The good development and growth of children is strongly linked to good nutrition. Each food or food groups, are responsible for meeting the essential needs of children. Therefore, it is essential that children's nutrition is balanced and varied. In this way, in addition to helping your child grow healthy, you will be strengthening his immune system to prevent disease.
Despite being aware that children's nutrition must be varied and balanced, with foods from all groups, it is very common have doubts as to which foods contain one or another nutrient. As a result, children's diets may not be covered properly. For this reason, we are going to see what are the essential nutrients and what foods contain them.
We start this list with the most important nutrient for children and especially for babies, proteins.
Proteins
Proteins are essential for life, since they are the fundamental element that makes cells work properly. Among many other functions, proteins are responsible for creating antibodies. These are necessary for the body to be protected against possible infections.
For babies and younger children, protein is even more needed. Proteins are used by the body to build the tissues and muscle mass that children need to grow strong and healthy. On the other hand, proteins contain amino acids, substances that are very important for most biological processes.
Proteins are obtained from the following foods:
- Proteins of animal origin. Meats such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey etc. They are also present in eggs, fish and shellfish. Despite being also in sausages, these are less healthy due to their high fat content.
- Plant-based proteins. They are in legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans or soybeans and also in nuts.
Carbohydrates
The carbohydrates are in charge of generating energy, so they must be present at various meals throughout the day, especially breakfast. When they are inside the body, carbohydrates are converted into glucose, a sugar necessary for most cells. exist two types of carbohydrates:
- Complex carbohydrates. Its the healthiest and they are present in cereals such as wheat, rice, rye or corn and in potatoes. Therefore, you must include foods that contain them, such as bread, in the children's diet.
- Simple carbohydrates. The least healthy like sugar, sucrose and all the products that include it, such as pastries or sweets.
The vitamins
Each vitamin has an essential function in the proper functioning of the body, which is why are necessary for development and so that cells and organs can perform their functions.
- Vitamin A. Essential for growth and vision, it is present in milk, meat, egg yolk, in green leafy vegetables. Also in yellow and orange fruits and vegetables such as apricot, yellow pepper, pumpkin or carrot.
- Vitamins of group B. They are essential for metabolism, the fruits contain them, vegetables, cereals and meat.
- Vitamin C. Perhaps the best known, it is found in cso all fresh fruits and in green leafy vegetables.
- Vitamin D. Fundamental for calcium binds to bones. It can be obtained mainly from the sun's rays, but also from fattier fish or eggs.
- Vitamin E. Necessary for its antioxidant power, it is obtained from olive oil and nuts essentially.
- Vitamin K. Essential for blood processes in the body. It is present in green leafy vegetables, dairy and meat.
The minerals
The most important for children in growth stage they are iodine, zinc, calcium and iron. They are obtained from the following foods.
- The calcium. You get for the most part of milk and its derivatives, although it is also present in seafood and vegetables such as peas, spinach, soybeans or sesame seeds.
- The iron. In legumes, The egg yolk, liver, fruits and nuts.
- The iodine. Present in food from the sea such as fish, shellfish and seaweed.