Child Nutrition at different stages of development.

Child Nutrition Session by Vidya ji in Aadhya WhatsApp group.

Topics covered in Session:

 Food options for 6 months to 9 months

 Food options for 10-12 months

 Food options for 1-1.5 years

 Food options for 1.5-3 years

 Food options for 3 - 5 years

 Food options for 5-8 years

 Food options for 12 years and above

 The schedule that I follow at home

 General Suggestions

Few things to note first,

1) For all kids same food might not work well irrespective of the age.

2) Kids are allergic to few foods based on the nature of their bodies which will have one of

the 3 factors predominant. Vatha, pitta and kapa. We should know to identify. A child who

has a vatha predominant type may have allergy towards watermelon and may develop nausea, stomach ache, etc. So you should know your kids body.

3) Ensure that all healthy foods are given before 4.00 PM.

4) Ensure your kid gets one fruit, one vegetable, one green a day.

5) Every food has vata, pita and kapa inducing factors. So whatever you give ensure it is not the only food given all the time. Like potatoes given for kids to put on weight will make their
body gaseous in nature over a period of time. So please try to administer varieties.

Up to 6 month old child, the best diet for your child would be mother's milk. Please don't

compromise on it. After 6 months it is a must for additional nutrition but try to continue mother's milk at least till one year twice daily.

Food options for 6 months to 9 months:

1. we can add idli and ghee.

2. Ragi porridge along with milk.

3. Raw rice flour porridge with salt and ghee.

4. Parupu rice with moong dal and ghee.

5. Banana soup - cut 1/2 banana into small pieces. Add water. Let it boil. Strain, cool and feed.

All these provide protein to them along with carbohydrates.

Food options for 10-12 months:

1. Soya - 50 gm, raw rice or sabudana - 10gm, milk -1/4 glass and palm sugar-50gm.Soak

and grind them separately. If it is sabudana, powder it. Mix both with water and boil. Add

milk and palm sugar. You can give this for once a day either at 10-11am or at 3-4 pm.

Strengthens bone and heart. Kids get sound sleep.

2. Can start with white of egg.

3. Can give cooked and mashed apple.

Food options for 1-1.5 years:

1.Fried gram -100gm, palm sugar-50gm, milk - 1/2 glass. Grind the gram along with sugar.

For every spoon of this mixture add 1/2 glass of water and boil it. Once it starts to boil add

boiled milk , mix and switch off. Can be given in the evening. Fried gram has good protein

content needed for this age. Giving it daily will increase their muscle power.

2. Also give anyone soup of spinach, amaranthus, banana daily.

Food options for 1.5-3 years:

Morning- idlis, dosas, adais, upma with vegetables. More of carbohydrates with proteins

Mid - morning snack - any fruit in small quantities, sprouted pulses, salads.

Lunch - rice with dal, rice with curd, rice with rasam or sambar or kootu. Along with

vegetables.

Evening- introduce to healthy snacks such as candy balls made up of peanut, fried gram,

moong dal flour , fried gram flour, sooji, sesame. Items made up of rice flour such as

murukku, adhirasam, etc. Items made up of Bengal gram flour, etc. As far as possible make this snack healthy.

Dinner - rice with rasam, chapathis, rice with milk are few options.

Evening snack provide them also with junk twice or thrice in a week. It helps in preventing

them from craving for junk. Better to give fruits and sprouts in the mornings. Spouts are gaseous in nature so have it
before 4 and fruits again kapha, so again before 4.

Food options for 3 - 5 years:

1. Porridge made out of sorghum. Partially broken sorghum - 50gm, moong dal-50gm, raw rice-50 gm can be given along with milk and palm sugar. Helps to keep them active.

2. Grind papanasini and seive it. Add a spoon of it in one glass of water. Boil it, add milk and palm Jaggery. Strengthens nerves and avoids nerve weekness later in life.

3.Can bring in normal diet if adult.

Give nuts in a regular qty. Like 1 cashew, 1 almond, 1 pista, 1 walnut, 1 date, 2 dry black

grapes with seed, 1/4 fig.

As far as possible in the mornings.

