What food should be given before exercise and after exercise ?
Before exercise a small snack or milk , after exercise normal diet . Balance of carb proteins and fruits . Excess protein is not good for kids. After the exercise handful of dry fruits can be given
My daughter is 8years old and she is very choosy in eating. She eats selected food items, because of that her immunity is very weak and so she is mostly down with cold.
Cold is not related to immunity and food . Ensure that she has enough physical activity . Check Hb too.
Please tell that if a child is mostly down with cold, what food should be avoided and what food should be given.
Avoid only banana and grapes and only during cold . Can have them otherwise. Banana by itself cannot cause cold but can aggravate it.
My concern is children don't even ask for dinner. I avoid giving them junk food but still they hardly ask for food. Any suggestions on this?
Make’junk food’ at home! Healthy burger , Pizza with lots of veg, sprout bhel etc.
Being a vegetarian what could a substitute for b12 in kids?
Milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, soya and tofu contain B12. These can be given
How can they get creatinine in a vegetarian diet ? My sons are 8 and 12 and are into strenuous swimming and running.
Paneer, Dal, sprouts, mushrooms are good protein sources . You can add protein powder to milk (check content) . 1 g protein per kg is generally enough.
I have an 11 year old child. As a young child I give him mashed and sieved food because of which he does not chew well. Also if tomato peel etc comes in food he feels like vomiting. Please advise how can I rectify my mistake
Not your mistake! Ensure proper chewing and don’t let him gulp food. He will overcome it.
My kid is extremely choosy in food habits. Anything outside his range, he does not want to try. Please advise.
Introduce new foods along with his favourite food, it helps. You can twist food and make it more interesting. Give him pizza but make a healthy one at home. Similarly you can make burgers, noodles also at home. Use more vegetables and whole wheat instead of maida.
My son is 12 years old, whenever asked to eat food he says I am not feeling hungry so what should we do to increase his appetite
No tonics please! Ensure good play, avoid snacking before the major meal and most importantly RESPECT his appetite. Just ensure that his growth is appropriate.
My daughter is not eating much. Keeps eating small snacks like banana, bread sometimes. Only wants milk most of the time. What should be done?
Please restrict breads and even if you do give, ensure it’s multi grain bread. Also restrict milk to twice a day (400 ml) a day.
Doctor, my son's growth is not appropriate as per his age, neither his height nor his weight is up to the mark, tried putting him in sports activities too but in vain.
He may need an assessment. Hb may be needed and also deworming
How do I curb the habit of eating sweets in my 3 year old boy? Though I don't keep store bought biscuits etc at home, he insists on eating fruits, dry fruits and sweets all day long.
It is advisable to give fruits in evening along with milk. Milk and dry fruits should be given in the morning. After that you should insist only on proper meals. It might be difficult in the beginning but be firm and he will come around. Also natural sugars in fruits, honey, jaggery , dry fruits are not unhealthy! Avoid refined sugars and concentrated sweets like mithai, chocolates , Sweetened beverages etc
What can be the substitutes for sweets if my daughter is very fond of sweets.
Substitute sugar with jaggery, jaggery syrup and date syrup. Make sweets using these products. Even in milk don’t add sugar. You can add dry fruit powder or these syrups in it
How much sugar intake is good for kids?
As less as possible, particularly if the child is showing overweight tendency . Growth should not exceed 3 kg in a year. 6-9 years is the age when kids can become overweight.
What alternative food can be given to child with lactose intolerance?
Soya milk, Low Lactose or lactose free milks. Curd, Buttermilk (50 % less lactose). However lactose intolerance in temperorary
What can be the best food for evening snacks so as a child can have some healthy food and can take dinner also.
You can give a glass of banana shake or any other seasonal fruit along with almonds, figs, walnuts. This is enough to take care of the evening appetite and stil not make them over full.
If consumption of curd causes cold then how can curd be given. She is very fond of curd but whenever she takes she catches cold.
Try giving only fresh curd which is at room temperature and not the refrigerated one. Curd generally does not cause cold (Traditional belief) . No scientific evidence.
