By Wong Pei Lee, Dietitian, Tropicana Mdeical Centre
Are your children getting the proper nutrition for growing up? Are they eating well? Do you want your kids to perform well in school? Every child is unique and giving them the right diet with all the nutrients he or she needs is crucial to growing well and staying healthy. But many times we as parents are so busy with our schedule and have less time to prepare nutritious meals for our children. Research findings proved that when your brain and body does not get the right nutrition, they do not perform well. Therefore, proper nutrition is the key to good growth and overall development of your children.
Breastmilk is your baby's best beginning natural food. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life meets your baby's growing needs. Experts now recommend that you can continue breastfeeding till your child is 12 months old and thereafter as long as mutually desired, along with introducing a good balance of solid food at 6 months of age. Breastmilk is considered as nature's superfood. It is packed with nutrients and important growth factors that help your baby grow well and boost immunity. It also contains vital acids including omega 3 and omega 6, which can positively improve cognitive development. In short, breastmilk contains everything your baby needs in just the right amounts.
When your child starts to enjoy foods, be sure to include variety and the right balance of foods, as they are the important keys of nutritious meals. It is good to start young for your child to develop healthier eating habits that will more likely to continure till adulthood.
Here are the important building blocks to help support brain growth and physical development:
1) Carbohydrates
This group of foods should form the bulk of your child's diet as they are a good source of energy as glucose and provide vitamins, minerals to the diet. Whole grains are recommended because they are packed with more vitamins and minerals and fibre than refined grains. the fibre present helps to regulate the release of glucose as well. The brain needs a steady supply of glucose for fuel to be able to perform at optimal levels. Whole grain food includes wholemeal bread, brown rice, brown rice beehoon, rolled oats, oat porridge, wholewheat or wholegrain cereals and wholemeal pasta. Try to include the recommended daily servings of whole grains in your child's diet. Fruits also provide energy in the form of fructose to keep your child energized throughout the day. Be sure to stay away from refined and sugary foods because not only do they provide 'empty calories', which contain little nutritional value, they are laden with fat and calories that provide no added benefit to your child.
2) Essential fatty acids(EFA)
EFA are fatty acids that our body cannot synthesize and therefore required from the diet for good health. It is important to include a good range of EFA in the diet. Particularly omega 3 fatty acids DHA(docosahexaenoic acid) has gained much attention nowadays, and is now fortified in many food products such as eggs, baby foods and milk.
DHA is crucial for the optimal development and function of the brain, eyes and nervous system especially during the first two years of life and early childhood. The brain grows rapidly throughout the first years of life, and a diet sufficient with these fatty acids support the development and function of the brain and retina of the eyes. Studies showed that young children who were breastfed tend to have better cognitive development due to rich DHA content from breastmilk. In addtion, studies also revealed that young children with higher DHA levels have better brain and visual functions.
Experts recommend 100-150mg/day DHA and EFA for children 2 years old and above, and 150mg-200mg/day for children 4 years old and above. Studies showed that actual intakes of children are much less than what is recommended for optimal growth and development. Good sources of DHA:fish, especially oily, cold water fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, tuna, mackerel and anchovies, algae, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, canola (rapeseed) oil, walnuts, and egg yolks. Generally, two servings of fish are recommended per week, one of which should be oily fish to get the most health benefits from DHA. However, children must limit their intake of fish due to concerns over high levels of mercury in certain types of fish. Children under 6 years old may have 1-3 oz of fish or half of a can of fish or less per week depending on his or her requirements. In addtion, many food products are fortified with algae derived DHA for safer consumption. A weekly intake of two enriched eggs can also provide part of your child's DHA needs.
3) Proteins
The building blocks for protein are amino acids. Most of the amino acids are supplied from the diet and are essential for the growth of brain tissues, enzymes, neurotransmitters and muscles. Amino acids like tryptophan and tyrosine are important precursors for neurotransmitters, and involved in stimulation and modification of brain activity, such as mood elevetor, memory and mental focus. Good protein sources are from fish, dairy products, eggs, meat, poultry, nuts and beans. These foods are also rich in vitamin Bs such as choline, thiamine and vitamin B12 which play a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, aids memory and for the formation of blood. B vitamins are particularly rich in meat such as turkey and tuna, liver and other meat products. Lean beef contains zinc which aids to improve memory power. Lean red meat is also a good source of iron, which is important for the growth of children and enhances attention span and concentration levels.
4) Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are rich in important vitamins and minerals, and are excellent sources of fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals are crucial for protecting the brain cells, while the vitamin and minerals boost nervous system functions and strenghten your immune system. The deeper or brighter the shade of color of the fruit and vegetable, the more potent is the antioxidant action. To get the best nutrition and health benefits, brightly colored red, yellow and orange fruit and vegetables and dark green leafy vegetables should contribute half of all fruit and vegetables intake in your child's daily diet.
5) Eat rainbow of colors everyday!
Red : Tomatoes, watermelons, red capsicum, strawberries, red apple
Yellow & Orange : Papayas, carrots, oranges, rock melon, corn, yellow sweet potatoes
Green : Green leafy vegetables, honeydew melon, kiwi, broccoli, green capsicum
White : Cabbage, cauliflowers, white turnips, bananas
Purple : Plurn, grapes, eggplants, blackberries, blueberries
Getting your child to eat properly could be a challenge, so make use of every opportunity to reinforce the importance of proper eating and include all the brain foods that we've discussed. Remember, good nutrition is the foundation for optimum overall growth and development!
- Sources from MAMA to MAMA(EnfaMama Club) Vol 2/2012 -
