With the growing age, your child's dietary needs also change. To make sure that your child gets the right nutrients that can aid his growth, you will have to be very careful about his daily diet. 

In India, most of the kids start attending the school as they turn 3. They get involved in lot of mental and physical activities due to which it becomes important to see that their nutritional needs are taken care of in a proper way. Their diet must contain a balanced amount of fats, minerals, carbohydrates, and proteins.     

Food Sources for Needed Nutrients 

Carbohydrates: These provide sufficient amount of energy to the growing kids that boost their  metabolism rate. The carbohydrates even aid in their growth, and helps in keeping the brain and the  nervous system healthy. Kids in the age bracket of 3-5 need good amount of carbohydrates to support their bodily growth. The primary sources of carbohydrates are cereals, potatoes, legumes. Sugar found in honey, milk, juices etc. too are great sources of carbohydrates.

Protein: For growing kids, protein is an essential nutrient. It boosts the metabolic reactions. Protein supports the growth of new cells and tissues. The 3-5 year old kids need good amount of protein in their diet as it's their growing age. Peas, poultry, beans, cereals, milk, eggs, meat, pulses, cheese and nuts are some great protein sources. 

Vitamins: All the major vitamins like the Vitamin A, Vitamin B, etc. play a major role in boosting your child's growth. These vitamins regulate the functioning of digestive system, nervous system and many other vital functions of the body. Fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, milk etc are rich sources of different types of vitamins. 

Minerals: Minerals happen to be the inorganic substances that carry out a variety of functions such as muscle building. Calcium, iron, potassium, sodium etc are some of the key minerals that are essential to boost your child's healthy growth. Each mineral has a key role to play in your child's growth. This is why you must ensure that your child eats all types of fruits, and vegetables, eggs, pulses, milk etc. 

Fiber: Fiber plays a vital role in aiding a healthy digestive system in kids. It even helps in the smooth run of all systems in the body. Growing kids need a lot of fiber in their diet so that they can stay healthy. Whole grains, cereals, oats, apples, berries, pears, green peas etc. are rich in fiber content.

Fat: Many fear of fat, but fats if taken in small amount are really healthy and must be included in a healthy diet. Kids need a specific amount of fat for the right development of brain and the nervous system. Butter, ghee, milk are good sources of fat.  

A balanced diet is the perfect blend of all these nutrients and therefore when planning the diet of your 3-5 year old kid, you will have to make space for all of these. Below is a chart that would help you understand what an ideal diet plan for a 3-5 year old child should be like. Have a look

Diet Plan for 3 year Old Kids

Diet Plan for 4-5 year old Kids