Why should You Include Nuts in Your Kid’s Diet?
It is common for parents to worry about their child’s health. We are always careful about our child’s diet, and we do everything to provide them with a daily dose of nutrition. Talking about nutrition, you won’t find a better option than healthy nuts. Eating nuts like almonds, cashew, pistachios, berry nuts, etc., provides a range of health benefits. Thus, introduce nuts into your child’s regular diet to promote their overall growth.
Here are some healthy reasons why you should include nuts in your child’s diet.
Contain Essential Nutrients
Nuts are nutrient-dense food containing a considerable amount of vitamins, minerals, protein, healthy fats, and fiber. All these nutrients are essential for the overall growth of children. They will help your kids to grow, develop, and learn. In fact, one serving of nuts can fulfill 36% of a kid’s daily Vitamin E requirement and 13% of fiber requirement. Moreover, nuts are good sources of healthy fats, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Healthy for Heart
Including nuts in your child’s diet will also keep them heart-healthy. As mentioned earlier, nuts are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids which keep your heart healthy. Regular consumption of nuts is good for the cardiovascular health of your kids. It maintains the health of the lining of arteries and balances cholesterol. Also, consuming nuts reduces the build-up of deposits known as plaques which lower the risk of blood clots.
Quick & Tasty Snack
Giving children the right snacks, tasty yet healthy, can be a daunting task. Nuts make a perfect snack for children, which provides a good amount of energy. Moreover, children often create a fuss over food. But you can easily make nuts tasty and include them in your kid’s diet. Nuts can be eaten in various forms, like roasted nuts or sprouted nuts. You can give your child flavored nuts like coffee flavored almonds that your child will love. Healthy trail mix can be a great way to make your child eat nuts. You can also use nuts to make delicious recipes for your child. For example, you can chunk up low-fat yogurt and fruit with granola.
Rich in Antioxidants
Nuts like almonds and berry nuts come loaded with antioxidants. They are rich in compounds called polyphenols which neutralize unstable molecules called free radicals. By doing so, these compounds protect your body as free radicals can cause cell damage. Nuts like almonds and walnuts have high polyphenol content, which increases the antioxidant capacity and protects cells from damage. Thus, make sure to give your child the goodness of nuts.
Strengthens Bones
As you already know, nuts contain essential nutrients like calcium and other minerals, magnesium, and phosphorus. Magnesium helps in absorbing and retaining calcium in the bones. Also, phosphorus is a major component of bones. Around 85% of phosphorus is present in the bones and teeth of your body. Though all nuts are nutrient-dense, almonds succeed all when it comes to magnesium and phosphorus. Almonds have a high content of these minerals, which keep your kid’s bones strong and protect them from tooth decay.
Promotes Brain Development
Healthy nuts also ensure brain development. Nuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids not only maintain a healthy heart but are also good for mental health. They help reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, which is a growing concern for children these days. There are also other benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. They are responsible for maintaining eye health and strong bones. Moreover, almonds contain L-Carnitine and riboflavin, which prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Also, they help improve the concentration and memory power of your children.
Supports Gut Health
Nuts like almonds, pistachios, pecans, and hazelnuts are extremely rich in fiber. Thus, including them in a regular diet helps to reduce the risk of various chronic diseases, especially in children. Moreover, fiber also supports and regulates digestive function. The polyphenols present in nuts keep guts healthy by benefiting the good bacteria that live there. They help the good bacteria to grow and increase in number, which provides numerous advantages for the gut. Thus, to facilitate a healthy gut for better digestive function in your child, incorporate nuts into their daily diet.
Conclusion
Thus, adding nutrient-dense nuts to your child’s daily diet is beneficial for maintaining their health and overall growth. Nuts are a powerhouse of energy and will keep your child’s energy level up for the entire day. Besides boosting energy and providing crucial nutrients, nuts will also keep your child full for a longer period. It means that eating nuts can also help in controlling obesity in your child. There are various interesting ways to include nuts in your kid’s diet. For example, you can prepare a trail mix for your kid’s school lunchbox. You can also add cranberries or walnuts to your homemade banana bread. Or, introduce crushed coffee-flavored almonds into their milk. You can think of various other ways to make your child eat nuts.
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