Understanding Food Preferences
Preschool children prefer carbohydrate rich foods like cereals, breads and crackers instead of protein rich foods like meat, milk, egg etc. As far as the taste of the food is concerned, they can savor anything that is lightly flavored. Strongly flavored vegetables or any kind of scorched foods don’t seem to please their taste buds. They like lukewarm foods rather than hot or extremely cold foodstuffs. More preference is shown towards variety in colour, texture and form of the foods served. They are no more a toddler who could easily take up eating his meals in a mashed form; would rather look for nibbling on finger foods.
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It is true that children need sufficient amount of energy through nutrient dense foods for their growth, development and activity. The amount of food a preschooler needs will depend upon his age, activity level, growth rate and appetite. Your preschooler may also not easily conform to a 3-4 meal pattern in a day. This is quite evident as they experience a surge in their preference for foods, every time when they are introduced to a new food at the dining table. This often gives way for food jags and tantrums at the meal time which again is unavoidable. But parents needn’t worry as long as the children remain active, growing and their hunger is satisfied. This is because, they will be doing up fairly well |
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It is true that children need sufficient amount of energy through nutrient dense foods for their growth, development and activity. The amount of food a preschooler needs will depend upon his age, activity level, growth rate and appetite. Your preschooler may also not easily conform to a 3-4 meal pattern in a day. This is quite evident as they experience a surge in their preference for foods, every time when they are introduced to a new food at the dining table. This often gives way for food jags and tantrums at the meal time which again is unavoidable. But parents needn’t worry as long as the children remain active, growing and their hunger is satisfied. This is because, they will be doing up fairly well.
Aping Healthy Changes at Mealtime
Meals should be served in a calm and a pleasant atmosphere. Give your child enough time to complete his meal. Never try to feed your child when he is extremely tired. Allow sometime for rest and then let him eat small amounts. Also, let them decide when they have to stop. A child can sense when he is sufficiently full, so will not indulge in overeating by himself. Force feeding on your end otherwise won’t help and would rather make him feel uncomfortable. Encourage self feeding and learning up on basic table manners. Children do tend to imitate the eating habits of those present at the table. Eating along with the other children will help them eat better and at the same time also be able to overcome their prejudices for foods. Mealtime should also provide an opportunity to cherish an interacting session with other family members. This coupled with some healthy cheering and pepping up the children to eat well at the same time.
Keep away from using foods as a reward at the mealtime or as a mode of pampering your child. This is because they then begin associating foods with emotions and may not learn to realize the individual importance of them in their meals.
True, every parent wants to inculcate the habit of eating healthy in their child right from the start. But you should also see to that you offer them small amounts of food at regular intervals rather than pilling a large portion on the plate at one meal. New foods should be offered one at a time and never make an issue of acceptance or rejection. It would increase the child’s anxiety, if you try to impose your views in an authoritarian manner. Being patient with the process helps, as for many children it may take repeated servings of the same food before they take a liking for it.
Encourage children’s participation in the kitchen chores. Let them wash few veggies or layer the sandwich with their choice of filling. Have them along with you, while you head to shopping for your kitchen repertoire. While you go about picking up healthier foods, try to emphasize its importance in the process. For e.g. Say something like, ‘veggies will make you a strong boy, so now we will fill our stocking tray with some broccoli.’
All That Makes a Nutri Plate
Offer foods from all the varied food groups to provide them with a wide array of key nutrients essential in their growth.
Let your child munch on these, when he is hungry! |
- Cheese, yoghurt, paneer, eggs, cereals, chunks of fruit.
- Spring rolls, veg Frankie (using wheat or a multi grain roti), milk pudding, homemade chikki, whole grain muffins, bread with peanut butter and jam.
- Mini pizzas, burger, sandwiches with whole wheat base and vegetable pattice as a filling instead of salad vegetables. You can use a different set of cutters to give these sandwiches interesting shapes.
Healthy choices to quench his thirst |
- Water, vegetable juices, soups, yoghurt beverage, fruit and milk smoothie remain the healthier options.
- Spring rolls, veg Frankie (using wheat or a multi grain roti), milk pudding, homemade chikki, whole grain muffins, bread with peanut butter and jam.
