Great benefits of fruits and vegetables for children

Do you know why your baby needs to eat lots of fruits and vegetables? That's because of the amazing benefits that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can give your baby.

What are the benefits of eating lots of vegetables and fruits for children?

Here are some great benefits that fruits and vegetables bring to health and physical and mental development that mothers should not ignore.

Improved nutrition

Your baby's growing body is in desperate need of a good nutrition. Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins, minerals and beneficial compounds for your baby's health. Citrus fruits and strawberries are rich in vitamin C that can boost the immune system, carrots are packed with eye-healthy vitamin A, and spinach is a good source of iron that helps prevent anemia. Apples contain 16 different types of polyphenols antioxidants that promote health and prevent cancer. Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables will help provide adequate nutrition for your child's health.

Reduce obesity

Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber but low in fat and calories. Encouraging children to eat fruits and vegetables in place of sugary snacks and fatty foods can help prevent children from becoming obese. Children who are overweight are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, respiratory problems and depression.

Better study results

Children with a healthy diet and lots of fruits and vegetables will have better results than children with less fruit and vegetables. Additionally, children who ate healthy foods were 41% less likely to fail on literacy tests than other children. A number of other factors will also affect a child's performance, but nutrition plays a very important part.

How to feed my baby more vegetables?

Surely mothers often have to deal with the situation of "lazy" to eat vegetables and fruits of the baby. So how do babies like to eat and eat more vegetables without mothers having to push them?

Include more fruits and vegetables in your child's diet

Fruits and vegetables are often flavorful and contain many vitamins, minerals and fiber. To develop a balanced and healthy child, children need a balanced diet containing both fruits and vegetables every day. The amount of fruits and vegetables your child needs will depend on their age. So, find out how much baby should eat and he can always eat more than he wants to eat. Different colored fruits and vegetables benefit your health in different ways, so try to choose richly colored varieties during your meal.

Have fruit and vegetables at each meal

It is a good idea to include a variety of fruits and vegetables with meals. There are many fun ways to do this: eaten raw, grilled, chopped or diced. In addition, fruits and vegetables can also be added to dishes. You can:

Add sliced ​​bananas or strawberries to the cereal;

Add chopped fruit to yogurt;

Blend with ice using fresh or frozen fruit;

Cut the vegetables into sticks and put them in your baby's lunch box;

Try steak with vegetables at dinner;

Decorate the pizza with mushrooms and chili slices.

Eating fresh fruit is better for babies than drinking fruit juice because fruit juice can contain up to six tablespoons of sugar and very little fiber.

While fresh fruit is often the best option, canned (low-salt), dried and frozen fruits and vegetables are also attractive alternatives for your baby. Better yet, choose natural products with no added sugar or salt.

Dried fruits like apricots, apples and raisins contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and fiber. However, these fruits are also high in sugar and can cause tooth decay, as they tend to stick to your baby's teeth. The best way is to feed your baby only a small amount of dried fruit and drink a glass of water afterwards to prevent tooth decay.

Urgently how baby's food is enough?

A suitable serving of fruit will consist of a medium sized piece of fruit, 2 small pieces or one cup of chopped fruit. Meanwhile, a suitable vegetable serving for your baby will be equal to a medium sized potato, 60 g of cooked vegetables or 120 g of lettuce.

If you have any other questions, please contact your pediatrician or dietitian for guidance.