Proper nutrition for your children is basically based on the exact same principles as proper nutrition for adults like you. Everybody requires the same kinds of nutrients including protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins. However, kids require varying amounts of particular nutrients at various ages.
For specific dietary recommendations for your children, you can consult with one on the best pediatricians in the Edinburg, TX, and McAllen, TX, areas, Dr. Livania Zavala. Meanwhile, here are nutrition basics for children as recommended in the recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
What to Feed Your Children
Vegetables: Give your kids a variety of colorful, fresh, frozen, canned, or dried veggies. Serve them dark green leafy vegetables, orange, red, and violet veggies, as well as peas and beans every single day. When opting for frozen or canned veggies, choose those with low added sodium content.
Proteins: Select lean meats, seafood, eggs, poultry, peas, beans, seeds, unsalted nuts, and soy products.
Dairy: Make sure that your children drink and eat low-fat or fat-free dairy items like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Grains: Opt for whole grains like oatmeal, whole wheat bread, quinoa, wild or brown rice, and corn. Limit your children’s intake of refined grains like white rice, pasta, or bread.
Fruits: Instead of fruit juice, give your children various fruits, whether fresh, frozen, dried, or canned. If your kids want juice, opt for 100% fruit juice products minus the added sugars. The same goes for canned fruits. It’s also vital to point out that a quarter cup of dried fruit is equal to a cup of fresh fruit so you may want to adjust your children’s servings, particularly for fruits that have high sugar content.
If your children have special dietary requirements or are picky eaters, you should ask your pediatrician about the best foods specific to your child’s case during your consultation in our McAllen, TX, or Edinburg, TX, office.
What Not to Feed Your Children
Trans Fat and Saturated Fats: Limit your kids’ consumption of saturated fats that primarily come from full-fat dairy, poultry, and red meat. Find ways to substitute saturated fats with nut or vegetable oils that offer vitamin E and EFAs or essential fatty acids. You can likewise find healthy fats in nuts, olives, seafood, and avocados. Additionally, limit your children’s trans fat intake by avoiding foods with hydrogenated oils.
Added Sugars: Added sugars include white sugar, brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, and corn sweetener among many others, while naturally occurring sugars are those found in milk and fruit.
For Concerns or Questions About Your Children’s Diet, Give Us a Call
Arrange a consultation with the best pediatrician in the McAllen, TX, and Edinburg, TX, areas, Dr. Livania Zavala by calling our McAllen office at (956) 331-6063 or our Edinburg office at (956) 682-4500.