As a mommy I know that every single mom on this planet constantly worries whether her little precious bundles of joy are growing right. Are they getting all the essential nutrients? How can you improve upon it? Especially with the advent of monsoon when our children’s immunity goes for a toss, what can we do to save them from getting sick and continue to grow stronger both physically and mentally?
So today I’m sharing with you five practices that have helped me to stop worrying if my child is growing right. My child has been a fussy eater right from the start and ate only the bare minimum that is required for survival. Deciding to reverse the fussy eating, over the years I have meticulously worked upon what goes in his tummy and what else he needs to grow appropriately.
1. I want to draw your attention to food labels: When we go shopping for things other than fruits and vegetable, have you looked at the labels before you put an item in the cart? What goes into the processed food we are buying? The food label not only tells us the ingredients used in this food but also tell us the nutritional value of the food. Since I have started this practice, I have realised that Food Labels have helped me distinguish between healthy and unhealthy foods. I now always check that the food item I am picking up has enough proteins, vitamins, minerals and good quality fats like monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Labels also help me know the nutritional facts, serving size and storage instructions.
2. Make a colourful plate rich in seasonal vegetables and fruits: Little children love colours and are fascinated by them. To his balanced plate, I have added colours using various vegetables and decorated his homemade multigrain atta chapatis into a rabbit with ears of carrot, smile with bell pepper, nose of cucumber, eyes of black grapes and he started savouring a little bit of everything and his taste evolved with time. Trying to add one fruit or vegetable that he loves and let him finish the rest to get the same too has worked for me. Also, include ragi in their diet if you can, it is a rich source of calcium. Sit with them and have food. Children learn the best habits not by hearing what we say but emulating what we do. Take your child when you shop for vegetables and other food items. Let them help in the cooking process too. The involvement will get them more interested in what they eat.
3. Nuts are a must: Nuts like almonds and walnuts contain healthy fats and loads of micronutrients to help our little ones grow effectively and build strong immunity. Include them alternately in your kids’ diet as whole or powdered form rolled in paranthas or in kheer. Also, try to give them dates and dry fig which are again dense in nutrients like iron.
4. Outdoor play is vital: One hour of outdoor play is a must for every child and can in no way be compromised with any screen time under any circumstances. I have kept that one hour fixed always whether he plays football, basketball or cricket. On days when it rains, we have a fun yoga or Zumba session for us in our balcony and these turn out to be special bonding times for us.
5. A worthy health drink like PediaSure: Last but not least is PediaSure, one of the most powerful tools in this mom’s kitty - recommended by my Pediatrician when my son was two years old. Many a time despite trying our best we miss certain extremely significant micronutrients in the diet we give our little hearts. PediaSure contains 37 such vital nutrients which result in visible growth in 90 days and I can vouch for the same. It really helps moms of fussy eaters like me, to breathe a sigh of immense relief with the support it gives to our little angels. Its super yum flavours can be alternated upon too to add variety and soothe our little ones’ taste buds further.
I follow the above religiously and ensure that my kiddo eats right and plays right to grow right and I trust you have found these points useful as well! Do share with us your tips and thoughts in the comments below.
If you like what I write, you can grab the copies of my four published books here: The Fragrance of True Love, Destiny's Favorite Child, Dare to Defy The Destiny and Empowered Women Empower Women
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