Easy and precise guide to meet the nutrition of preschool children

When your little one has started to enter kindergarten or school, his daily food intake has begun to be the same as that of adults. However, that does not mean you can arbitrarily choose a daily diet for children. The nutritional intake of children must be considered by ensuring that the food choices for them are healthy and according to their needs. This hall is so that he remains active, fit, and healthy throughout the day. Check out the right guidelines to help fulfill the nutrition of preschool children below.

Food choices to meet the nutrition of preschool children

In accordance with the nutritional adequacy ratio (RDA) of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the average daily energy requirement for children aged 4-6 years is 1,600 calories. So as much as possible, provide a meal menu to meet the nutrition of preschool children in portions that are easy to grasp and chew.

Do not be confused. The following are food choices that can be given to meet the nutrition of preschool children:

1. Carbohydrates

Preschool is a time when children are busy with physical activities to get to know the world around them. That is why, children's appetite changes easily in order to meet their energy needs throughout the day. As much as possible, make sure your child gets at least 220 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Before giving it, first identify if there are two types of carbohydrates that you can give to children, namely simple and complex carbohydrates.

Simple carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates are the easiest types of carbohydrates to be absorbed and then converted into blood sugar. These types of carbohydrates can be found in honey, white sugar, brown sugar, and other sweeteners.

These carbohydrates are also found in various processed foods, such as candy, soda, and various other sugary drinks.

Complex carbohydrates

While complex carbohydrates are a type of carbohydrate made of long chains of sugar molecules, they take a long time to digest. There are various examples of foods that fall into the complex carbohydrate class to help meet the nutritional needs of preschoolers.

Starting from whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals, nuts, seeds, rice, sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes. These types of carbohydrates can provide a stable energy level for children to move around throughout the day.

2. Protein

The nutritional requirement for protein for preschoolers is 35 grams per day. In order to be fulfilled properly, there are two types of protein that you can give your little one.

Animal protein

First, namely animal protein that comes from animal sources such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, and so on. Researchers often mention that children who are given foods high in protein, especially animal protein, have their own advantages.

The reason is, the bodies of these children tend to be taller than children their age who do not get enough protein intake.

Vegetable protein

Second, namely vegetable protein that can be easily obtained from plants. Examples include fruits, tempeh, tofu, soybeans, red beans, and various other types of nuts.

Vegetable protein intake is beneficial both for reducing the risk of heart disease, as well as maintaining an ideal body weight.

3. Fat

Preschoolers need about 62 grams of fat per day. But make no mistake, you can not just give any fat to children. There are several types of fat, namely:

Good fats

Good fats are present in the form of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. If you want your child to get this type of fat, you can give avocado, almonds, olive oil, salmon, tofu, and others.

Bad fats

Meanwhile, bad fats are usually obtained from food sources of saturated fat and trans fat. Take, for example, fat from red meat, chicken, and palm oil. Not only that, high-fat dairy products such as butter and cheese also contribute a number of fats that are not good for the body.

4. Fiber

Ideally, preschoolers around the age of 4-6 years need 22 grams of fiber a day. Unfortunately, in fact, not a few children experience constipation due to a lack of fiber intake. This condition usually occurs when children prefer to eat fast food, such as chicken nuggets, sausages, and french fries.

In fact, fruits and vegetables are high fiber food sources that should not be missed. Not only contains fiber. Fruits and vegetables can also prevent heart disease, control blood sugar levels, and maintain a child's weight to avoid the risk of obesity.

Preschool children, around the age of 4-6 years, need at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables every day. In comparison, one serving of fruit is one medium fruit or two small fruits.

For example, one large tomato or two small tomatoes. Meanwhile, one serving of vegetables is equal to one medium potato or 30 grams of spinach (one bunch of whole spinach is about 200 grams).

5. Vitamins and minerals

In addition to the need for macro nutrients as mentioned above, children must also not be deficient in micronutrients. Therefore, make sure you meet your child's daily needs for vitamins and minerals by providing them with nutritious food sources.

Lean animal meat from fish, chicken, and poultry can help meet micronutrient needs. Starting from iron, zinc, calcium, sodium, copper, vitamin A, vitamin B, and a myriad of other vitamins and minerals.

One of the minerals that are good for the growth of a child's body is calcium. Calcium is needed for the formation of bones and teeth of children. Not only that, calcium is also needed for heart function, blood clotting, and muscle function.

The main sources of calcium are all milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt. For preschoolers, it is recommended to get about 200 ml of milk daily. In order for calcium to be properly absorbed in the body, pair your child's calcium sources with food sources of vitamin D.

