Feeding your child a nutritious and well-balanced diet will help ensure that she is healthy and able to grow properly. It can be challenging to ensure that your child actually consumes all of the nutritious foods she needs to maintain good health. According to Kids Health, you can encourage a healthy daily diet by modeling appropriate eating habits and by keeping plenty of nutrient-dense foods on hand for meals and snacks.
Function
The primary function of a healthy diet for your child is to ensure that he gets all of the essential vitamins and nutrients he needs to grow into a strong and healthy adult. Offering your child a variety of nutritious foods from each of the food groups will help balance your child's daily diet so he is able to consume all of the things he needs to maintain good health.
Effects
There are many positive effects to feeding your child a healthy and nutritious daily diet. Plenty of nutrient-dense foods help your child grow and develop normally while a diet low in nutrition and high in sugar, calories, fat and salt may inhibit proper growth and may even lead to illness. Parents are a powerful influence on their children and the foods you purchase, prepare and offer your children can have a positive effect on their health, indicates Kids Health. Modeling healthy eating habits may help encourage your child to choose healthy foods rather than junk food.
Benefits
A variety of foods from each food group will help promote good health. The Healthy Children website indicates that plenty of fiber each day will help your child maintain good digestive health. Feeding your child protein on a daily basis will help promote healthy muscle development as well as give your child plenty of energy to play and learn. Fruits and vegetables provide a wide variety of vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin A, as well as minerals, such as iron, magnesium and potassium. Low-fat dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, provide calcium for strong bones and teeth. Each of these helps your child maintain good health and may help prevent her from getting sick.
Solution
Kids Health recommends filling your shopping cart with plenty of fresh produce, lean meats, low-fat dairy foods and plenty of foods that contain whole grains. Take your child shopping with you so you can learn the difference between nutritious foods and unhealthy foods together, adds Kids Health. Other ideas include cooking and eating meals as a family and searching for new recipes that include healthy ingredients. Keep healthy snacks on hand, such as pre-chopped fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, whole grain cereals and air-popped popcorn so your child always has a healthy option when she gets hungry. Make sure to allow your child an occasional treat so she does not feel deprived by eating healthy.
Warning
An unhealthy diet has been linked to a variety of health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Limit your child's intake of sugar to help create a healthier daily diet and help ward off diabetes. Restrict how many servings of cookies, candy and other sweets your child eats to help keep your child's sugar intake low, recommends Healthy Children. Monitor your child's salt intake as well because too much sodium is linked to high blood pressure. Limit how much salt you use when you cook and make sure your child does not have access to the salt shaker during meals.
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