My daughter likes raw vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers,peas,carrots. Smashed buttered potatoes, but eats less of other food. What should be done
Other foods should be made a part of the diet. You can make parathas using vegetables like peas, spinach, potatoes, paneer.
Is clarified butter (toop) good for children?
Yes. Add it on top of rice, roti and dal.
What carbs and fats are good for regular consumption and what should be avoided?
Complex carbs like oats and millets (jowar bajra) are healthier. Polyunsaturated fats are healthier but overall fat intake should be lowered. Trans fats ( vada pav, farsan items) are the worst.
Doctor is wheat as a carb good to give? Or is it necessary to include other carbs like jowar bajra as I have tried and my kid doesn't like it. He is 11 years and now is used to having wheat rotis.
Make bhakri with jowar bajra or nachni twice a week. Add oats for breakfast. Have a mix as all cereals have different nutritional qualities . Millets are rich in iron and calcium.
My daughter often complains about leg pain during night time. What should be done?
Could be growing pains . Give Vitamin D supplement. Must have 2 glasses of milk daily . That should be enough.
She likes to eat cheese, and natural sugars like Jaggery honey raisins jelly, milk chocolate, ice-cream , but she does not like cakes, custards, Kheer at all.
Cheese is a good source of calcium and proteins but high in fats. Restrict the amounts given to avoid obesity. Chocolates, ice cream should not be given often as it can cause cavities.
White spots are present on my child's face,can it be due to some deficiency?
No. It’s usually Pityriasis alba and common in school going kids .
Any advice for constipation. My daughter is 1 week less to complete 21 months.
Ensure right diet with fruits and veg. Train in correct posture for passing stools . Stool softening agents may be needed
Growing adolescents suddenly start eating more due to increased appetite. Is it ok if they eat more poli or fulkas and dal rice? Or should something else be served for the increased appetite?
Home food is generally fine . Ensure exercise (Most adolescents busy with only academics).
Will dry fruits help giving calcium?
Dry fruits like almonds, dates, dried figs are a good source of calcium.
Sweet craving in my fairly healthy 6 years old is my concern because of which she is gaining weight as well. Kindly advise.
I will give you one practical advise that worked with my son. I took him for a casual visit to a dentist for general cleaning. Dentist spoke to him about cavities and how they remove it. That was enough to scare him and he himself restricted the intake of sweets out of fear of that chair.
My daughter is not potty trained yet. And she gets a lot of burps when she's doing potty. Is eating less food but more of milk.
Cut down on milk , make her squat down.
Would eating 2 eggs a day be gud for a child who is into athletics?
Egg is an excellent source of proteins as it provides all the essential amino acids. It is very good to add it to his daily diet.
My boys dont have the yolk of eggs. Does the white have enough protein.
Yolk and white are both important. Make omelette or scrambled egg.
My daughter is 2.4 years and loves eating , she walks to the kitchen every half an hour . I try to keep healthy stuff like dates, dry fruits etc but shouldn't this be restricted. She has no digestion issues.
This is absolutely fine!
What shud be the protein intake for kids in adolescence?
Non veg is the best source of first class proteins. Other sources of proteins are pulses, sprouts, soy, milk, eggs and meat.
Dr Umesh Vaidya – Healthy Food For Kids
Dr. Umesh Vaidya – Healthy Food For Kids is the topic that he will be discussing with the parent. Dr. Vaidya is a medical practitioner or Doctor by profession. He is a paediatrician, Neonatologist and author of books on Nutrition. He is a governing member of the West Zone at the National Neonatology Forum and is the President of State Chapter of the National Neonatology Forum. His expertise lie in child care practices, infant food, childhood illnesses and general health of kids.
Dr. Umesh Vaidya is well known in India for his passion for quality neonatal care and has a keen interest in both parental and internal neonatal nutrition. He has co-authored a book on preterm care for parents.
The Session
Dr Umesh Vaidya – Healthy Food For Kids is the topic where he will be answering growing concern and questions from the parents. For more details, visit our website.