Why You Should Include Nuts in Your Child’s Diet

Nuts are nature’s little treasure chests full of protein, vitamins, antioxidants and various other healthy nutrients. That’s why every person should look for ways to include more nuts into their diets. However, that can sometimes prove to be very difficult. This is especially true when we’re talking about children. Just like with adults, children can benefit greatly from regularly consuming nuts. But with them, you need to be very careful when introducing this superfood and you need to know how to do it properly to avoid any potential mishaps. That being said here are a few reasons why you should include nuts in your child’s diet as well as some things you need to pay special attention to.

Nuts are extremely healthy

As mentioned earlier, nuts are considered to be superfood thanks to all the nutrients and other healthy compounds they’re extremely rich in. A single serving of nuts can provide your child with 4 grams of protein, 13% of the recommended daily requirement of fibres and up to 36% of RDA of vitamin E. That’s why you should make sure you include the healthiest nuts in your child’s diet. According to research, nuts also positively influence cognitive development, lower “bad” cholesterol and are extremely important in maintaining optimal heart health.

They make the perfect healthy snack

Thanks to their variety, nuts make an excellent healthy snack option. Just a handful of mixed nuts will provide your child with the necessary energy surge, just like a good snack should. Since they contain healthy fats, nuts are a great choice of a healthy snack. The best part – you don’t even have to spend time preparing them! The only thing you should pay attention to is to mix a few different nuts every time when assembling your child’s snack bag. Since not all nuts are equally rich in all the nutrients, by mixing them, you’ll ensure that your child gets the right amount of all of them. Ideally, you should be the one putting the mix together as pre-mixed store-bought nut mixes tend to be full of added sugar. Not all of them are like that, though, so make sure you check the label if you opt for purchasing them.

Introduce them when the time is right

As healthy as they are, nuts can be a bit tricky to introduce into your child’s diet. Since they are quite small, nuts can pose a choking hazard. Additionally, nuts are usually quite firm in nature, which means that your child won’t be able to enjoy them unless they have teeth. That’s why you shouldn’t try to introduce whole nuts in your child’s diet before they’re around 3 years of age. On top of that, nut allergies are one of the most common types of allergies, so make sure you pay special attention to your child during the introduction period. If you or your partner are suffering from nut allergies, it’s always wise to heave your child tested before you try to introduce nuts into their diet.

Pay attention

In the end, as healthy as they may be, it’s important to note that nuts an have some side-effects. These are nothing too serious or anything you need to worry about but you should still pay attention to them. First of all, you need to know the recommended daily amount of various nuts. If you’re mixing them together, make sure you make a balanced mix. Excessive consumption of nuts can lead to heartburn and gas. Moreover, the suddenly increased intake of fibre found in nuts can sometimes cause constipation, so make sure you pay attention to that as well. 

Introducing nuts into your child’s diet is a process that requires a careful approach. However, all the benefits of regularly consuming nuts your child will get to enjoy make the entire process worthwhile.