What are the Super Nutrients for kids?

From the moment of born, parents watch their kid’s progress eagerly, looking forward to every inch of growth. However how can they say that their child is growing properly? As children’s age is growing age and body changes take place most in them, they require some super nutrients which help them in physical as well as mental growth. When kids enter into school-age, their capabilities and understanding of the world and concepts around them carry on to grow. Kids flourish on dozens of nutrients which work jointly to promote growth and development. Good nutrition helps your children to ward off common illnesses and make them healthy and physically powerful. There is no single nutrient, or group of nutrients i.e. more significant for a child's well-being. When the subject is kids' nutrition, these Super Nutrients help a lot to learn, grow and move.

Super Nutrients for Kids

Calcium

The super-nutrient calcium plays an important role in keeping bones and teeth strong. Calcium is the most plentiful mineral in the body, which shores up the skeleton throughout childhood and beyond. As well, a small significant amount of calcium in the bloodstream is essential for muscle function, normal heart beat, and blood clotting. To maintain blood levels, the body "withdraws" the calcium it requires from the bones. That’s why, children require adequate calcium daily. Many kids don't obtain sufficient calcium for their nutritional needs. Dairy products are the best sources of calcium. Children’s daily needs for calcium differ by age as per the Institute of Medicine, the group that decides nutrient needs.

500 milligrams for 1- to 3-year-olds
800 milligrams for 4- to 8-year-olds
1,300 milligrams for 9- to 19-year-olds

• Best Food Sources

Among the calcium content foods list, dairy products are at the top. However, including green leafy vegetables switching from sugary drinks to natural organic juices and water will also provide additional calcium to children's bodies. Sesame seed paste and all forms of seaweed are the greatest sources of calcium. Other good sources of calcium are almonds, green leafy vegetables, brazil nuts, figs, sunflower seeds and hazelnuts.

Start your kid's day with a bowl of hot or cold whole-grain cereal garnished with sliced fresh fruit and skim or low-fat milk. In between meals, serve smoothies, low-fat yogurt, or cheese. To help meet your kid's daily requirement, calcium-fortified juices and cereals are fine substitutes.

Protein

In the body, every cell is made up of protein that gives an idea of how important it is for kids. For nerves and brain, protein gives the building block, which helps to repair and build body tissues. Protein is also the major nutrient required for growth and development of kids. Amino acids of the proteins are the raw materials for building tissues and new cells and the compounds that direct enzymes and hormones.

Raw eggs are an inexpensive and astonishing source of high-quality nutrients. During infancy, protein needs are uppermost on a pound-per-pound basis. Daily needs of protein for children:

13 grams for 1- to 3-year-olds
19 grams for 4- to 8-year-olds
34 grams for 9- to 13-year-olds

• Best Food Sources

Animal products, such as eggs, dairy, seafood, and meats are great sources of protein. Beans, fish, cereals/grains, yogurt, poultry, seeds and nuts are also good sources. Boost your children’s nutrition with these protein-rich food ideas.

Even fastidious children love eggs. Scrambled eggs, French toast, omelets, and pancakes are kid-pleasing dishes that enclose plenty of protein, iron, and other essential nutrients. Children will enjoy salmon dishes and fish sticks. Garnish salmon or other fish fillets with Teriyaki or salsa sauce to provide your child lean protein together with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Add nuts to yogurts, vegetables, or cereals for added protein, healthy fats, and fiber.

Fiber

Fibers are also essential nutrients required for the healthy growth of kids. Among carbohydrates, fiber is an oddity. For children, Fiber's confirmed benefits contain repelling constipation and promoting fullness. Fibers also help to fend off type 2 diabetes and raised blood cholesterol levels in adults, and perhaps in children. As well, fiber-filled foods are rich source of minerals and vitamins. Dietary fiber can’t be digested by kids to get at the energy it supplies so, what's so good about it?

To determine daily fiber needs of your child in grams, simply include five to your child's age. For example, a 13-year-old kid requires about 18 grams fiber a day.

• Best Food Sources

Whole grains, fruits, legumes, and vegetables are high-fiber foods which keep children fuller for longer; a godsend in the fight of the bulge. Provide the delicious taste of fibrous foods to your children.

To meet your kid's daily needs, a bowl filled of high-fiber cereal is a great start. To find out whole-grain cereals which provide 3 grams or more fiber per serving, read food labels thoroughly. Generally, more sweetened cereal contains less fiber. Add whole fruits and veggies in your child’s diet as well as keep fruit juice to a minimum. Rather than juices, include whole fruits and vegetables in diet as they contain much more fiber and less sugar.

Antioxidant Super-Foods

Give your child's immune system a boost with antioxidant rich foods. Children’s are more prone to getting infection. Antioxidants are the nutrients which help to protect the body against harmful substances that have damaging effects on the body's cells. To depart chronic conditions, including heart disease and cancer in adults, antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamins E and C, and the mineral selenium get a lot of attention for their potential. Their effects are still under study; but specialists consider antioxidants as the "superheroes" of nutrients.

Antioxidants fight the effects of free radicals which are generated when kids are exposed to environmental pollutants and stress. As they are not available in pills, children require food for antioxidants.

• Best Food Sources

Power up your kid's diet with foods high in antioxidants, such as berries, almonds, carrots, tomatoes, citrus, spinach, and bell peppers. Brightly colored vegetables and fruits, including blueberries and other spinach, berries, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cherries, cantaloupe, and carrots are amongst the produce providing the most antioxidants.

Pack your kids school lunches with grapes, tomatoes, baby carrots, and red bell pepper slices for an antioxidant- and fiber-rich lunch or snack. Include abundance of antioxidant-rich tomatoes or tomato sauce to spaghetti, pizza, soups, meatloaf, and stews.

Iron

Growth of your child depends on the iron i.e. an essential part of red blood cells. Iron carries oxygen to the every cell in the body; also it plays a lesser-known role in development and function of brain. Iron deficiency is the most ordinary nutritional deficiency in America, which affects mostly young children, older infants, and women in the childbearing years, as per the American Academy of Pediatrics. Small children are at risk as they grow very fast. An iron deficiency in child can lead to anemia, which frequently drains a kid's energy.

• Best Food Sources

Iron can be obtained from both animal and plant foods. Animal products, like dark meat poultry, meat, and seafood, provide heme iron i.e. the form of iron the body absorbs the best. Plant foods, including legumes and spinach, are good sources of nonheme iron. Nonheme iron is also the kind of iron added to cereals, breads, rice, pasta, and fortified grains.

A stable supply of fortified grains can supply sufficient iron, even for those kids who don't consume meat and who should get a daily multivitamin with iron. You can increase nonheme iron absorption by including a source of vitamin C. Provide foods such as oranges, tomatoes, orange juice, strawberries, kiwi, or red bell pepper to kids with every meal to create the most of nonheme iron.

Combine eggs at breakfast with orange juice or oranges to increase the absorption of iron. At mealtime, serve spinach salads topped with dried cranberries, strawberries, and/or light raspberry vinaigrette and slivered almonds. Your kids will eat greedily this salad. When kids say no to meal, offer him/her iron-fortified cereal garnished with low-fat milk or yogurt and fruit as a proper meal substitute.

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