Poor nutrition compromises not only on the quality of life of schoolchildren but also on their potential to excel in academic pursuit. Getting optimal nutrition involves eating three meals a day and two nutritious snacks, apart from limiting the intake of high-sugar foods and other junk foods. The goal here is also to prevent obesity, which is increasing at an alarming rate in India, says Dr. Srikant, consultant paediatrician of KIMS ICON Hospital.
Maintaining a balanced diet is very important for children. Parents should ensure that their wards eat a sumptuous and healthy breakfast daily.
Skipping breakfast leads to poor concentration and dip in the energy levels. The breakfast should include milk, some form of cereal and fresh fruits. A handful of nuts can also have good benefit, he said.
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Water intake
“Make sure your child eats a variety of foods to have adequate nutrient intake. Choose a diet with plenty of grains, vegetables and fruits. Many times children suffer from constipation, urine infections because of poor water intake. Water cannot be substituted by fruit juices,” says Dr. Srikant.
Having snacks frequently could result in the loss of appetite for the main meal. A healthy snack should be less in quantity to the amount of a regular meal and taken at least two hours before a regular meal. Salty and sugary snacks should be avoided. Having biscuits for snacks is a very bad choice, he says.
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Low-fat diet
Snacks sent to school should be based on the same principles. Parents should choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Growing children should get a good protein diet daily such as eggs, pulses, chicken, fish, soya bean or other food with rich content of protein.
Large amounts of desserts, soft drinks, chips or candy should be avoided as they have little nutritional value. “Children should not be allowed to binge on foods high in sugar content and other high calorie foods,” says Dr. Srikant.
B. Madhu Gopal