It’s sweet to say no

             (By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, Jun 19, 2006)


Today, children want to eat chocolates and sweets all the time, as well as eating large amounts of rice or bread. Childhood is a time of growth and the need for energy is great, so the craving for sugar and starch is understandable. However, a proper balance of nutrients — carbohydrate and protein — is important to ensure good growth and prevent unhealthy eating habits from setting in.

When the protein in a child’s diet is low, children get hungry as the stomach feels empty an hour or so after a meal. That’s when they start looking out for sweets to eat.

Here’s what carbohydrate and protein foods are: carbohydrates are sugars and starch. Sugar is found in fruits, regular sugar, jaggery, honey. Starch is found in all vegetables and cereals — rice, wheat, corn, ragi, jowar, bajra. Protein is found in dal, pulses, milk, milk products, egg, fish, chicken, meats, and nuts.

First check if your child is getting both carbohydrate and protein in his diet. Only a glass of milk for breakfast is not balanced. Milk with bread or cereal and milk or porridge with milk would be ideal.

Similarly, milk and egg alone is not good, milk, egg and bread or a chappati would be ideal. Bread and jam or bread and butter alone is not good as the protein is missing. Egg or milk must go with it.

Idli and sambar or dosa are good as they are in themselves a rice and dal combination. However, a glass of milk can be drunk even with an idli or dosa for breakfast. Upma must be eaten with curd or a glass of milk.

Most often, lunch and dinner are also poorly balanced. Lime rice, tamarind rice or pulav and a subji or chappati and subji are only carbohydrate — the protein is missing. Often, dal and pulses are given very little importance. Dals and pulses like sambar, channa, rajma, moong palya or curry, are a good source of protein as well as vitamins and minerals. They must be eaten at least once or twice a day. So ensure that your child drinks 2-3 glasses of milk a day, with two servings of dal/pulses, and an egg a day.

Carbohydrate foods get digested one to two hours after being eaten. Protein foods take three to four hours. If there is protein in every meal, you will feel hungry closer to the next meal. That is the secret of resisting sweets between meals. Feel hungry? Try to eat a fruit and wait for your meal.

Stop bringing sweets home and teach your child to enjoy fruits. Veggies are a must and a fresh salad should be included at least once a day.

                          *  *  *  *  *  *  *