Nutrition for a school going child

Eating becomes a social activity in this stage of life for kids. Kids spend more time in school than they do at home, eat meals at friends’ houses, and adopt eating habits from their peers.

It can be difficult to ensure they are getting adequate nutrition when you are not around to eat their choices due to affordability to nutritious food.

As children develop, they require the same healthy foods adults eat, along with more vitamins and minerals to support growing bodies. This means whole grains (whole wheat, oats, barley, rice, millet, quinoa); a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables; calcium for growing bones (milk, yogurt, or substitutes if lactose intolerant); and healthy proteins (fish, eggs, poultry, lean meat, nuts, and seeds). For kids aged 5-12, the key word is variety. Creative serving ideas will go a long way towards maintaining healthy eating habits.

Healthy fats are also important to a child’s development. These include monounsaturated fats from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans), and seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame; and polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines, or in unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Living as Sai provides a platform for school going children a Nutrititiuos and a healthy diet for their physical and mental strength.