Meal Plan For Preschoolers

Are you looking for an easy meal plan for preschoolers? One that comes with healthy, quick recipes that the kids will love to eat? Then these simple 30 minute meals are the perfect solution. This is a very long page intro because this sentence needs to be written in a very long page. The reason why you are here is because you want to find out how to make your children love their food, and start eating them more healthy diets.

Meal Plan for Toddlers and Preschoolers

According to the recommended dietary requirements for Indians, a child between the ages of 1-3 years old should consume roughly 1,060 kcal per day, while children between the ages of 4-6 should consume roughly 1,350 kcal per day.

Healthy Food Chart & Meal Plan for 2-5 year old Kids

It’s important to develop a balanced food plan for children, especially throughout their formative years. Making sure your kids consume nutritious meals can be difficult given the quantity and diversity of food available. A kid’s eating plan that is healthful lays the groundwork for significant growth. As a parent, you always want the best for your child, and it’s crucial to promote both physical and mental growth during the early years (2–5 years). Therefore, a healthy food plan for children between the ages of 2 and 5 aids in promoting their growth and development. When putting together a nutritious meal plan for Indian children aged 2 to 5, there are a few factors that must be kept in mind at all costs.

a) Foods rich in protein and energy are important at this stage like – milk, eggs, peanut butter
b) Creating a relaxed atmosphere during meals encourages eating
c) Kids pallets aren’t highly developed, hence avoid serving highly flavoured and spicy foods
d) Ensure that your kid eats the right amount from each food group for complete nutrition
e) Small portions served at frequent intervals helps

Veg Plan: 2-3 year

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Early-Morning (7-8 AM)	1 cup milk with dried fruits and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with almonds and 1 tsp. Jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with dry fruits and 1 tsp. Jaggery/honey	1 cup of banana milk shake with 1 tsp. jaggery /honey	1 cup of milk with dry fruits and 1 tsp. Jaggery/honey	1 cup of milk with 1 tsp. Jaggery/honey	1 cup of mango milkshake with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey
Breakfast (8:30-9:30 AM)	Vegetable Rava Upma: ½ cup, Apple: 1 no	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™ – 1 bowl	Idli: 1 no., coconut chutney: 2 Tbsp	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Veg Poha: 1 cup	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Oatmeal porridge with fruits & raisins: 1/2 cup
Mid-Morning (11-11:30 AM)	Corn soup: 1/2 cup, Banana: 1 No.	Veg. roll: 1, Water melon: ½ cup	Orange juice: 1 cup	Mixed Veg soup: ½ cup, Pineapple: ½ cup	Orange: 1 no.	Papaya: 1 cup, dates: 4-5 nos.	Banana: 1 no
Lunch (1-2 PM)	Rice: ½ cup, drumstick dal: ½ cup, ghee: 1 tsp, curd: ½ cup	Vegetable Pulao: ½ cup, raita: ½ cup	Rice: ½ cup, dal palak: ½ cup, ghee: 1 tsp, curd: ½ cup	Mixed vegetable rice: 1/2 cup, dal fry: 1/2 cup	Rice: ½ cup, bottle gourd dal : ½ cup, ghee: 1 tsp	Chapatti: 1 No., ghee: 1 tsp., carrot and potato vegetable – ½ cup	Rice: ½ cup, Green gram dal: ½ cup, ghee: 1 tsp, curd: ½, cup
Evening Snack (4:30-5:30 PM)	Paneer sandwich: 1 no.	Fresh mango juice: 1 cup	Ragi ladoo = 1 no, Banana = 1	Besan ladoo: 1 no. Musk melon: ½ cup	Vegetable cutlet: 1 no., Lassi: ½ cup	Carrot soup: 1 cup	Fruit salad: 1 cup
Dinner (7:30-8:15)	Potato Peas paratha: 1 no., curd: ½ cup	Chapatti : 1 no, ghee: 1 tsp, Beetroot vegetable: ½ cup	Vegetable Kichadi: ½ cup, curd: 1/2 cup	Vegetable noodles: ½ cup	Paratha: 1 no., dal fry: ½ cup, ghee: 1 tsp	Vegetable pasta: ½ cup	Chapatti: 1 no, panner and peas vegetable: ½ cup, ghee: 1 tsp
Post-dinner (9 Pm)	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey

The above meal plan is suggested for a healthy child above 2 years of age.
Not for use under any medical conditions. Please consult a registered dietitian for more guidance.

