It is the common wish for parents to keep their children healthy and strong. Various kinds of ways have been adopted by parents to realize this aim. Among all the ways, scientific diet can effectively help children maintain healthy growth by supplementing comprehensive and adequate nutrients. There are five principles to be observed so as to maintain the diet for children healthy and scientific. 

The first principle is to maintain the balanced intake of staple food and snacks. It is known to all that staple food can provide essential nutrients needed by children. However, the importance of snacks can not be ignored. According to the research in America, the absorption amount of vitamins and mineral substances by eating snacks takes up 15% of the total amount among children. The qualities and quantities of snacks for children should be arranged scientifically. For example, children should eat less fruits in the afternoon.

The second principle is to treat expensive food and cheap food fairly. Many parents like to measure the nutritional value of foods according to the price. They think expensive food can provide more and better nutrients for their children than cheap food. In fact, some cheap foods like meat, vegetables and fruits can provide essential nutrients needed by children to maintain the normal growth. What’s more, the nutrients contained in these foods are easy for children to digest and absorb. There is no necessary relationship between the nutrition value and the price of food.

The third principle is to eat both fruits and vegetables adequately. Many children dislike vegetables, and parents usually use fruits to take the place of vegetables. In fact, the nutrients contained in vegetables are different from those in fruits. For example, the content of calcium contained in apples is just 1/8 of that in green vegetables. It can be seen that fruits and vegetables contain their respectively unique nutrients for children.

The fourth principle is to eat both hard food and soft food. Some parents are always worried about that whether the teeth of their children can bear the rigidity of hard food and they just avoid providing hard food for children. In fact, children should often eat hard food to increase the frequency of chewing, which can accelerate the blood circulation and improve the growth of teeth and facial bones.

The fifth principle is to collocate meat with vegetables scientifically. The balanced collocation of meat and vegetables can provide comprehensive and adequate nutrients for children. At the same time, some problems like excessive intake of fat can be avoided.