For example tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, egg yolks, and so on. With the fulfillment of these nutritional intake, it can help support the growth and development of the body and brain of preschool children.

Healthy snack options for preschoolers

In addition to providing the main meal, don't forget the role of snacks in a child's daily diet. This is because the daily nutritional intake of preschool children is not always fixed from the main diet. There are times when children experience illness or other health problems, which affect the frequency and amount of food intake.

Meanwhile, eating snacks can at least help ensure that children's daily nutritional needs are met. Do not be careless, giving snacks that are rich in nutrients at the same time can make children feel fuller.

The following are healthy snack options to meet the nutrition of preschool children:

• Yogurt
• Fruit juice
• Milk
• Scrambled Eggs (scrambeld egg)
• Dry cereal or with milk
• Wheat biscuits
• Pieces of boiled vegetables or fruit
• Pudding
• Lean cuts of fish or chicken
• Etc

Sample menu a day to meet the nutrition of preschool children

Actually it is not difficult to meet the nutritional needs of preschool children every day. You can combine the child's favorite foods, by introducing him to other new types of food slowly.

To make it easier, examples of daily menus that can be given to children:

Breakfast (breakfast)

• 2 slices of whole wheat bread (70 grams)
• 4 pieces of lettuce (10 grams)
• 3 slices of tomatoes (10 grams)
• 1 sheet of boiled bacon (30 grams)
• 1 glass of white milk (200 ml)

Interlude (snack)

• 2 large pieces of papaya (200 grams)

Lunch

• 1 plate of white rice (100 grams)
• 1 medium bowl of clear spinach (40 grams)
• 1 piece of skinless grilled chicken breast (55 grams)
• 1 slice of tofu (50 grams)

Interlude (snack)

• 1 large mango (200 grams)

Dinner

• 1 plate of white rice (100 grams)
• 1 medium mangnkuk, sauteed green mustard greens (40 grams)
• 1 slice of catfish soup (50 grams)
• 1 slice of tempeh (50 grams)

How to address the eating habits of preschoolers

Given that preschool age is a transitional period from toddlers, children's eating habits are generally not yet fully developed. So that, as a parent, you can get around some of your child's eating problems in ways such as:

1. Be picky about eating

One of the eating habits of children before school age is that they like to be picky about food (picky eating). In this condition, the child does not seem to get bored of eating the same food without wanting to touch other types of food.

In fact, eating the same type of food for a long time has the risk of making the nutritional adequacy of preschool children not fulfilled. Before scolding him, you should control the condition intelligently, for example:

• Encourage your child to try new types of food when he is hungry. We recommend that you give it at the beginning before you give other types of food that he has often eaten.
• Serve his favorite food accompanied by a new type of food that has never been tried.
• Serve the new food as interesting as possible. If necessary, give small portions and small sizes as an introduction.
• Avoid overcooking children to eat these new types of food. Give children time to get to know and adapt to the texture and taste of food.

2. Eating messy

Children who eat a mess is certainly no longer a new problem. In fact, most children who are just learning to eat with plates, spoons and forks tend to get used to eating untidy. If this is the case, here's what you can do:

• Give food in moderate portions. Because giving children food in large quantities actually triggers them to waste the food when they are full. If you think it's still lacking, you can still increase the portion of your meal to taste.
• Use cutlery that can make it easier for children to eat and not break easily. For example, don't use a flat plate, but use a plate that has a slight curve.
• Understand the signs when the child is full, because it is one of the factors that makes children mess up their food.

3. It's hard to eat certain foods

If you want your child to want to eat a new type of food, it's best to set the same example first. Children tend to be more interested in trying new foods when they see other family members also eating the food.

Especially because children usually like to imitate their parents' behavior, including their eating habits. By taking advantage of the child's curiosity can trigger him to be interested in trying new things.

Are there foods that preschoolers should avoid?

Not all types of food are good for preschoolers to eat. Some of them you should not give to your little one. The reason is, certain types of food can make him choke, or indeed his ability to eat is not proficient enough to eat these foods.

• Foods with large pieces, such as whole grapes, rambutan, duku, candy, and others.
• Big pieces of beef, chicken, hot dog, and so forth.
• Small, firm foods such as nuts, seeds, popcorn, chips, and more.

In addition, always try to cut food into smaller pieces before giving it to a child. This method is at least able to make preschoolers more eager to eat, so that their nutritional needs are met optimally.

x