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Macronutrients - the giants from our children meals

Today's children's diets lack variety and they can be rigid in their eating patterns.

But what leads to this lack of flexibility and how can we persuade our children to eat right?

It could be that they weren't served more diverse meals when they were little

It could also be caused by the lack of healthy eating patterns in the family or that some foods are more tempting to eat.

Nutrition education should start as early as possible, immediately as children reach 6 month, and thus, the child can develop healthy eating patterns that will lead him to develop into a healthy adult.

Let's take part in this nutrition education together so that we learn what is best for our children.

Often, when we think of healthy eating or macronutrients, we think of energy, weight loss or some kind of complicated diet.

However, in regards to children, some macronutrients are needed in different proportions. Children need carbohydrates, fats and proteins in optimal proportions so that they can develop healthily and harmoniously.

We sometimes call macronutrients ``giants" because the body needs them in larger quantities.

Carbohydrates are used mainly to produce energy and without them, children would not develop properly.

Carbohydrates fall into two broad categories: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates are represented by white flour (and all its derivatives - white bread, pasta, white rice, etc.), sugars (foods containing sugar).

They have the property of being rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream in the form of glucose, which causes a sudden rise in blood sugar and are absorbed very quickly.

This causes a rise in short-term energy, followed by a state of lethargy, drowsiness and difficulty concentrating (due to glycemic oscillations).

Complex carbohydrates include wholemeal flour and all its derivatives (wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, wild / wholemeal rice), potatoes, vegetables and legumes.

They have the property of being slowly absorbed into the bloodstream, do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and thus provide long-lasting energy.

Which do you think is the best of the two carbs?

Proteins play a decisive role in children's diets, growth and development of muscles, hair, skin and internal organs, etc. would not be possible without them.

Moreover, antibodies are mostly made up of proteins which determine the strength of the immune system in fighting against infections.

It is recommended that half of the protein be of animal origin (chicken, turkey, fish, pork, beef, eggs, dairy and dairy products) and half of vegetable origin (legumes - beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, soy).

The last so-called giants are lipids (fats) which play an extremely important role in children's nutrition and a well-defined role in the development of the nervous system. Without lipds, the fat-soluble vitamins (which dissolve in fat) A, D, E, K would not be absorbed into the body.

There are several types of fats: saturated, which we find in: butter, milk, cheese, etc. monounsaturated, which are found in: olive oil, avocado, peanut butter and seeds and polyunsaturated, classified as healthy fats and represented mainly by the two essential fatty acids - omega 3 and omega 6.

We call them essential, because they cannot be synthesized by the body and thus their food intake is necessary.

These types of fats are found in: nuts, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, salmon - sources of omega 3, corn and soy - sources of omega 6.

Now that you've gone through what needs to be found in the children's diet, do you think you can provide them/him with the balanced, nutritious meals they/he needs?