Non-Veg Plan: 2-3 Years

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Early-Morning (7-8 AM)	1 cup milk with dried fruits and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup banana milk shake with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with dried fruits and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with almonds and 1 tsp. Jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup chikoo milkshake with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with dried fruits and 1 tsp. jaggery
Breakfast (8:30-9:30 AM)	Dosa: 1 no, groundnut chutney: ½ cup	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™ – 1 bowl	Bread omelet: 1 no.	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Vegetable vermicilli upma: ½ cup	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Onion Uthupam: 1 no, coconut chutney: ½ cup
Mid-Morning (11-11:30 AM)	Beetroot Carrot soup: 1 cup	Fruit salad: 1 bowl	Chicken soup: ½ cup	Orange: 1 no	Papaya: 1 cup	Lentil soup: 1 cup	Grapes: 1 cup
Lunch (1-2 PM)	Rice with green peas: ½ cup, chicken curry: ½ cup,	Chapatti: 1 no., scrambled egg with veggies: ½ cup	Rice: ½ cup, tomato dal: 1 cup, chicken fry: 1 piece	Egg paratha: 1 no.	Chapatti: 1 no, chicken with capsicum gravy: ½ cup	Paratha: 1 no., egg curry: ½ cup	Egg fried rice: ½ cup
Evening Snack (4:30-5:30 PM)	Banana: 1 no.	Chicken cutlet: 1 no.	Banana with mango smoothie: ½ cup	Paneer cutlet: 1 no.	Vegetable sandwich: 1 no	Banana: 1	Carrot kheer: ½ cup
Dinner (7:30-8:15)	Methi Paratha: 1, curd: ½ cup	Vegetable fried rice: 1/2 cup	Chapatti: 1 no., palak panner: ½ cup	Chicken fried rice: ½ cup	Jeera and peas pulav: ½ cup Raita: ½ cup, dal: 1/2 cup	Mixed vegetable rice: ½ cup, dal: 1/2 cup	Potato paratha: 1 no., curd: ½ cup
Post-dinner (9 Pm)	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey

The above meal plan is suggested for a healthy child above 2 years of age.
Not for use under any medical conditions. Please consult a registered dietitian for more guidance.

Veg Plan: 4-6 year

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Early-Morning (7-8 AM)	1 cup milk with dried fruits and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with dried fruits and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with dates and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with dried fruits and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup chikoo milkshake with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey
Breakfast (8:30-9:30 AM)	Ragi dosa: 1 no., groundnut chutney: ½ cup.	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Grilled vegetable sandwich: 1	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Dhalia (broken wheat) with vegetable upma: 1 cup	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Rava idli: 2 nos., coconut chutney: 2 tbsp
Mid-Morning (11-11:30 AM)	Banana: 1 no.	Apple banana smothie: 1 cup	Apple juice: 1 cup	Vegetable cutlet: 1 no	Fruit salad: 1 cup	Pomegranate, banana, strawberry smoothie: 1 cup	Fruit salad: 1 cup
Lunch (1-2 PM)	Rice: 1 cup, potato and tomato curry: 1 cup, cucumber salad: ½ cup	Rice: 1 cup, Rajmah curry: 1 cup	Chapatti: 1 no., capsicum and paneer gravy: 1 cup	Corn and mint rice: 1 cup, dal tadka: 1/2 cup, raita: ½ cup	Pasta with carrot and peas: 1 cup	Vegetable khichdi: 1 cup, curd: 1/2 cup	Rice: ½ cup, dal palak: 1 cup, curd: ½ cup
Evening Snack (4:30-5:30 PM)	Vegetable cutlet: 1 no.	Strawberry: 1 cup	Spinach soup: 1 cup	Fresh mango juice: 1 cup	Vegetable roll – 1 no	Besan Halwa: ½ cup.	Paneer bread roll: 1 no
Dinner (7:30-8:15)	Panner paratha: 1 no., curd: 1/2 cup	Vegetable noodles: 1 cup	Vegetable fried rice: 1 cup	Peas and potato stuffed paratha: 1 no., cucumber and carrot salad : ½ cup	Chapatti: 1 no., mixed vegetable kurma: 1 cup	Mixed vegetable rice: 1 cup, dal tadka: 1/2 cup	Cabbage stuffed paratha: 1 no., dal: 1/2 cup
Post-dinner (9 Pm)	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey

The above meal plan is suggested for a healthy child above 4 years of age.
Not for use under any medical conditions. Please consult a registered dietitian for more guidance. 

