Children are in a critical period of rapid physical and intellectual development, and it is important to improve their diet to provide adequate nutrition.
What kind of diet is healthy? What nutrients does a nutritious diet contain? What principles and requirements should parents follow when giving food to children?
1. Protein
It is the main component of human cells and amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins.
The content of various essential amino acids in food is the main factor that determines the nutritional value of modified food.
Therefore, judging the nutritional value of protein in a certain food, the key lies in the composition of its amino acid species.
Recommended foods: Plant protein mainly comes from corn, wheat, barley, soy, oats, nuts, fungi, etc.
Animal protein mainly comes from fish, meat, milk, eggs, and so on.
2. Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. Most of the calories humans consume come from carbohydrates.
Insufficient carbohydrate intake can cause people to grow slowly or even stop, wasting away and lacking physical strength.
Recommended foods: Various grain products, sugars, fruits, nuts, etc.
3. Fatty acid
Fatty acids are the basic units of lipids and can be divided into essential and non-essential fatty acids.
These essential fatty acids maintain body development and skin health and also play an important role in the development of the visual system and brain.
This is especially true for young children. Recommended foods: Saturated fatty acids mainly come from meat, milk, and eggs,
while unsaturated fatty acids mainly come from peanut, olive, and other oil-producing plants.
4. Vitamin
Vitamins are involved in many physiological activities of the human body.
Recommended foods: VA: carrot, cod-liver oil, egg yolk, VB: yeast, malt, VC: vegetables, fruits, VD: eggs, milk, cod-liver oil, etc.
5. Cellulose
The main role of cellulose is to maintain the function of the digestive system, helping the body to eliminate and distinguish other waste.
Recommended food: grain, fruit, vegetables, etc.
6. Minerals
Calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, for example, play an integral role in the formation of bones and teeth and are involved in muscle and nerve activity.
7. Water
Water is a good solvent, an excellent carrier of nutrients, removes “junk” from the body, and maintains body temperature and blood pressure.
It is the direct source of energy required for human physiological activities.
