Top 3 most important Nutrients for kids health

Have you ever thought about the most important nutrient for a growing kid? What are the body’s nutritional needs for a child between 2 – 14 years of age? What are the top 3 most important nutrients for kids health? Every Kid or adult has different nutritional needs according to their body and lifestyle.

Child nutrition guidelines show that estimated calories needed by children range from 900/day for a 1-year-old to 1,800 for a 14–18-year-old girl and 2,200 for a 14–18-year-old boy. Healthy eating habits are more likely to stay with you if you learn them as a child.

Many families have a busy schedule nowadays. This makes it hard to take a seat right down to homemade meals a day. Many kids diets involve lots of convenience and takeaway. Nutrition for the school-age child is mandatory

But these foods proved to be unhealthy and will have a bad effect on your child’s health. Unhealthy eating causes a number of health issues, which can continue to their adulthood. These would even become lifelong diseases later in their life.

That’s why you must teach your children good habits in his/her early years. The top 3 nutrients for kids health which should be incorporated in a chid’s diet are listed below;

. Growth Hormone:

As we all know as the child grows, his/her height increases. The factor involved in their increasing height is the Growth Hormone. Growth Hormone release into your Pituitary Gland. This Growth Hormone is the most important ingredient for their height.

The Growth Hormone starts declining after the age of 30 years. This leads to joint pain, back pain as we start losing our muscles mass. Here the point to be noted is that the exercise is mandatory after the age of 30 years. Melatonin Hormone is responsible for regulating the Growth Hormone.

Now the food item which aids the production of Melatonin Hormone is Pineapple. Researchers found that Pineapple increased the Melatonin levels by over 260%. So whenever you feel that your kid is not calm or can’t sleep properly, you can give Pineapple to your kid.

Vitamins :

During the Growth process of a child’s body, bones are also growing. Bones are lengthening and stretching. Kids feel pain in their feet, which can be seen by observing them at night time when while sleeping they tap their feet on the bed. They feel restless and irritable sometimes too.

The vitamins necessary for bone growth are Calcium, Vitamin D3, Vitamin k2, Magnesium + Phosphorous. A combination of all these vitamins is necessary to form the ‘Bone Matrix’which is the part of the bone. Carbonated drinks which include Coke and Diet coke, cause mineral imbalance. These fizzy drinks are a big cause of Kidney Stones in kids at a younger age.

Fats :

The children are growing with every passing day. They are in a constant learning phase all the time. They have to use their brain more than us. 60% of the brain is comprised of Fats.

Children’s brains need Polyunsaturated and Monosaturated fats. The food you cook should be in coconut oil, Avocado oil, Ghee, or Mustard oil. It is preferable that you keep on rotating the oil options mentioned above for cooking.

Do add Fish in their diet. If a child is not having Fish in his/her food, do add Omega-3 supplement in their diet. Food rich in Omega-3 includes the following important options ;

Black Walnuts

Berries

Hemp seeds

Leafy Green Vegetables

Chia seeds

Edamame

Flax seeds

Brassica vegetables

Nowadays the importance of Omega-3 has been increased since children are more towards eating Junk food like chips, cookies etc. These kinds of foods are rich in Omega-6.

This is creating a disturbance in their body and making the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 as 40:1, which is not at all good for Brain Development of the kids. This Omega-3 also enhances Cognition and Intelligence of children.

Super food for kids:

Among the top 3 most important Nutrients for kids health, whole egg with the yolk is the superfood for kids. The white portion of the egg contains Protein and the yellow part of an egg contains a vitamin called Choline.

Choline converts to Acetylcholine in your body. Choline is an important neurotransmitter to make memories and also essential for brain and nervous system functions.

Maternal Choline supplementation in pregnancy:

The American Academy of Pediatrics recognized choline as a ‘brain-building’ nutrient. It was recommended to make sure that pregnant ladies take an adequate amount of Choline. Also, young children should have an adequate intake of Choline too by taking choline-rich food and supplements.

Rodent studies demonstrate that Maternal Choline supplementing during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed, a randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study.

Girls who are in their Menstruation phase:

If you have daughters, and they are also passing through a menstruation phase, do add VitB12 in their diet. Among the top 3 most important Nutrients for kids especially girls, I’ll rank Iron and VitB12 on no:1 in their health. Food rich in VitB12 are;

Fish

Oyster & Clam

Poultry

Nuts

Eggs

Milk

Soymilk

Cheese

Meat

Along with VitB12, girls having menstruation should have Iron Rich Food in their diet, as it is very important for skin, hair, and especially energy levels. Iron-rich food includes;

Chicken

Liver

Beef

Egg Yolk

Shrimp

Broccoli

Potatoes with skin

Iron Fortified Cereals

Dried Apricot

Green Beans/Green Peas

Spinach

Raisins

Watermelon

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6722688/

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