Non-Veg Plan: 4-6 year

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Early-Morning (7-8 AM)	1 cup milk with dates and 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup apple-banana smoothie with 1 tsp jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with dates and 1 tsp. jaggery	1 cup strawberry – walnut milk shake with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup papaya milkshake with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup apple milkshake with 1 tsp jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey
Breakfast (8:30-9:30 AM)	Egg vegetable sandwich: 1 no.	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Masala dosa stuffed with potato filling: 1 no.	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Multi grain dosa: 1 no. mint chutney: 2 tbsp	NESTLÉ CEREGROW™- 1 bowl	Vegetable poha: 1 cup
Mid-Morning (11-11:30 AM)	Fruit salad: 1 cup	Orange: 1 no.	Mango lassi: 1 cup	Banana: 1 no.	Grapes : 1 cup	Sweet corn vegetable soup: 1 cup	Pomegranate: 1 cup
Lunch (1-2 PM)	Vegetable rice: 1 cup, dal: ½ cup, corn salad: 1/2 cup	Mixed Vegetable pulav: 1 cup, dal makhani: 1 cup	Lemon rice: 1 cup, dal palak: 1 cup	Rice: 1 cup, Dal with beans – 1 cup,Fish fry – 1 no	Vegetable Khichdi: 1 cup, curd: 1 cup	Tomato rice: 1 cup, Cucumber raitha: 1 cup	Vegetable fried rice: 1 cup
Evening Snack (4:30-5:30 PM)	Grape fruits: 1 cup	Ragi cookies: 2 nos	Chicken roll: 1 no.	Dry fruits Suji porridge: 1 cup	Chicken and vegetable patties: 1 no	Fruit salad : 1 cup	Beetroot halwa: ½ cup
Dinner (7:30-8:15)	Chapattis – 1 No., Mutton curry:1 cup,Cucumber salad – 1 cup	Rice: 1 cup, Masoor dal: 1 cup, Cucumber: 3-4 slices	Potato paratha: 1 no., curd: ½ cup	Chicken fried rice with vegetables: 1 cup, cucumber salad: 1/2 cup	Palak and corn Paratha: 1 no., curd: ½ cup	Chicken noodles: 1 cup	Chapatti : 1 no, egg curry: 1 cup
Post-dinner (9 Pm)	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey	1 cup milk with 1 tsp. jaggery/honey

The above meal plan is suggested for a healthy child above 4 years of age.
Not for use under any medical conditions. Please consult a registered dietitian for more guidance.

Menu plans and recipes

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This 3 week menu plan resource, implemented by the HSE provides a practical guide for pre-schools to carry out the guidelines and to provide balanced, nutritious meal ideas that will satisfy a growing child.

All recipes are suitable for children from 1 year onwards and the portion sizes are based on the requirements of children aged 1½ – 3 years.

The resource:

• Caters for up to 30 child servings.
• Gives information on food safety and preparation.
• Provides balanced, nutritious meal ideas including recipes.
• Supplies recipes which are suitable for children from 1 year onwards.
• Offers tooth friendly drinks.

Each recipe contains the ingredients, measurements, method, alternative options to certain ingredients, tips and hints.

Serve Up Good Nutrition for Preschool Children

Get even picky eaters to eat healthfully – with a minimum of fuss.

Preschoolers are active, spirited tykes. And while they’re generally adorable and fun, it’s perfectly normal for 3, 4, and 5-year-olds to be opinionated — especially about eating.

Here’s some advice from the experts on how to avoid preschool food fights.

What’s On the Menu?

Melinda Johnson, MS, RD, a pediatric nutritionist and spokesman for the American Dietetic Association, asserts that preschoolers can have the same foods as the rest of the family. Providing that nutritious foods are used in moderation and a range of them are included in family dinners.

