Our children are the most precious creatures in our life. They need a lot of care to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially when it comes to food. When we talk about the needs of a child, the first thing that comes to mind is eating a “balanced diet.”

What are the nutritional needs for a child?

To maintain good health, you have to ensure that your kids are consuming a balanced diet, but the question here is how to identify what is the balanced food and the real nutritional needs for a child?

Every child needs to take a certain amount of these six nutrients on a daily basis:

1.Protein

Definitely, protein is on the top of the list of the nutritional needs for a child because it plays a vital role in building the cells of the body, carrying oxygen between the organs, breaking down the food we eat to change it into energy as well as fighting infections that threaten the body. A lot of foods contain high levels of protein and must be included in your chips diet including Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Dairy products, Beans, nuts and many others.

2.Carbohydrates

You must have heard about the latest diet trend asking everyone to “cut the carbs. ”

If you are thinking of cutting the carbohydrates from your child’s diet, then you’re wrong.

The body’s most important source of energy is carbs because the body cannot use the fat and protein for building and repairing tissue except with the help of carbohydrates.

There are different forms of carbohydrates (sugars, starches, and fiber); however, it is highly recommended to give your child a small amount of sugar with more of the starches and fibers.

Try to add Bread, Rice, Pasta, Cereals, Crackers, and Potato to your child’s everyday meal.

3.Fats

Fats are also an important source of energy as well as a helping factor that helps the body use other nutrients it needs.

Add meat, cooking oils, fish, Whole-milk dairy products, nuts, and other kinds of food that contain high levels of fats to your kid’s diet.

4.Calcium

Calcium is one of the most essential nutritional needs for a child because it helps in building bones and teeth of your child, is also important for nerve, muscle, and heart function.

You can find calcium in Milk, Cheeses, and Yogurt as well as some vegetables like Broccoli and Spinach.

5.Iron

We also can’t ignore the importance of Iron for our children especially for building healthy blood and carrying oxygen to cells all over the body.

Add Red meats, Poultry, liver, Iron-fortified cereals, nuts, beans and other foods containing a large amount of iron to your child’s diet

6.Fiber

Fiber has many roles in our body as it reduces the chances of heart disease and cancer as well as it helps produce bowel regularity in a child. There are many kinds of food including fiber like Whole-grain cereals, Chickpeas, Seeds, Nuts, etc. which can be added to your kid’s diet.

Read also: Foods That Improve A Child’s Intelligence

And read also: Top 20 Healthy Foods For Kids’ School Lunches