Healthy Food for Growing Children

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Is my child getting enough nutrients, and from the best food? This is a common question which parents tend to worry about, especially when it concerns their children in the toddler or pre-school stage.

In fact, there is no particular “best food”. One of the best ways to eat healthily is to consume a variety of food. This will ensure your child meets all the nutrient requirements. A variety of food should include poultry, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, vegetables and fruits. This variety might not be fulfilled easily as young children tend to be “picky eaters”.

However, you can manage picky eaters by making the effort to present the food in creative ways. The extra effort will be worthwhile when you see the smile on your child’s face after eating and most importantly knowing that he/she is growing up healthily.
Here are two recipes of meals which include a variety of food you can try with your little ones:

Omelette Rice (2-3 person)

Ingredients
½ medium onion chopped finely
1 boneless chicken breast (cut into ½ inch per piece)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup mixed vegetables, defrosted (Corn, pea, carrot)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked rice
1 tbsp ketchup and more for decoration
1 tsp soy sauce

 

Omelette (per person)
1 large egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions
1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil on a non-stick pan and start sautéing the onion.
2. Once the onion is soft, add chicken and cook until it is no longer pink.
3. Add mixed vegetables then pepper to taste.
4. After mixed well, add in rice.
5. Add ketchup and soy sauce. Mix well and transfer the fried rice to plate.
6. Whisk egg and milk in a small bowl.
7. Heat 1 tbsp of oil on non-stick pan.
8. Pour the egg mixture into the pan.
9. When the egg is half solid, add the fried rice on top of the egg mixture.
10. Wrap the fried rice with the egg mixture.
11. Transfer the omelette fried rice on a plate and decorate it with ketchup (eg: smiley face).
12. The omelette fried rice is ready to be served.

Black Pepper Chicken and Vegetables  Wrap (2 person)

Ingredients
Chapatti or Tortilla
½ medium onion sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
150g boneless chicken breast(cut into ½ inch per piece)
50g french beans thinly sliced
50g carrot thinly sliced
¼ corn
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp soya sauce

 

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil on a non-stick pan and start sautéing the onion.
2. Once the onion is soft, add chicken.
3. Add pepper and soya sauce.
4. Mix well and transfer the black pepper chicken to plate.
5. Steam or blanch all the vegetables.
6. Place the vegetable mix and chicken in the middle of the wrap, fold, roll and serve.

Reference:

  1. Technical Working Group on Infants And Young Child Feeding. Guidelines For the Feeding Of Infants And Young Children: Malaysia. Nutrition Division Ministry of Healthy Malaysia; 2008.
  2. L.K.Mahan, Sylvia Escott-Stump. Krause’s Food & Nutrition Therapy. 12th Ed. Canada: Saunders Elsevier; 2008.
  3. Mission Foods Recipes Wap it & Roll it [Package insert]. Mission Wrap.
  4. Nami. Japanese Omelette rice [Internet].2012. [updated 2012 August 12; cited 2013 March 28]. Available from: http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/omurice-japanese-omelette-rice/