Depending on their age, a boisterous preschooler may require as much energy as some older women. While it’s not necessary to monitor a child’s caloric intake, it’s crucial to make calories count.

Lean meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, and legumes should make up the majority of a young child’s diet, as should whole grains like whole-wheat bread and cereal, at least two servings of dairy products each day, and fresh or minimally processed fruits and vegetables.

According to Kathy Mitchell, MD, a pediatrician at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Watertown, Massachusetts, there is space for treats, but it is constrained.

To avoid temptation, she suggests keeping junk food out of the house, such as cookies and sweets. “Don’t go overboard, though. Children can develop a strong attraction to restricted meals.”

Make Time for Meals

Regular family dinners offer many benefits, including opportunity for healthy nutrition. Having meals together promotes good table manners, language development, and conversational abilities. You can teach your youngster that mealtimes are for enjoying nutritious meals and fostering meaningful relationships by minimizing distractions by turning off the TV and putting on the answering machine.

While children find solace in the pattern of regular meals, dining with preschoolers may be a chaotic and dirty experience. As your child develops their self-feeding abilities, be prepared for spills and even sloppy eating. To reduce tension during lunch, refrain from becoming a “clean freak”.

Your child can feel guilty about spilling his milk or getting food on his clothes if you are too rigid about table manners, Johnson warns.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Do you want your kid to accept baked potatoes over french fries and choose milk over sweetened soft drinks? So you too must.

According to Johnson, research indicates that children begin to imitate their parents’ eating patterns at a young age. Expecting your child to eat better than you does is unrealistic.

Children enjoy imitating adults, therefore regardless of whether your eating habits are healthy or might use some modification, they will do so. Profit from a child’s inherent interest by having healthier options available for supper. They’ll probably eat what you’re eating, and you’ll be expanding their gastronomic horizons while attracting the least amount of suspicion.

Here are some suggested stand-ins that offer variety and good nutrition:

• Couscous instead of white rice
• Sweet potatoes for white potatoes
• Canadian bacon for bacon
• Mashed potatoes made with reduced-fat milk for french fries
• Fig bars for high-fat cookies
• Tube yogurt (freeze first for easier handling) for ice cream
• Reduced-fat cheddar for regular cheese.

Snacks Fill Nutrient Gaps

Scheduling meals and snacks enables children to maintain a healthy diet. The issue is that young toddlers don’t always adhere to a strict meal schedule. The frequency and amount of food your young kid consumes can temporarily fluctuate due to ailments including ear infections and colds, exhaustion, and growth spurts.

Healthy between-meal snacks help a child’s nutrition make up for missing nutrients. The ideal snacks are healthy items consumed in quantities that satisfy your child’s hunger. If they are not famished at their subsequent meal, don’t worry.

It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t eat much at dinner if you provide nourishing snacks, according to Mitchell.

Feed your kid in a specific space, ideally at a table in the kitchen or dining room. According to Mitchell, having a dedicated mealtime routine can help kids become more aware of their emotions of fullness.

Try these nutritious and delicious snack options for your preschooler:

• 1/2 sandwich
• Well-cooked vegetables and low-fat dip
• Whole grain crackers and cheese
• Yogurt
• Fruit smoothies
• Milk
• Chopped hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs
• Dry cereal; cereal with milk
• Low-fat microwave popcorn (starting at age 4).

Encourage a Healthy Weight

Even if your child is still a child, it’s never too early to assist them in reaching a healthy weight. The key to that effort is respecting a preschooler’s capacity to choose when and how much to eat. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adults can interfere with children’s intrinsic ability to control their consumption.

Preschoolers took larger chunks and consumed more macaroni and cheese when researchers gave them two portions. However, when the kids were allowed to serve themselves from a serving bowl with the double-sized portion, they chose a serving size that was appropriate for their ages: around a 1/2 cup for 3-year-olds and a 3/4 cup for 4- and 5-year-olds.

Preschoolers’ chances of maintaining a healthy weight are also improved by limiting television time, especially for instructional programs. According to a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, three-year-olds who watched two or more hours of television each day were nearly three times as likely to be overweight as children who watched fewer hours.

