Unfortunately, it isn't convenient for every household in a country like mine to feed conveniently and speak more of eating to the nutritional desired level. Having a child get appropriate nutrition is extremely important for every child, when a child is being fed appropriately for the first three years of their life, it is obvious and clearly shows both physically and mentally. A child who has not been fed appropriately will contribute greatly to the number of children who are going through malnutrition. The main reason why WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding is because the future of a child is molded within the first 1,000 days that is between conception and the growing age of two. Undernutrition can cause a lot of increased non-communicable diseases, diabetes, cancer, and other cardiovascular diseases. After the exclusive breastfeeding process, an appropriate complementary food has to be introduced afterward. https://images.pexels.com/photos/2295750/pexels-photo-2295750.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1600 [pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-girl-eating-watermelon-2295750/)

### The measure of good nutrition in children. Just like in adults, the key to appropriate nutrition is getting a healthy balanced diet and exercise and of course, a good and conducive lifestyle as well. There are five main classes of food required for healthy nutritional sustenance, they are; * Vegetables and fruits. * Diary. * Grain. * Fat. * Protein. The amount of food required to be consumed daily varies greatly depending on the genetic makeup of the child, the age, the group of food consumed, physical activity, and understanding of the required daily amount to be consumed, which will increase the possibility of giving your child a balanced meal. **Grains**: There are two categories of grains, we have refined grains and we have whole grains. Whole grains happen to be more nutritious as they often involve products using the entire grain kernel. Some examples of whole grain products are; oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-wheat flower. In the case of refined grains, it has already been milled and processed this is often to improve the texture and quality of shelf life. However, during the process of grain refining, lots of nutritional values are lost and this is basically the reason why whole grains tend to be of better nutritional quality than refined grains. Examples of refined grains are; white bread, white rice, and even cereal. https://images.pexels.com/photos/3624897/pexels-photo-3624897.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1600 [pexels](https://images.pexels.com/photos/3624897/pexels-photo-3624897.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1600) **Vegetables**: Pure vegetables or pure vegetable juice can be classified as a part of the vegetable group. Vegetables can be consumed in their raw, cooked, dehydrated, canned, mashed, or even juiced form. Vegetables can be sub-classified into five(5) different forms; Dark-green vegetables. Red and orange vegetables. Starchy vegetables. Beans and peas. Other types. **Fruits**: Any form of fruit whether it is completely fresh or it's in a juice nature, still belongs to the fruit category. Fruits can come in frozen, canned, dried, juiced, or pureed form, it still belongs to the fruit category regardless of the form it comes. Fruits, however, could contain a significant amount of sugar, it is best to develop a dietary balance, the development of the dietary balance will be dependent on age, amount of activity carried out, and gender. Fresh fruits can also be categorized as either organic or non-organic. The need for a healthy nutritional diet in children cannot be overmentioned, healthy eating is an important stage for building a strong foundation in the child. There are three most important additional benefits of early child nutrition; * It builds up the body against different forms of infectious diseases: Having a nutritious diet provides strength to the body as well as increases general well-being. Proper nutrition helps the young mind enjoy life to the fullest by protecting against different forms of malnourishment, the immune system is also appropriately maintained in this case. Appropriate nutrient in children definitely provides different options; Calcium provides strength to the bones, sources of calcium include; milk yogurt, and seeds. Appropriate iron in a child's body provides healthy blood, good sources of iron are; spinach, legumes, lamb, and quinoa. Protein helps build muscle, sources of proteins could be; eggs, cheese, and even lean meats. Carbohydrate serves as a form of energy, good source of carbohydrates are; potatoes, whole grain bread, and even apples. Essential fats in the body make it possible for the body to absorb vitamins, these essential fats could be found in avocados, nuts, and even fish. * The brain becomes appropriately developed: The brain actually makes use of a greater amount of energy than other organs of the body. From the ability to learn to memory retentiveness is greatly affected by the type of food consumed. Some of the effects of healthy eating may become measurable later in life. As little children have their brains developing, they need a nutrient-dense diet in order to help them process the world around them. When a child stops getting the appropriate nutrient required to stay healthy, they begin to struggle to develop the required skill to maintain concentration. [1](https://www.kidsclubchildcare.com.au/the-importance-of-nutrition-in-early-childhood/#:~:text=The%20physical%20benefits%20of%20proper,Calcium%20strengthens%20bones.) * The cognitive functional ability of the child is improved. As children grow, they are left with the decision to make some type of overwhelming choices. To help children through this stage while maintaining the health benefits of the meal consumed follow these steps; Learn to keep snacks really simple. Create colorful plates of vegetables on their plate. Limit the number of sugary drinks consumed. Punishing a child for refusing to at will not help the situation of things. Allow the child to eat at his/her pace, and stop trying to rush the child all the time. Let children see food as a form of comfort instead of using it as a reward whenever they do something good. [2](https://www.smilefoundationindia.org/blog/importance-of-nutrition-for-children/#:~:text=The%203%20most%20important%20benefits,activity%20levels%20and%20cognitive%20functioning.) ### Important Considerations. * Good nutrition is really important for children's health. * The more kids understand the importance of nutrition, the more excited they will be about eating healthy. * While being conscious about nutrition, we also have to be careful about portion size as well. * Concentrate properly on vegetables and fruits. * Ensure as well that you choose fresh food over processed food. * Water consumption is also really important, consume water or low-fat milk instead of consuming sugary, sweetened drinks. [3](https://www.mana.md/the-importance-of-child-nutrition/) ### For further studies. https://www.kidsclubchildcare.com.au/the-importance-of-nutrition-in-early-childhood/#:~:text=The%20physical%20benefits%20of%20proper,Calcium%20strengthens%20bones https://www.smilefoundationindia.org/blog/importance-of-nutrition-for-children/#:~:text=The%203%20most%20important%20benefits,activity%20levels%20and%20cognitive%20functioning https://www.mana.md/the-importance-of-child-nutrition/ https://www.who.int/health-topics/infant-nutrition#tab=tab_1 ![Snapchat-1340420437.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oluwatobiloba/23xeYvmqrEyjZGxCkE2CwoBnyCb3VuLgkG6xwXakqWjepZv1KTdsg8urfMT1yhZjsev4S.jpg) _____ ______ Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my podcast channel [Here](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy81OWUzMTI2MC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==) and I also have a [youtube channel](UChwx1ZfJxG3PtQ1tf6iUogw) where you can listen and watch any episode for free, do not forget to subscribe and share with friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from members of the community and do well to keep them coming.

RE: Das erste Mal.....