Children's menu or what to feed your child

Of course, all mothers try to organize a healthy and nutritious diet for their child. First of all, eating right is very important for development him physical and mental abilities. And at an early age, basic taste preferences begin to form. Therefore, today we will tell you about what children can and cannot eat, how to create the optimal menu for them, and how to pamper the kids for the holiday.

Menu for children: how to create

After the child begins try food from your plate, or completely goes to the “common table”, it’s time to think about the benefits of the dishes that you prepare for the whole family. Of course, you can continue to cook for him separately, but this turns out to be too labor-intensive to provide adequate nutrition to the baby. Therefore, it is much easier to rebuild everyone on proper diet.

When creating a children's menu, you must take into account several rules:

• Observe the baby’s body’s need for proteins, fats and carbohydrates and their daily balance.
• With food, the child should receive all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
• Try to provide a variety of dishes.
• The number of meals is 4-5 times a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner and one or two snacks, with an interval of 3-4 hours.
• Consider the seasonality of some vegetables and fruits before adding them to your menu.

Nutritionists recommend following the following principles of child nutrition:

• On breakfast you can serve your choice: “traditional” porridge, boiled egg or omelette, cottage cheese in finished form (cheesecakes, casserole).
• Lunch is first, second and third.   Offer your child salad, soup, meat (fish) with a vegetable or cereal side dish.
• Fermented milk products, yoghurts, pastries, and fruits are ideal for an afternoon snack.
• Dinner can be similar to breakfast, or to the second lunch course, but without meat. Vegetable cutlets and casseroles are an excellent alternative to this product.

What children should not eat

There are a number of foods that are not suitable for consumption by an adult, not to mention a child’s body, which simply cannot digest them.

Let's take a closer look at this “harmful” list:

• Sausages, sausages, smoked meats, ready-made frozen foods (dumplings, cabbage rolls, cutlets). Such food contains a large number of additives, preservatives and flavor enhancers, which have a detrimental effect on health if consumed regularly.
• Chips, crackers and other snack products contain a lot of salt and fat.
• Fast food and other fast food.
• Canned food: meat and fish can easily provoke poisoning, and in vegetables and fruits there is an excess of salt and sugar.
• Mushrooms in any form should be avoided until the child is 6-7 years old, because they are difficult to digest food. And mushrooms collected in the forest or bought along the road are especially prohibited.
• Ketchup, mayonnaise, and various “factory-made” sauces are produced with the addition of flavorings and dyes in large quantities, so they can cause allergies.
• One cannot help but mention sweet carbonated drinks, which cause stomach problems and dental caries.

What children need to eat

Now let’s look at the main products that are essential for a growing body.

First of all, it's milk, cheese, cottage cheese and any fermented milk products: kefir, biolact, yogurt, etc. They are rich in protein and perfectly strengthen children's teeth and bones.

Another source of protein is meat. Your child can be given dishes from low-fat varieties: rabbit, veal, beef, chicken, turkey.

Be sure to include fish in your little gourmet’s diet. For the first acquaintance, choose white fish, for example, hake, haddock, pollock. Red fish should be offered no earlier than 1.5-2 years.

We must not forget about eggs; a child is supposed to eat half a chicken egg or a whole quail egg per day. They can also be used as a filling for casseroles or to make omelettes.

Cereals – almost all types are healthy. Make porridge from them for breakfast or dinner, or offer them to your little ones as a side dish. Until the baby is one year old, it is better to feed gluten-free cereals: buckwheat, rice, corn. One more thing - don’t get carried away with semolina. It has been scientifically proven to be of no particular benefit, but it is great for weight gain. Once a week will be enough.

Vegetables, fruits and berries are ideal food for both children and adults. They are perfectly digestible and also contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. It is very important to instill in a child a love for these “gifts of nature” from childhood.

Within reasonable limits, you can include baked goods and pasta made from durum wheat in your child’s menu. These foods are a source of complex carbohydrates that can give you energy.

Dried fruits and nuts also contain a lot of useful substances. Compote of dried apples, dried apricots and raisins begins to be given to children from the age of 10 months, and nuts after 2 years, first in crushed form and then whole.

Menu in kindergartens

Kindergarten The menu is strictly regulated by sanitary and epidemiological standards and requirements. Therefore, parents may not worry about the adequate nutrition of their child and the quality of the food prepared there. Moreover, it is always in the public domain - posted in a group, and each of you can familiarize yourself with it.

Such a menu is usually prepared for 10-14 days. A medical worker is responsible for this matter, then it is checked by an inspector from Rospotrebnadzor, and then approved by the director of the kindergarten.

The basic rules that are taken into account when developing it are:

• It is prohibited to repeat the same dishes on the same day or on adjacent days.
• Every day children should receive meat, potatoes and other vegetables, milk, sour cream, fermented milk drinks, cereals, fruits, butter (butter and vegetable), salt and sugar. Other products are included in the menu 2-3 times a week.
• Products intended for one meal must be compatible with each other.
• Depending on age, the required portion size is set.
• The daily food intake is distributed into 3-4 doses as a percentage. At lunch, the child receives the bulk of nutrients (approximately 40%), about 15% for an afternoon snack, and the remaining 50% is divided between breakfast and dinner.

