Kids Diet: Nutritionist Recommends Diet Tips For Kids For Their School From Home Days

Kids diet tips: Make sure that kids have at least one seasonal fruit every day

The outbreak of coronavirus, physical distancing and lockdown has resulted in not just work from home, but also school from home. Everything from kids play schedule to study and eating schedule has taken a complete turn. Celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, in one of her posts on Instagram, talks about 5 food tips for kids and teens during the school from home. These tips can be especially helpful if you see them being less active, unable to sleep or unexpected changes in their appetite.

Diet tips for kids and teens to follow during school from home

1. Fresh fruit

Kids should have a fresh fruit like banana, mango every day. They can have it in the form of milkshake or aamras as well. For kids, fruits can be consumed either as a meal or along with homemade breakfast options like poha, idli, upma or dosa.

Fruits are rich in vitamins and polyphenols that can help in aiding digestion, improve mood and reduce craving for junk food.

Also read: Our Nutritionist Suggests These Healthy Breakfast Options For Kids: Don't Miss These

2. Legumes and rice for lunch

Soak legumes like chana, rajma, chole, moong or any other local variety of legume, overnight. Cook them well the next day and serve them with rice. Have a glass of homemade chaas or buttermilk with it. The meal is a perfect combination of both prebiotic and probiotic rich foods. It has a complete amino acid profile and is also easy to digest.

3. Curd and black raisins

Have homeset curd with black raisins, anytime during the day. It can make for a healthy snack which is rich in Vitamin B12 and iron, and can help in preventing lethargy, improve hormonal balance and regulate appetite.

Also read: Curd Or Yogurt: Which Is Healthier And Better For Weight Loss?

4. Early dinner (by 7 pm)

Dinner for kids can be paneet parantha, poori sabzi, roti sabzi roll, ajwain parantha, jowar or nachni bhakri with aloo bhaji, vegetable pulao with raita and deep fried papad. These are wholesome and filling meals that kids are likely to find fun. They have a complete nutrition profile beneficial for kids health.

To satiate their cravings, you can give homemade pizza, pasta or pav bhaji to kids, but not later than 7 pm, recommends Diwekar.

You can give homemade fancy foods to your kids once a week
Photo Credit: iStock

5. At bedtime

A cup of haldi doodh or mango milk shake or gulkand milk or a fresh mango or banana around bedtime can be given to kids if they feel hungry. It can help them sleep well.

Lastly, Diwekar recommends parents must also involve kids in planning and cooking meals. It helps kids develop an interest in cooking and also enables them to learn about what food is good or bad for them.

Also read: Unable To Sleep? Try These Bedtime Foods And Drinks For A Good Night's Sleep

(Rujuta Diwekar is a nutritionist based in Mumbai)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.