Here is a simple meal plan that ensures wholesome nutrition for the day

A wholesome and well-balanced diet is essential for kids to be active and energetic throughout the day. They require carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre in the right amount to ensure proper physical and mental growth. If there is a deficiency of any of these, it could lead to fatigue, anaemia, learning difficulty, shortness of breath and stunting. A nutrient rich diet is vital for the physical development in kids and for cell development in adults.

Breakfast

Breakfast is often called the brain food as it is the first meal that you eat after resting your body for around eight hours. Nutritionists say that breakfast shouldn’t be avoided no matter how busy you are. Idli and sambar is a healthy and filling breakfast combination that ensure wholesome nutrition. Upma that has veggies like carrot, beans, peanuts and urad dal too is an amazing option. Meanwhile, appam, puttu, idiyappam and chapathi could be enjoyed with Bengal gram curry, grean peas, soybeans and paneer masala.

Sandwich made by layering carrots, cucumbers, tamooes, butter, egg and paneer in brown bread is tasty and healthy too. You could also try oats cooked in milk. Oats porridge could be made extra delicious and nutritious by topping it with fresh fruits, cashews, almonds and cherries.

Colourful puttu – Grated carrot, beetroot, drumstick leaves and meat mixture could be mixed along with coconut to make puttu extra nutritious.The breakfast would be complete and nutritious by having a glass of milk and a fruit.

Lunch

Rice contains carbohydrates. So, rice could be eaten with fish, egg, leafy vegetables and yoghurt to ensure protein, calcium and iron intake to the body. Rice served along with sambar, stir fried leafy vegetable and yoghurt would ake a tasty and filling midday meal. If you are going for pulao, add a a boiled egg to make it extra nutritious. You can also go for a refreshing tomato raita along with stuffed chapathi that has the goodness of paneer and soybeans. If you are craving south Indian, opt for curd sadam or sambar sadam, the classic ones. Also try tomato sadam, which adds the perfect punch to your midday meal with ample nutrition.

Evening snack

Instead of store brought snacks and fast food, opt for locally or homemade ones. Steamed dishes like ilayappam (steamed rice patties with grated coconut and jaggery filling), kozhukatta (rice balls), puttu, kumbilappam (steamed jackfruit based snack), idli, aval (flattened rice), puri, bread omelette and bread dipped in egg batter and deep fried are some of the popular tea time snacks.

Dinner

It is better to eat dinner by 8:30 pm. Avoid fried food that takes time to digest. Kanji (rice porridge) or chappathi and curries that are easily digested could be had for dinner.