What should infants and young children eat to be nutritious?

Infants and young children refer to children under one year old. The food supplement for such children is very important. If they do not get rich nutrition, the physical development of the children will be seriously affected. The physical development of children is very rapid when they are very young. If they are not given nutritious food when they are developing, they will suffer from malnutrition in serious cases. So what is the most nutritious food for infants and young children?

After a child is one year old, his or her deciduous teeth gradually come out, and his or her digestion and chewing abilities improve. His or her diet gradually changes from being mainly based on milk to being mainly based on cereals, meat, eggs and vegetables. Although the child has been weaned, he is still young, his teeth have not yet fully grown, his chewing ability is poor, his digestive organs are not fully mature, and his digestive ability is still weak. At this time, if the diet is not properly prepared, it will affect digestion and absorption, and even affect growth and development. Only by arranging a reasonable and scientific diet can we ensure that children get the nutrition and calories they need for growth and development.

Children should eat milk, cereals, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruits, as these foods contain various nutrients that children need. If children often eat sweet porridge and sugar-coated buns, the food only contains carbohydrates but lacks higher-quality nutrients, which often leads to malnutrition; if children eat beef and other meats all day long, they may have enough protein in their bodies but lack other ingredients needed by the body; some parents believe that milk, eggs, and chocolate are rich in nutrients, so they let their children eat such foods for a long time, resulting in excess calories and insufficient minerals and vitamins. You should know that no matter how high the nutritional value of food is, if you only eat a single type, it will cause malnutrition.

When arranging a diet structure for children, first of all, the supply of each nutrient and the ratio between them need to be appropriate; secondly, there must also be a balance between the foods that produce these nutrients. These are the principles for arranging a weekly diet for children.

The basis of the weekly menu is the daily menu. Therefore, daily diet arrangement is very important. The daily diet should include staple foods such as rice, noodles, and side dishes such as meat, eggs, vegetables and fruits, so that children can get 4604 kilojoules of calories, 35 grams of protein, 600 milligrams of calcium, 10 milligrams of iron and a certain amount of vitamins from food every day. After the daily diet is determined, when arranging the weekly diet, you can adjust the types of food based on the principle of mutual adjustment between similar foods to make the child's diet diverse and balanced.

Dietary balance: The growth of the human body depends entirely on the quality of the food taken into the body. Therefore, if you want your baby to grow taller, all kinds of nutrients must be balanced. Making sure you eat 25 to 30 kinds of food every day will provide you with much richer nutrition than eating only three or five things a day. Recommended food: Vegetable and fruit salad: Cut cucumber, apple, banana, onion, lettuce, pear, orange, etc. into small pieces and put them in a bowl, then pour in salad dressing. Multi-grain porridge: Wash rice, black rice, red beans, dates, raisins, etc., add water and cook together for 1 hour. Mixed rice: Put oil in the pan, add eggs, peas, sweet corn kernels, ham, and stir-fry rice when cooked. Finally, add cucumber and chives and stir-fry for a few times.

Key point 2: Sufficient calcium Calcium is the basis for bone growth. If the diet does not regularly take in the required amount of calcium for physiological needs, the amount of calcium in the blood and soft tissues will be insufficient, and calcium must be obtained from the bones. Calcium deficiency in the bones will result in osteoporosis, vertebral deformities, and spinal curvature. If bones do not get enough nutrition, they certainly cannot grow normally, let alone grow taller. Recommended foods: Foods high in calcium include: dairy products, eggs, fish, shellfish, tofu and beans, sesame paste, pumpkin seeds, etc. (Vitamin D, vitamin C, lactose, etc. all contribute to the absorption and utilization of calcium.

Key point 3: Protein every day. Babies in the growth and development period have a much higher demand for protein than adults. Insufficient supply will affect height growth. In addition, collagen and mucin are also organic components that make up bones. Recommended foods: Chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, eggs, milk and tofu are all rich in protein.

Key point 4: Iron, zinc and copper are essential. Although the human body's demand for them is not large, they are indispensable. If they are lacking, the baby will have various problems. Babies who are zinc deficient will have no appetite for anything, which will inevitably affect their growth. Iron is an essential substance for the synthesis of hemoglobin, and copper is a catalyst for the synthesis of hemoglobin. If the food does not provide enough iron and copper, the synthesis of hemoglobin will be hindered, and the growth, intellectual development, immune function, etc. will be affected, and the baby may often get sick. Recommended foods: Foods rich in iron: animal liver and other offal, beef, lamb, egg yolks, fish, red beans, and spinach. Foods rich in zinc: oysters, animal liver. Foods rich in copper: pork liver, pig blood, shrimp, crab, and shellfish.

The combination of the above foods is a recipe for adjusting the nutrition of children. It is recommended to improve the child in time. If the child is still very young, then milk powder should also be given to the child. It can also be eaten after one year old. The protein in milk powder is very high, and there are a lot of calcium, iron, zinc, and tin. These elements are of great help to the child's physical development. When adding complementary foods to children, you should also pay attention to the lightness and digestibility of the food.