Do your kids consume enough fiber? Is their plate colourful enough and full of essential nutrients? Do you ensure they consume valuable fiber for healthier growth? Sufficient fiber intakes helps kids with digestion and keep stomach troubles at bay. Also, it inculcates good eating habits that stick with them for rest of their lives.
This article explains the best sources of fiber that should be a part of kids’ healthy diet, along with the quantity they should consume every day based on their age.
Benefits of Fiber for Kids
Although fiber nourishes a child’s health, most kids consume it in insufficient quantity. Fiber helps children digest essential nutrients from other foods they eat and leaves their body as waste. Here are a few benefits of fiber for kids that you must know:
1. Helps in Weight Management
In a study involving young girls between age 7-11, increase in the levels of dietary fiber reduced their visceral body fat. On the other hand, reduction in the fiber intake caused the body fat to increase. Hence, concluding that recommended fiber intake is essential for weight management among kids.
2. Mitigates Risk of Diabetes
Fiber-rich foods are not easy to digest. Thus, keeping the blood sugar levels stable in a kid’s body. Also, there won’t be fat storage, which will keep their insulin and sugar level in check.
3. Prevents Constipation
As per research, 10% of kids face chronic constipation at some point, most of whom take laxatives to treat the condition. However, for better and effective results, pediatricians recommend a nutritional change, including increased fiber consumption to prevent constipation.
4. Reduces Cholesterol
Soluble fiber diet containing nuts, peas, barley, and beans reduces cholesterol levels in children’s body. Also, it eliminates chances of heart diseases and bowel cancer.
Daily Fiber Needs of Your Child
The amount of fiber needed per day for kids may vary according to their age, weight, and energy needs. Hence, the best way is to ensure at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day so they get enough fiber. We have listed daily fiber intake for kids as recommended by the Daily Reference Intakes (RDI):
|
Age Group |
fiber Intake |
|---|---|
|
1-3 years old children |
19 grams/day |
|
408 years old children |
25 grams/day |
|
9-13 years old girls |
26 grams/day |
|
9-13 years old boys |
3 grams/day |
|
14-18 years old girls |
26 grams/day |
|
14-18 years old boys |
38 grams/day |
5 Fiber-Rich Foods for Children
When it comes to their meals, kids can be too picky and convincing them to eat the right food is a hard row to hoe. To make this arduous task easier, we have listed foods with most fiber that your kids will surely like:
1. Whole Grains
Whole grains are the best sources of fiber and to ensure that your kids eat them happily, get creative with meal preparations. Examples of whole grains are oatmeal, khapli wheat, millet, barley, brown rice, etc.
2. Banana
One medium-sized banana is known to be packed with 3.1 grams of fiber. The fruit is high in potassium and is loved by kids.
3. Apple
We all have been listening to the benefits of eating an apple a day. Give your kid one apple every day for breakfast or as evening snack as it provides 3.6 grams of fiber. Add some peanut butter to increase fiber intake by 1.6 grams.
4. Almonds
Most kids enjoy eating almonds, which is healthy and a great source of fiber. One ounce of almonds ensures 3.5 grams of fiber for a kid along with providing vitamin E and essential antioxidant.
5. Green Peas
Add color to your kid’s plate with green peas, be it in salad or sandwiches. It provides 4.4 grams of fiber along with protein.
6. Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, protein, and nutrients. Hence, is often used as an alternative to ordinary potatoes. With a medium-sized sweet potato, your kid can consume 3.8 grams of fiber along with vitamin A, which enhances eye health. So, replace unhealthy french fries with healthy yet yummy baked sweet potato fries.
7. Carrot
Carrots are rich in fiber and vitamin A. Consuming half-a-bowl of freshly cut carrot delivers 2.9 grams of fiber.
Final Thoughts
To keep your kids healthy and fit, you will have to make efforts to meet their daily fiber needs. Include fruits and vegetables in their diet and add a bit of carbohydrate. Make mealtimes fun and see that your little ones will finish everything on the plate in no time.
Author Bio
Kunal Tambe is part of the content marketing team at Two Brothers Organic Farms. With his team, he works tirelessly to create awareness about organic farming, food sovereignty, sustainable practices, nutrition, climate change and a myriad of issues that surround these topics. His content offers value to farmers, the agriculture industry and to end consumers. Besides writing and developing content strategies, he loves adventure sports and listening to classical music.
