recap, 3 things to consider for a more Balanced Diet For Children and how to beat childhood obesity such as:
- Firstly, eliminate fast food consumption.
- Secondly, deal with stress factors in a child’s life.
- Thirdly, create a family fitness plan.
