subject: Balanced Diet For Healthy baby [print this page] There is a misconception that what is good to eat for the mother is also good for the newborn baby care and your children. Mother and the child might share the genes yet, they are physically different with different needs of various foods for their growth and development. While most adults would need a diet that has a high fiber content along with lower levels of fat. The opposite is true in case of a baby who needs the energy and nutrition of fats to cater for the bodys demand of growth. Fiber on the other hand is very essential for an adult but can reduce eating capacity of a child.
Special attention needs to be given to the baby depending on its age. We need to understand the difference in size of babys eating capacity with its small stomach, they have to eat more often and richer food to cope up with bodies nutritional demand. While
including major food groups in the diet fulfills the daily requirements of adults in a childs case we might have to change the childs diet as they grow so at each stage of their development they need the right balance of nutrients and energy to support healthy growth.
While milk remains the most important portion, variety needs to be included for a sustainable and balanced diet. The major food group should be included and special attention be given to fact that bread products, potatoes etc which provide starch are included in the diet. Milk and dairy products including cheese and yogurts are excellent sources of proteins and give the child much needed calcium.
Another source of proteins are the Meat and Fish, which can alternatively be found in Kidney beans , lentils etc. Different foods have different nutrients and provide additional vitamins and supplement for healthy growth of the baby. A parent should ensure the baby eats a wide variety of food during the first years as that is the period where the food eating habits, likes and dislikes are developed.
