A calorie is a unit of energy. It is a unit of measurement; it doesn’t measure weight or length. When it is said that a particular food item contains 100 calories, it’s a way of describing how much energy a person’s body could get from eating or drinking it. Calories aren’t always bad for the body but body needs calories in a certain amount for energy. Consuming too many calories and not burning enough of them through activity can lead to weight gain.
Every food item contains calories. Some foods are calorie-dense and some contain few calories. For example, foods like peanuts contain lot of calories i.e. ½ cup of peanuts has approximately 400 calories whereas lettuce contains few calories i.e. 1 cup of shredded lettuce has less than 10 calories.
As per the best nutritionist in Delhi, it is beneficial for not only kids but for everyone to have a healthy and well-balanced diet. A balanced diet includes the right number of calories –not too many, not too few. So, it is very important to look at what and how much your toddler is eating. It is very much important to keep the track.
Each person’s body burn calories at different rates and so are with kids. Thus, there is no such specific number of calories that every kid should eat.
Consult a nutritionist as every kid has a different requirement and has a different body type. Also, the food from which the calories are coming from and the type of calories also matter. It is advisable to go for calories which come from healthy food items like fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses and more.
Nutritionists can suggest the recommended range of calories which a kid of certain age group should have, depending on how active they are. Never go on a diet without consulting a nutritionist. Generally, diets are not meant for kids as it is a growing age and body requires nutrient-rich food to support proper growth and development of the body. So everything you feed them please look if it will feed their body for good height, physical health or even for fitness.
If a kid consumes more calories than required, the body transform extra calories to fat. Too much of fat can lead to overweight and other health issues. You can know about being overweight or obese with the help of BMI (Body Mass Index).
High-calorie foods like which can help you put up weight:
- Sugary sodas
- Aerated drinks like coke
- Candies and sweets
- Fast food like French fries
- Refined foods like cakes, pastries, rolls and more
These food items quickly add up to too many calories and so should be avoided. In fact, try to find healthy swaps for these junk foods
Ensure the following points to be included in your kid’s daily routine:
- Eat a healthy diet
- Exercise and play regularly
- Must socialize with neighboring kids
Activities which your kid can engage in:
- Taking the dog out for a walk: This will help enhance the cognitive skills of the child and make him more enthusiastic to carry out certain activities. Even if you don’t own one encourage your kid to play outside.
- Pursue a hobby: Join music clubs or learn to play instrument. Enhancing their non-scholastic skills will help them concentrate more on studies, help them explore their interests and develop their perspective.
- Join a sports club: Being a part of a sports club will help the child become socially active and make him more interested in other sporty activities. It is important for physical and mental health.
- Going for the weekly picnic: Stepping out once in a while will help a kid get more family time and will keep him motivated and he will feel loved and supported.
- Go for run on alternate days: Run with your friends, visit nearby parks, make new friends, go for marathons.
- Frequent morning walks with parents: The parent can accompany the child for running or jogging. This will help the child interact more with the parent and build a bonding between them.
- Cycling with siblings: Go for random cycling plans with your siblings and participate in race events. This will keep the kids engaged and will help build social skills.
Parents should encourage your kids to play for at least one hour. Playing is a great idea as it involves being active. At least an hour or more every day is recommended even the best dietitian in Delhi supports this for good health of kids. Playing outside, playing sports or riding your bike can be some of the options where you can also engage and make your kid feel more interested in these activities. Being active keeps our body strong and can help you maintain a healthy weight. Moreover, it will keep you and your kids away from any illnesses or chronic diseases.
Avoid or limit the following things for kids:
- Watching television
- Playing video games for too long
- Sitting for too long
Limit these activities to not more than 2 hours a day except sleeping. This will not help you burn calories and so involve more tasks that help you stay fit. Nowadays many of the kids are more engaged in their gadgets it is essential to keep them away from all such things.
Engaging with gadgets for too long can be one of the serious causes of gaining weight, especially for kids. Try to assign a time limit for kids when they can work/play/explore gadgets. By gadgets, we mean television, tablets, cell phones, laptops, computers and others like play stations or video games. You may feel that your kid is having the right amount of calories but is still not able to perform well at school or physically or is gaining weight or is frequently fall ill. These are the red flag signs and you should watch out for them. This could be the one of the reasons. Watching television, sleeping or playing video games won’t burn many calories and so is necessary for entertainment but should not be on your kid’s schedule covering the major part of the day.