It can be tempting to let a preschooler watch TV so that you have some alone time, but Mitchell warns that this is a hard habit to break. Mitchell, a mother of two, is insistent about keeping eating and watching television separate even if she does not expect parents to forbid it.

What’s wrong about eating while watching TV? Researchers recently discovered that toddlers of normal weight who frequently eat while watching television tend to eat more, probably because they are diverted from typical indications for fullness. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Fend Off Food Fits

Young children can have a fussy palate. Despite your best efforts to vary their diets, they could favor a small number of items for weeks on end. Children will always make a mess of their food, but you can choose how you respond to their daily cries for macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets.

It can be tempting to simply prepare items that you know your little child will eat. However, fight the desire.

Johnson, a mother herself, advises continuing to offer a variety of options while downplaying ingrained eating preferences.

If you don’t get them into a power struggle at the table, she says, “most kids will eventually become bored and at least start picking at the other meals you provide.”

It’s understandable to start to worry when a child sticks to the same restrictive diet. Put your mind at ease by giving your child a daily multivitamin suited to their age while you wait for them to break out of their eating rut. Iron, a nutrient that is essential for a child’s brain development, immune system, and energy level, is one nutrient that multivitamins can fill in small nutrient gaps in a fussy eater’s diet.

11 Must-Eat Nutrients for Your Child

Every parent is aware that kids need to consume a healthy, balanced diet. But occasionally, in spite of our best attempts, they end up selecting the same few foods repeatedly. By doing this, they risk depriving their bodies of vital nutrients.

According to dietitian, blogger, and authority on plant-based nutrition Isla Zyer, “Good nutrition helps your child’s health, growth, and development.” A balanced diet promotes a healthy weight, maintains strong bones, supports mental health, and guards against chronic diseases in children.

According to the School of Public Health at Harvard University, a balanced diet for children includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and protein. They advise filling half of a plate with colorful vegetables (fries do not count), and the other half with lean protein and nutritious carbs (like whole wheat pasta or brown rice).

Along with this advice, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that kids’ diets should contain less sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.

Here, we’ll take a look at 11 must-eat nutrients for healthy growth and development in children.

What Nutrients Do Children Need?

Having trouble deciding what to serve your family for dinner? We’ll introduce you to some of the most significant nutrients that youngsters require daily in the sections below (keeping in mind that every child has different needs based on their age, weight, height, and other factors).

Protein

Protein helps a child’s body build cells, break down food into energy, fight infection, and carry oxygen. According to the Cleveland Clinic, kids between the ages of 4 and 9 need about 19 grams (g) of protein daily. Those ages 9 to 13 need 34 g each day.

Foods that are good sources of protein include:

• Meat
• Poultry
• Fish
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Beans
• Dairy products

If your kids are hesitant to eat the foods listed above, they can try the following items, which offer lesser amounts of the important nutrient.

• Crab cakes
• Parmesan cheese
• Quinoa
• Cottage cheese
• Green peas
• Edamame
• Brussels sprouts

Carbohydrates

The most essential source of energy is carbohydrate. They support a child’s body’s utilization of protein and fat for tissue synthesis and repair. Approximately 130 g of carbs should be consumed daily by children over the age of one, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Since carbs can take many different forms, including sugars, starches, and fiber, it is typically quite simple to do that. Since consuming large amounts of “bad” carbs like soda, candy, and processed meals is linked to obesity, diabetes, and other health issues, kids should be eating more starches and fiber and less sugar.

Foods that contain high levels of carbohydrates include:

• Breads
• Oatmeal
• Cereals
• Rice
• Crackers
• Pasta
• Potatoes

Healthy Fats

Kids can easily retain fats in their bodies, which makes them a fantastic source of energy and ensures that other essential nutrients are utilized properly. With the majority of fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, like fish, nuts, and vegetable oils, the American Heart Association advises “keeping total fat intake between 30 to 35% of calories for children 2 to 3 years of age and between 25 to 35% of calories for children and adolescents 4 to 18 years of age.”

