Eat Right: ‘2023 is all about eating smart’

We all know the importance of eating a nutritious meal to remain healthy. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has never been as important as it has become since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. While everyone understands the need to eat right, most people forget that it is just as necessary to eat smart.

Now that we are a little over a month into the New Year, the most important question staring at most people is: Where to start? How to pick healthy foods? How many portions should one eat? This is especially true when it comes to providing healthy meals for children.

Dr Jyoti Aarya, a paediatrician with her clinic at Sector 37 in Faridabad and parent of a child studying at Apeejay Svran Global School in Faridabad helps answer some of these questions. But first, she says, one must know that there is a difference between eating right and eating smart.

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“While parents understand the importance of eating right, they must also ensure that their child is eating smart. Childhood obesity can be avoided and in turn, several other diseases in adulthood if the child eats smart from a young age”

Dr Jyoti Aarya, a paediatrician with her clinic at Sector 37 in Faridabad

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“Everybody knows what eating right means – to have a meal that has all the eight components of foods; these include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, water, roughage (fibre), and fruits and vegetables. But the truth is that while it is necessary to eat a balanced diet, it is just as important to eat these in a certain proportion,” Dr Aarya explained.

Eating smart, on the other hand, means adopting a healthy diet that has nutrients, dense foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Let’s take an example. “In eating right, we are eating a diet that has all the food components but these are not balanced. Eating smart will include a meal where the person eats carbs 45-65 per cent; protein 10-35 per cent and here too there has to be more lean protein,” Dr Aarya said.

Portion size to eat

Most people will tell you that kids between the ages of one and 18 should have a diet that contains 45-65 per cent carbohydrates. From ages four to 18, protein should be 30 per cent of the diet. For kids ages eight to 18, fat should be about 35 per cent of the diet. It is just as important to have a meal that has vitamins and minerals – children should be given salad or fruit with each meal.

“While parents understand the importance of eating right, they must also ensure that their child is eating smart. Childhood obesity can be avoided and in turn, several other diseases in adulthood if the child eats smart from a young age,” Dr Aarya opined.

Parents, she said, must also understand that there are types of proteins – lean and fat. “Lean protein will have fat that is less than 10 gm. No food component only has carbs or proteins; it has fats as well,” Dr Aarya said.

She explained that while parents may think that they are giving their child a healthy meal – they may be giving them a meal that is more carbs and fat but less protein.

“A smart meal will not only be balanced, but it will also be healthy. The child is eating lean proteins and unsaturated fats. Giving fats that are saturated leads to obesity and other lifestyle diseases later in life,” Dr Aarya said.

A perfect meal for kids

Fats are necessary for the body since some vitamins are fat-soluble. “Kids should be given eggs, cheese, and nuts to name a few. Anything that is fried like puri and parantha should only be given once a month as a treat. Unsaturated fats can be used to cook these. Children can be given fish (if the child is non-vegetarian), yogurts, beans, lentils, and peas. They can even be given quinoa, soya bean, rajma, and chickpeas to name a few.  When it comes to carbs, anything that is prepared with whole grains can be given,” Dr Aarya said.

She stressed that fruits and vegetables must be given to kids in large quantities – the more the better. “If the child is used to drinking milk, low-fat milk can be given preferably with honey. If white sugar has to be given it should not be more than 30 gm per day,” Dr Aarya said in conclusion.