Nuts can be given after having a glass of water soon after brushing.

Some even say drinking water in the morning extinguishes the digestive Agni. Till date this is controversial topic. I have found it effective in avoiding constipation

Food options for 5-8 years:

1. Porridge made up of urad dal.

Raw rice-200gm, boiled rice - 200gm, urad dal-50gm,toor dhal-25g, palm candy-500gm,

milk-1 glass. Make all the ingredients into powder. Make porridge with 2 teaspoons of this

powder and drink it with milk mixed. Can be given morning and evening.

Helps in strengthening reproductive organs .

2) Fenugreek porridge- sprouted fenugreek-50gm, sprouted sorghum and ragi - 100 gm each, raw rice- 100gm, Jaggery-1/2 kg, milk - 1 glass. Dry the sprouted items, mildly roast and
grind them with rice. Use 2 spoons of this mixture to make porridge along with Jaggery. Add
milk and drink.

Can give once urad dal and once fenugreek porridge in morning and evening of the day, will help to reduce body heat. Will prevent piles later in life. Will help to avoid problems later
with sperm or egg count.

At this stage nuts can be given along with a spoon of grated coconut and a very thin ginger

slice of 2 cm length.

Food options for 9-12 years

1. Urad dal Kali - atleast once a week. strengthens uterus, heart and other reproductive organs.

2. Sesbania or spinach curry - twice a week. Infertility will be avoided.

Food options for12 years and above:

1. Plantain flower pongal or curry - once a week. Cleans intestine

2.Coriander tamarind pongal-bile secretion regularised, regulates monthly periods.

3. Not too ripe flat beans and drumstick leaf curry. - thrice in a week. Bad cholesterol and

unwanted flesh removed

4. Radish pudina Pongal - controls bile, prevents stomach pain and back ache. Prevents

prostrate swelling.

5. Beetroot, ghee, honey and saffron legiyam- keeps away tiredness.

6. Carrot chutney-rich in vitamins

7. Pidi karunai legiyam-avoids piles

8. Horse gram idlis-reduces overweight

Idlis and dosas can be made with millets from initial stages itself.

Instead of milk give soup in the mornings if you are unable to get cow milk.

Mid-morning snack with fruits and sprouts, buttermilk, juices.

Lunch- vegetables and greens must.

Evening snacks- healthy home made .. sometimes junk pls

Night - Rice till 18 years does no harm. Post 18 years give tiffin in night. Upmas, kichadi,

etc.

The schedule that I follow at home:

Morning

1) a glass of Luke warm water

2) nuts as said

3) soup - ginger, garlic, small onions, coriander, curry leaves, mint, tomatoes, beetroot,

carrot, peas, beans, moong dal, sometimes drumstick if I get , pepper and salt. Water strained.

Residue mashed and added back to water and served with butter. This gave them a good

immunity.

Millet porridge-one a day.

Mid morning- mostly fruits, alternative days sprouts, sometimes junk to blend with their

friends.

Lunch - any mixed rice, with a green and vegetable.

Also a piece of capsicum

After they come back from school, i give them curd rice or buttermilk. Please ensure curd

rice is given before 4.00 as it is again gaseous in nature.

Around 5.30 some titbits

at 7 they have dinner, rice /idli/dosa/chapathis/adai: Ensure early dinner for kids.

Always sauté with ghee or coconut oil.

General Suggestions:

Any ulcer in mouth or stomach give the coconut oil or ghee

This diet has helped me almost quite well. They have fallen ill only twice in the year, and that too only now during cold days. Otherwise they are fine

Any fever or cold pls don't immediately rush to doc. Try home remedies as much as possible.

With doc's antibiotics it is 5 days, with your home remedies also it will be the same 5 days

Give them Neem leaves once in 2 weeks to take care of their stomach

Have concentrated on primary diets which should be included in their diet. Most of them are traditional.

Amla rice, bitter gourd, sesbania, sundakkai will be there definitely every week. Vegetables

for a week to involve mix of gourds, traditonal veggies, legumes, western veggies like carrot , cauliflower, root vegetables, fibrous ones like plantain stem.