Foods that contain high levels of healthy fats include:

• Whole-milk dairy products
• Cooking oils
• Meat
• Fish
• Nuts

Calcium

Building a child’s strong bones and teeth requires calcium. Additionally, it’s critical for neuron, muscle, and cardiac function as well as blood clotting. The FDA advises adults and children over the age of 4 to aim for 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium daily, while children under the age of 1 should obtain 700 mg.

Foods that contain calcium include:

• Milk
• Cheeses
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Egg yolks
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Tofu
• Calcium-fortified orange juice
• Fortified plant-based “milks”
• Fortified cereals

Iron

Iron is required for the healthy blood formation that carries oxygen to all of the body’s cells. According to the FDA, it’s essential for “growth and development, immunological function, reproduction, and wound healing.” Additionally, a proper iron supply lowers the incidence of anemia. Check out the National Institutes of Health’s recommended iron intake for children between the ages of 1 and 3 to see how much they should be getting daily. Older children should be getting increasingly more iron. Teenage girls who have begun menstruation may wish to monitor their iron intake more closely.

Foods that contain high levels of iron include:

• Red meats
• Poultry (especially dark meat)
• Shellfish
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Nuts
• Iron-fortified cereals

Folate

One of the B vitamins, folate, is essential for expecting parents as well as for the healthy growth and development of a child’s cells. Folate-deficiency anemia can result from a lack of this vitamin. Age-specific requirements for folate in children range from 65 micrograms (mcg) per day for infants to 200 mcg per day for children ages 4 to 8 and 400 mcg per day for teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18. On the website of the National Institutes of Health, you can get further nutritional advice.

Foods that contain folate include:

• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Berries
• Orange juice
• Asparagus
• Spinach
• Black or kidney beans
• Brussels sprouts

Fiber

Fiber encourages intestinal regularity in children and may lessen the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in later life. Additionally, fiber reduces “bad” cholesterol and regulates blood sugar. The FDA recommends 14 g of dietary fiber per day for children under the age of 3, and 28 g for children aged 4 and older.

Foods that contain high levels of fiber include:

• Whole-grain cereals
• Whole-grain breads
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans
• Seeds
• Nuts

Vitamin A

In both children and adults, vitamin A has several uses. It encourages growth, helps the eyes adjust to bright and dim lighting, maintains healthy skin, fights infection, and more. Preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids have suggested dosages listed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in micrograms of retinol activity equivalents (RAE). Based on age and sex, there is a wide range of recommended doses; for instance, infants under 6 months of age should receive 400 mcg RAE of vitamin A daily, while children aged 9 to 13 should receive 600 mcg RAE.

Foods that contain high levels of vitamin A include:

• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Squash
• Apricots
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Fish oils
• Eggs
• Milk
• Salmon

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is effective against more than simply the common cold. Additionally, it keeps cells in the body together, fortifies blood vessel walls, treats wounds, and encourages the development of strong bones and teeth. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 require roughly 25 mg of vitamin C daily, which is equivalent to about half of a small orange. The recommended daily dosage rises to 45 mg between the ages of 9 and 13, and by the time your child is a teenager, they should be taking 65 to 75 mg of vitamin C daily.

Foods that contain high levels of vitamin C include:

• Citrus fruits (such as oranges and grapefruit)
• Orange juice
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cantaloupe

Vitamin D

In addition to helping the body absorb calcium, vitamin D also helps to develop healthy bones and teeth. Additionally, according to the FDA, vitamin D is important for “several bodily functions, including blood pressure regulation, hormone generation, immunological and neurological system function.” Children should have about 15 mcg (600 IU) of vitamin D daily from ages 1 to 3. After that, people require roughly 20 mcg (800 IU) every day.

Foods that contain vitamin D include the following:

• Fortified dairy products (like milk and some yogurts)
• Fortified cereals
• Fish and fish oil
• Eggs
• Fortified orange juice
• Mushrooms
• Pork

Potassium

Potassium controls the neurological system, heart rhythm, and muscular contraction, among other bodily processes. Atypical heart rate and muscle weakness might result from low potassium levels. The FDA recommends a daily consumption of 4,700 mg for adults and older children, and 3,000 mg for children under the age of 3.

Foods that contain potassium include:

• Sweet potatoes
• Orange juice
• Spinach
• Beans
• Prune juice
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Salmon
• Bananas