The Food Guide Pyramid (as shown in the previous article) provides an overview of a balanced diet for preschoolers. However, putting it all into practice can be a challenge. Nevertheless, the following principles should help point you in the right direction.
- Choose wholesome nutritious foods This may sound obvious but do make it a point to select foods that are nutritious in and of themselves. Go for foods that are minimally processed or refined, arriving at the supermarket in the same form and containing the same nutritional composition as they had while growing.
- Up the value Preschoolers can only take food in small quantities, so do what you can to make sure every meal is as nutritious as possible. For example, add vegetables to chicken porridge or use a combination of wholegrain and white bread when making sandwiches. When grocery shopping, select food products that are naturally rich in nutrients like fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereals and milk.
- Limit the oil Avoid using too much oil when cooking or deep-frying food. Instead bake, grill, boil, steam or stir-fry.
- Got milk? As milk is important for growth and building bones and teeth, encourage milk consumption by serving a variety of milk products. Alternate plain milk with chocolate or strawberry flavoured milk. Introduce a selection of cheeses, yogurt, milk biscuits and other dairy products.
- Make it colourful A simple rule of thumb when it comes to deciding what to serve your child: make it as colourful as possible. For instance, serve a variety of vegetables and fruits of different colors! How about green spinach, bright orange carrots, yellow cauliflower, fish, white rice and a red apple for dessert?
- Find fun in variety Plan your menu on a weekly basis. Select food from the different food groups and in the right serving sizes. Vary the food types of each food group for all meals. For instance, carbohydrate foods can be bread for breakfast, noodles for lunch and rice for dinner. Keeping a record will help you ensure that you have variety throughout the week!
Never Skip Breakfast
- Serve your child a hearty breakfast every morning to boost his memory and alertness, and enable better academic performance.
- Wake your child up earlier in the morning so that he’ll have time for breakfast and prepare for preschool. Serve him nutritious beverages that are high in protein, vitamins and minerals such as milk, fruit juices and soybean milk. Wholegrain products that are high in fibre such as oatmeal, when accompanied by pieces of fresh fruit, make a delicious and wholesome meal.
- It is best not to give high-sugar foods such as cakes, cookies or candies in the mornings as these are digested quickly and do not give your child the energy he needs to last through the day.
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