Children's menu for every day

Once again, we repeat that a child’s daily diet at home should also be varied. Therefore, it will be very convenient for any mother to create a menu for her family for at least a week and prepare dishes in accordance with it.

From this approach to organizing nutrition not only for the baby, but also for all household members, you will receive continuous advantages. Firstly, you won’t have to once again “rack your brains” over what to cook. And secondly, by looking at your menu you can stock up on all the necessary products in advance.

When developing it, we recommend that you rely on the principles of organizing children’s nutrition discussed in the first section. You can also take into account the rules for creating a menu for kindergarten described above. And then use your imagination and accumulated culinary experience.

Children's birthday menu

Birthday, undoubtedly, is one of the most favorite children's holidays. You should celebrate it at home by inviting your child’s friends to this celebration no earlier than he turns 4-5 years old.

Such special guests must be fed tasty and healthy food, although small exceptions can be made to the second point. Just don’t set the table overflowing with treats. For children, a couple of appetizers, a main course, a cake, a fruit plate and drinks will be enough. Don't forget to give them breaks between meals. interesting games and competitions.

Next, let's look at the holiday menu in more detail. Before compiling it, do not be lazy to check with the mothers of the invited children about their taste preferences in order to make it the most optimal.

One of the appetizers can be a light salad of boiled or fresh vegetables, and it is better to use sour cream as a dressing. Canapés and pancake rolls with various fillings are also a good option. For main course, chicken or turkey skewers, homemade nuggets, and pizza cooked in the oven are suitable.

Cake - the birthday boy and all the guests are waiting for it with anticipation. You can order it from a pastry shop or bake it yourself, the main thing is that it is not “overloaded” with a large amount of mastic and various fillers.

Now let's talk about drinks. Kids just love dairy cocktails with the addition ice cream, various fruits and berries. You can also serve traditional juices, fruit drinks and compotes.

Pay special attention to the original decoration of dishes. You can make mushrooms from a tomato and an egg, and ladybugs from half a cherry and an olive. Put grapes on skewers and stick them into half an apple - you get a hedgehog. Children will definitely appreciate your creativity and will be happy to try such dishes.

Children's menu: recipes

We present to you several simple recipes for children aged one year and older.

Borscht with meatballs

The food set is indicated for a 3 liter saucepan.

• minced beef or chicken – 300 g;
• white loaf – 2-3 pieces;
• milk – 50 ml;
• potatoes – 3-4 pieces;
• white or cauliflower cabbage – 150 g;
• carrots – 1 piece;
• beets – 1 small or half a large one;
• one small onion;
• salt to taste;
• one bay leaf;
• sour cream for dressing.

1. Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. At this time, add the loaf crumb soaked in milk to the minced meat and mix everything thoroughly until it has a homogeneous consistency. Form into meatballs.
3. Throw them into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, remembering to remove the foam in time.
4. Then take them out and drain the water, put a new one on the fire.
5. Finely chop the potatoes and cabbage, grate the beets and carrots, and cut the onion in half and divide into layers.
6. Place all ingredients from point 5 and meatballs into boiling water, add bay leaf, add salt and cook until tender.
7. Before serving, you can add a spoonful of sour cream to the soup.

Zucchini casserole with minced meat

• minced chicken or beef – 300 g;
• one medium sized zucchini;
• chicken eggs – 3 pieces;
• lightly salted cheese – 70 g;
• salt to taste.

1. Turn on the oven and leave it to preheat to 180 degrees.
2. Place a thin layer of minced meat on the bottom of the baking dish. For more juiciness, add a little water. The beef can be lightly simmered in a frying pan in its own juices, without oil.
3. Peel the skin and insides of the zucchini and grate it on a coarse grater.
4. Place the zucchini on top of the minced meat.
5. Beat the eggs with a little salt and pour them evenly over the future casserole.
6. Cover the pan with foil and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil, sprinkle the dish with grated cheese and bake for the same amount of time until all the ingredients are ready.

And the following recipe is suitable for a children's holiday table.

Chicken nuggets “Homemade”

• chicken fillet – 2 pieces;
• 3 eggs;
• wheat flour “by eye”;
• breadcrumbs in the same proportion as flour;
• salt to taste;
• favorite seasonings as desired.
• butter or vegetable oil for greasing the baking sheet.

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Lightly beat the fillet and cut into pieces about 3 cm wide.
3. Start breading: separate beaten eggs, flour and breadcrumbs into three plates.
4. Take a piece of chicken, add a little salt and dip it into the breading in the following sequence: flour-egg-crumbs. Then you can dip it in the egg and breadcrumbs again.
5. Generously grease a baking sheet with oil, place the nuggets on it and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Adjust the baking temperature during the process, depending on the characteristics of your “stove”.