- Opt for it occasionally:-Fresh fruit unsweetened juice devoid of any kind of artificial preservatives, flavours and colours.
Shun these foods- foods that are high in fat, salt, sugar and Caffeine. Avoid piling up the refrigerator with aerated beverages and soda pop. Candies, chocolates, potato chips are other food items that should be kept away from their sight.
PACKED TIFFIN OF A PRESCHOOLER (NUTRIENT DENSE SNACKS)
1.VEG NOODLE TIKKI
One serving:- 2 small pieces
Preparation time:- 25min
| Ingredients |
Amounts(gms) |
| Potatoes |
50 |
| Carrots |
20 |
| Green peas |
15 |
| Noodles |
10 |
| Oil |
10 |
Nutritional Values per Serving:-
| Energy (kcals) |
CHO (g) |
Protein (g) |
Fat (g) |
| 192 |
16.5 |
8 |
10 | Method of Preparation:- |
- Chop the vegetables in to small pieces and steam them.
- Cook the noodles as per the instructions given in the pack, by adding ¼ tsp of the seasoning.
- Mix well all the above ingredients together; add a small pinch of amchur powder, red chilli powder, and zeera powder. Sprinkle finely chopped coriander to it.
- Give them any desired shape of your choice and shallow fry the pieces.
Be experimental and fill these tikkis with anything that your child likes. You can add cheese, paneer, boiled corns, shredded chicken; sneak in french beans or even small amount of leafy greens when making kebabs. E.g. paneer spinach kebabs. |
2.RAJMA PANEER PARATHA
One serving:- One small paratha
Preparation time:- 40min
| Ingredients |
Amounts(gms) |
| Wheat flour |
30 |
| Rajma |
10 |
| Paneer (1small cube) |
15 |
| Onions |
15 |
| Tomatoes |
15 |
| Oil |
10 |
Nutritional Values per Serving:-
| Energy (kcals) |
CHO (g) |
Protein (g) |
Fat (g) |
| 274 |
29.4 |
8.6 |
13.6 | Method of Preparation:- |
- Soak the rajma overnight and pressure cook them.
- Add oil to the pan, sauté onions till light brown and add tomato puree.
- Then add salt, ¼ tsp of chilli powder, zeera powder and add the rajma to this mixture. Mash the rajma till it blends well with the masalas. Make sure the entire mixture is dry or else it won’t bind with the dough.
- Knead the dough, divide into two equal parts and roll them in to two small rotis.
- Place the dry rajma mixture and grated paneer on one roti. Flatten it evenly, dab little oil on the sides and place another roti over it.
- After pressing firmly, roll it again lightly.
- Cook these parathas on a non stick tawa using little amount of oil. Cut them into triangular pieces or simple halves. After it cools, place them into the child’s Tiffin box.
- You can also use the little rajma of the previous leftover recipe to make parathas.
Time consuming! But it packs in a great nutrient treat with calcium and protein apart from being energy dense. |
3. Moong Dhokla
One serving:- 2 to 3 medium pieces.
Preparation time:- 30min
| Ingredients |
Amounts(gms) |
| Whole green moong |
30 |
| Gram flour |
½ tsp |
| Curds |
25 |
| Eno’s fruit salt |
½ tsp |
| Ginger paste |
¼ tsp |
Nutritional Values per Serving:-
| Energy (kcals) |
CHO (g) |
Protein (g) |
Fat (g) |
| 133 |
20.6 |
8.9 |
1.6 | Method of Preparation:- |
- Soak the moong for 3 to 4 hours. Drain the water and grind to a coarse paste.
- Add ¼ tsp of ginger paste, gram flour, cumin seed powder, curds and salt.
- Grease a small thali and keep aside. Divide the batter into two parts.
- Add ¼ tsp of eno’s fruit salt to half of the batter. Mix well, pour into the greased thali and steam immediately for 10-12 minutes.
- Repeat the procedure for the remaining half of the batter.
- Cool slightly and cut into diamond shaped pieces. Sprinkle little finely chopped coriander and tuck in the child’s tiffin box.
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