Cow’s milk is the complete nutrition for your child. Like adults, your child’s diet should also include 3 meals and two nutritious snacks every day. Teach him healthy food habits like eating green vegetables and fresh fruits. You should try to avoid low nutritious food items for your child like sweets, dessert, candies, soft drinks and chips. A proper nutritious diet can reduce many medical problems. It also increases the stamina of your child.
 

A balanced nutritious diet includes a number of facts. Don’t restrict your child to a single food item. Encourage him to eat a variety of foods. Nutritious diet includes green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits. Choose a diet moderate in sugar and low in fat. Balanced diet should include food items rich in calcium. Calcium is necessary for meeting the requirements of a healthy growing body. Your child’s body becomes hydrated quickly as compared to others. Ask your child to drink excessive water. Adequate anounts of fats should also be included in your child's diet. 
 

Growth rate is measured through growth chart. This chart is easily available at child health agencies or public health clinics. Track the proper record of the food consumed by your child.
 

Related article: importance of Fat rich food
 

Feeding guide for preschoolers

• Vegetable Group: This group includes green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and starchy vegetables. The suggested serving size includes ¼ cup of cooked vegetables and chopped raw vegetables, ½ cup of green leafy vegetables. Your child should eat three to five servings of suggested serving sizes in a single day.
• Fruit Group: This group includes citrus fruits and their juices. Your child should consume two to four servings in a day.
• Cereal Group: This group includes bread, pasta, cereals and rice. The serving size includes ½ slice of bread, ¼ cup of cooked rice and cereal, 4 crackers and ½ cup of ready to eat cereals. Your child should eat 6 to 11 servings according to suggested serving size.
• Milk Group:  This group includes milk, cheese and yogurt. The serving size includes ½ cup of milk, 1 ounces of processed cheese and ¾ ounce of natural cheese. Your child should eat 4 servings of milk group in a single day.
• Meat Group: This group includes meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, peas and nuts. The serving size includes 2 tablespoons peanut butter, ½ egg, ½ cup of cooked beans, fish and 1 ounce of cooked meat. Your child should eat 3 to 5 servings according to suggested serving size.
• Fats Oils and Sweets:Only a certain percentage of your complete diet should come from fats. Importance of fat rich food is also divided into various categories. These are saturated fats, unsaturated fats and poly saturated fats. Sources of saturated fats are dairy products, meat, coconut and palm. Sources of unsaturated fats are olive and peanuts. Poly saturated fat comes from sunflower, soybean and cottonseeds oils. A child diet should not contain more than 10 percent of saturated fat content.

Some important tips

• Use low fat dairy products and unsaturated vegetable oils for your child.  Don’t forget to check the nutrition label chart for verifying the amount of fat in each food item. Saturated fat food items should be consumed in lower quantity. Sugar should be used only in limited amount in your food.

Restrict the Fast Food Intake

• Fast food is delicious but hazardous for your child’s health. Fast food has zero nutritious value. So you should restrict your child from consuming fast food. Ask your child to give his opinion for deciding a healthy diet plan for him. In this way, he will appreciate your decision and also follow the diet chart sincerely.
  
  Related article: importance of vitamin rich food

Prevent Feeding problems

• The best style for preventing feeding problems is to teach your child how to feed himself. Mealtimes should be interesting and pleasant. It should not be a struggling time for your child. The most common mistake committed by parents is to force their children when they are not hungry, giving them so much liquid food that they never ask for solid food item. You should also avoid low nutritious food items like sweets, dessert, candies and flavored drinks.
• Sometimes, children refuse to eat certain food items in the beginning. But you don’t have to worry about it. After sometime, he becomes habitual of eating healthy food in proper quantity. Your preschooler does not require calories in a large amount. Preschoolers grow at a slow rate and they also require lesser energy as compared to adults. If you are still worried about your child health then you can give vitamin syrup daily to your child.
• Some kids try new food items only after being offered 10 to 15 times. But you should not give up. Other style of preventing feeding problem is to offer desired award to your child. You should not punish him incase he is not eating well. In fact, appreciate him for his good behavior. If your child is not ready to eat nutritious food, don’t give any alternative. After sometime, he will ask for the same food himself.
  
  Related article: importance of Calcium rich food

Calcium Requirements

• Calcium is an essential nutrient required for the growth of your child's bones. Your child’s diet should contain calcium in large quantity in order to maintain strength of bones. Calcium also prevents osteoporosis development in the adults. Preschoolers require 800 mg of calcium daily in their diet. The best sources of calcium are milk, white beans, broccoli, cheese, yogurt, citrus fruits and sweet potatoes. Ask your child to select desired ingredients from the above list. Orange juice and milk are most commonly liked by all children.
  
  Related article: importance of Iron rich food

Iron Requirements

• Iron is the other essential nutrient required by your child. Iron is necessary for the proper growth of your child. It is also necessary for maintaining muscles and blood level of your preschooler. Preschoolers require 10 mg of iron daily in their diet. The rich sources of iron are beef, peanuts, nuts, green peas, spinach, tomato juice, squash, raisins and watermelon.
<