
Fibre, a plant-based food component that cannot be digested by the human body, is one of the most important parts of your child’s daily dietary needs.
It helps them maintain a healthy digestive process, and allows feces to gather up and pass through their bowel system in a smoother way.
High fiber foods will benefit the overall health of your child and will help them keep a steady weight at all times. Recent times in America have shown high rates of diabetes among children which can be tackled by introducing more fiber and less junk food in their diets.
There are mainly two types of dietary fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers are found in fruits and vegetables, and insoluble fibers in cereals and wheat grains.
Soluble fibers can be easily digested by the body by making a gel-like substance while insoluble fibers trap water by increasing the weight of the feces inside the body. Both help with bowel movement and easy defecation.
Introduce fiber in your child’s daily intake by following the expert advice below:
- More fruits and vegetables: Introduce more plant-based foods in your child’s diet and keep a minimum of 5 cups of fruits and vegetables daily. Keep your vegetables mostly raw when you cook them and do not peel off the skins of the fruits as they add high fiber.
Baked potatoes with skin, apples, pears, broccoli, avocados, dried fruits are excellent food sources of fiber for your baby.
- High fiber cereal: beta glucan food sources is one of the soluble dietary fibers which is present in high fiber cereal, whole grains, wheat, and barley. It is extremely important for your child’s overall good health but makes sure the cereals are not too sugary.
- Beans to the menu: Lentils and beans are very good sources of fiber, are super healthy foods, and can be used to make very delicious meals that kids love to eat. Baked beans, beans with pasta, chickpeas into hummus are some of their favorites!
- Berries as candies: kids love berries as they come in formidable sizes and attractive colors. They are a highly beneficial meal with fiber content. You can make frozen berries and add them in smoothies, cupcakes, or even make a yogurt meal.
Your child will always have his routine for food intake, but you can always make eating interesting by introducing different kinds of a menu with fiber content in it. Experiment with meals so that feeding fiber to your child does not become strenuous for you.