Keep your child's diet varied.
Feeding your children so that they consume the right number of calories with optimum nutrition for their growing bodies can be a challenge. The authors of "Real Food for Healthy Kids", Tracey Seaman and Tanya Wenman Steel tell us that children from five to 11 should consume between 1,400 and 2,000 calories a day. The more active your child is, the nearer the high-end of the scale they can go.
Healthy Packed Lunches
Use whole grain bread, tortillas or pita to make your child's sandwich and fill with a protein such as peanut butter, lean meat or cheese. Beans, nuts and tofu are a great ways to add protein. Add brightly colored fruit or vegetables cut up into bite-sized pieces and include calcium such as milk, yogurt or fortified juices. Keep it varied and interesting so your child does not lose interest.
Breakfast
Children who eat a healthy breakfast find it easier to concentrate, and are more creative and physically active, according to The Mayo Clinic. Include whole grains in the form of rolls, bagels or cereals and a protein such as eggs, peanut butter, fish or lean meat and poultry. Add low-fat dairy such as milk, yogurt or cheese and top it off with fresh fruit, eating whole or in 100 percent juice without added sugar.
Lunch
Involve your child when making lunch for them when they are not at school. Now is a good time to try something new that you could modify and add to their school lunch box. Cook pizzadillas: a wholegrain tortilla doubled over spinach and parmesan and cooked in a skillet until the cheese has melted--always great eaten cold, too. Serve with a side marinara sauce for dipping. Boil some quinoa, and add saut ed fresh vegetables to make Confetti Quinoa. Make your own crunchy pita chips to dip into a cucumber sauce, or use chopped vegetables such as raw carrot or celery to dip.
Dinner
Make dinner as bright and interesting as you can and give your child an option of what to eat. If he chooses, he is more likely to finish it with the minimum amount of nagging from you. Include two vegetables, either in a "stealth" sauce such as a tomato sauce, or on their own. If your child does not like cooked vegetables, offer sliced carrots and cucumbers as an appetizer. Cook spaghetti and meatballs, broccoli pesto pasta, grilled fish tacos or chicken Caesar salad in whole-wheat pitas.
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