The Kid’s Healthy Food Plate can be used as a visually-oriented aid to educate and inspire children to eat right and stay active. At a glance, the image showcases the best foods to help you choose healthy foods and snacks and emphasizes physical activity as a part of the equation to stay healthy.
A healthful and balanced eating plan
Consuming a variety of food makes our meals exciting and tasty. It’s also essential to a balanced and healthy diet since each food contains an individual mix of nutrients, both macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein along with fat) as well as micronutrients ( vitamins and minerals). The Kid’s Healthy eating Plate is a plan that can help us make the most healthy choices in our eating.
In addition to filling half of our plate with vibrant veggies and fruits(and selecting them for snacks), Divide the remaining portion between entire grains and nutritious protein:
- The more vegetables you can eat and the more variety, the more delicious.
- Potato and French fries aren’t considered vegetables due to their negative effect on blood sugar levels.
- Choose whole grains or food products made from minimally processed whole grains. The less processed the grains are, the more nutritious they are.
- Whole grains, such as whole brown rice, wheat, and quinoa, as well as food items made with them, like whole-grain pasta as well as 100% whole-wheat bread, can have an effect that is more gentle on insulin and blood sugar than white bread, rice pizza crusts, pasta along with other processed grains.
- Select beans and peas seeds, nuts, as well as other plant-based, healthy protein choices, including eggs, fish, eggs, and chicken.
- Reduce red meat (beef, pork, lamb, and beef) and stay clear of processed meats (bacon and deli meats, hot sausages, dogs).
It is also essential to keep in mind that fat is a vital element of our diet, and the most important thing is the kind of fat we consume. It is important to choose food items with unsaturated, healthy oils (such as fish and nuts, seeds, along with nutritious oil that come from vegetables) and limit the consumption of foods with a high amount of saturated fat (especially red meat) and avoid harmful trans-fats (from partly hydrogenated oil):
- Utilize healthy oils made from plants such as extra virgin canola, olive, corn, sunflower, peanut, and olive oil for cooking, on salads, vegetables, and on the dining table.
- Limit butter use to only occasional usage.
Dairy foods are consumed in lesser quantities than other food items on our plates:
- Select plain milk, Plain yoghurt, tiny quantities of cheese and other sweetened dairy products.
- Dairy products, including milk and yoghurt, are an excellent source of calcium as well as vitamin D. However, the ideal intake of dairy products is yet to be established, and research is still in the process of developing. For children who consume very little or no milk, talk to your doctor regarding possible vitamin D as well as vitamin D supplementation.
Water is the beverage to drink with every meal and snack in addition to during times of activity:
- Water is the most suitable option to quench our thirst. It’s sugar-free and just as accessible as the tap at your local.
- Limit the consumption of juice, which can contain the same amount of sugar as soda, to 1 small glass every day. Also, avoid beverages that are sugary, such as fruit drinks, sodas and sports drinks. They offer a lot of calories but almost nothing else in terms of nutrients. In time, the consumption of sweet drinks can lead to weight gain and raise the chance of developing type 2 heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues.
