High Fiber Foods for Kids

Children love to gorge on chocolates, cookies, burgers and pizzas. Given an option, they would like to eat these throughout the day. But we know that eating such foods everyday is not very healthy. These should be balanced with healthy foods that are necessary for a growing body. One very important ingredient that should be a part of your kid's diet is fiber. Fibrous foods are beneficial in preventing constipation, and also helps in digestion and cleansing the digestive track. As foods high in fiber are very filling, eating even a little would fill their stomach, preventing overeating and subsequently obesity.

What is Fiber?
Fiber is an essential nutrient that is found in vegetables, whole wheat grains, beans, fruits and lentils, and are made up of carbohydrates. Starches, cellulose, gums, pectin and hemicellulose are some of the main sources of fiber. Fiber can be divided mainly into two types - soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps in letting out the bad cholesterol (LDL) from the body, while the insoluble fiber aids in preventing enzymatic digestion from happening in the small intestine.

Importance of Fibrous Foods
The best part about having fibrous foods is that they do not add calories, and is the diet opted by people who want to lose weight. The main advantage of giving foods high in fiber for kids is that it clears the digestive system by regularizing motions in children. Other than this, fibrous foods also aid in controlling the blood sugar level in the body. Inculcating a high fiber diet from childhood would help in building healthy eating habits in the future also. It also saves the person from acquiring diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and heart diseases during adulthood.

Fibrous Food for Children
Children are likely to grumble at the sight of healthy fibrous foods, however, it is very important to feed them with these foods. Let us look at a list of fiber fortified foods that are essential to stay healthy.

• Dates
• Artichokes
• Raisins
• Wheat flour
• Broccoli
• Green peas
• Raspberries
• Spaghetti
• Bananas
• Pasta
• Tomato soup
• Potatoes
• Apples
• Peanuts
• Brown rice
• Almonds
• Oranges
• Kidney beans
• Oatmeal
• Spinach

Most children are seen to resist foods that are rich in fiber. Therefore, first you have to make them understand the benefits of fibrous foods and begin the fibrous diet in small quantities. Every meal of the day should contain foods that are high in fiber, and by referring to the variety of fibrous food recipes available online, there is no doubt that the children would enjoy their meals. Here are some of the foods high in fiber for kids.

Meals and Snacks: Pancakes made of whole wheat, whole grain cereals topped with sliced bananas, apples and raisins are some of the good ideas for a high fibrous breakfast. On some days you can also give your kids oatmeal along with soy milk and fruits. Whole wheat muffins with peanut butter spread on it would also be a great idea. Consuming fruit juices should also be included in your children's healthy diet. Vegetable sandwiches made of brown bread (whole wheat), whole wheat pasta or baked sweet potato would be suitable for lunch or dinner. Along with all these, feed them with carrots, apples with the skin, and pears. Evening snacks can should include cranberries, raisins, peanuts, whole wheat cookies, popcorn, nuts, etc. Pizza made with lots of vegetables, low fat cheese and pizza sauce are also one of the foods high in fiber for kids that they would love.

You can experiment with different types of dishes or search the Internet to gather more recipes. Do not overfeed your children, because too much of fiber can cause bloating, gas and severe discomfort in the stomach. Feeding high fiber food to toddlers would help in inculcating good eating habits from a very early age, and that would surely stay with them for a lifetime.