A Balanced Diet for Your Child’s Growing Needs: What They Need to Stay Healthy
A child’s nutritional needs grow as they do. Once your baby has spent the first few months in this world and has gradually been weaned onto solid food, it is essential to know what to put on their plate, how to approach snack choices and to know that and that physical activity is just as important as healthy meal choices for their overall well-being.
In the latest episode of KASHF Sehat Ka Paigham, Professor Dr. Fouzia Rasool, a renowned Obstetrician and Gynecologist, sheds light on the role of proper nutrition in a child’s physical and mental development.
It is reassuring to know that the South Asian diet carries all the essential nutrients needed for a child’s healthy growth. From carbohydrates in chapati to protein in lentils (daal), meat, fish and poultry, and even milk and yogurt, to vitamins and minerals in fresh fruits and vegetables, this diet covers all the essential food groups, ensuring that children receive the nutrients they need to grow into strong young adults for future generations.
You might be surprised to know that providing a balanced diet is not such a difficult task and Dr. Fouzia Rasool breaks it down very simply for us:
What to Put on Your Child’s Plate
Plate your child’s meal according to the following rule and you will always ensure a balanced mealtime.
Divide the plate into sections. Half the plate should have fresh fruits and vegetables. For the other half, divide in quarters; add in carbohydrates in one quarter, which would be any form of wheat, barley, or rice (grains) – chapati, naan, or even potatoes, (also carbohydrates), and the final quarter will have a portion of protein – meat, fish, chicken, or even lentils (daal) if you don’t cook meat everyday.
Good to know: Your daughter and son, both need the same amount of food on their plates as both require a balanced diet to grow and stay healthy. In fact, a woman’s body will grow up to give birth to children who should be strong and healthy, just like her. If she is deprived of essential nutrients in her childhood, that deficiency can be transferred to her newborn baby as well. Both need physical exercise to ensure healthy mental and physical development in their growing years.
Fruits and vegetables will provide essential vitamins and minerals, the carbohydrates and proteins will provide energy and help ensure your child is not deprived of essential nutrients for her body and mind in its critical growing years.
A Few Health Tips to Follow:
Cook food in healthy fats: desi ghee, (clarified butter), olive oil or sunflower oil.
Do not overcook vegetables as they lose essential nutrients in the process.
Snack time can involve unpackaged, fresh food options like chana chaat, fresh fruits and vegetables – even an egg-filled paratha roll is a smart choice.
Seeds, nuts, and eggs are a reliable source of essential fats and proteins, when meat might not be an option.
Drinking a healthy quantity of water daily is essential to keep your child’s body hydrated.
Exposure to the outdoors ensures the child gets Vitamin D, an essential vitamin for healthy growth in children, derived directly from sunlight.
Physical Activity Is Not a Want but A Need
Dr. Fouzia Rasool also stressed on the importance of regular physical activity to ensure that the food your child eats is used as energy and her mental and physical wellbeing is taken care of by being outdoors in the fresh air – a practice children in today’s age are deprived of due to excessive screen time which leads to inactivity and harmful weight gain or even ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Still have questions? Then head over to the podcast here for more on how to ensure you give your child a healthy, balanced diet,
Watch Episode 6 now on KASHF Foundation’s YouTube channel, and stay connected with us on Instagram @kashffoundation for more expert insights!
About Sehat Ka Paigham
KASHF Foundation’s *Sehat Ka Paigham* podcast is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering women and families with essential knowledge about maternal and child health. Each episode brings together leading experts to address critical topics like breastfeeding, malnutrition, pregnancy complications, and growth stunting in children. Designed to educate and debunk myths, these eight episodic podcasts focus on providing actionable advice rooted in research conducted in rural Pakistan. With renowned host Sania Saeed at the helm, *Sehat Ka Paigham* is bridging the gap between expert insights and community awareness, ensuring healthier futures for mothers and children across the country.
