Nowadays, there are many ways to cook, serve and present food that make people who eat your dish even more enticed and glad to see and to taste your special dish. If you cook for your family having members who are kids, you might have the daily experience of finding it hard to decide what food to cook for them all because they might be choosy. If some do not agree with this viand, then you might need to cook another meal for the others, or another way is to just ask what same food everybody wants.
Your kids or your younger siblings might not always want the foods you cook, but it is important to let them know that the healthy foods you prepare are necessary, thus, must be eaten by them. While there are many other foods that a lot of kids personally do not take interest in, seafood is one of the most common food category. Fish, oysters, squids and others, also depending on the children’s interest and tastes, belong to the list of their less loved seafood.
That may be the case, but as a parent or an older sibling or a guardian, do know that fresh seafood must also be part of your kids’ meal. It must not be just an option all the time. It won’t be very easy if your kid is really hard-headed and not easy-to-convince; that’s why you must tell them as well why they should do so. To help you with that, here are 8 reasons why fresh seafood must be served on your kids’ meal:
<1> NOT ALWAYS ALL-MEAT
Most of the food sold and served in restaurants and probably at home do not leave “chicken” and “meat” out of the menu. Chicken is the most common food that you will see everywhere. There are many recipes and kinds but bottom line is that it’s very popular and loved by most people.
You must let kids eat fresh seafood, so they will not always eat meat. Too much is not always good. If you feed them with meat but also feed them with fresh seafood, they will learn how to better appreciate them both, and you give them a balanced course. Once in a while, it’s nice to know that they can come out of their comfort zone – “the all-meat zone” – because they know how to eat healthy fresh seafood too.
<2> KIDS DON’T NEED TOO MUCH FAT
Everybody needs fat in the body, but remember, there’s the good kind of fat and there’s the bad one. Of course, you should feed your lovely children with food having the good one.
Seafood amounts to an average rate of less than 2% fat. The fats fresh seafood contains are oils, just like that of nuts. On the other hand, solid fats are gained from red meat. Cutting any fat from seafood is unnecessary because you can just barbecue, steam, bake to retain the calorie count low.
Although some older people say that kids are alright with eating a lot of fat while they are young, still, it’s healthier if you just give them the healthy amount and not let them eat however, whenever and in whatever measure they want to. Reckon that whatever young kids do today related to their health, like you did when you were younger, will affect how their health will be in the future. That’s why they must be careful.
<3> YOUNG HEART HEALTH
As mentioned previously, there are good fats, not only the harmful ones. Among those good fat friends are Omega-3 fatty acids. They are polyunsaturated fats functioning as prime building blocks of the brain.
Omega-3s are very important because of their countless advantages. They help the body resist diseases, and importantly, for kids, they’re helpful as they prepare themselves for growing up.
Omega-3 fatty acids lower the likelihood of negative heart conditions like stroke and heart attack. Scientists still recommend the actual intake of fresh seafood than just supplement capsules.
Brain and heart health are better improved and developed from childhood onwards. Obesity, which is also a serious health matter for many kids today, can be helped fought by eating fresh seafood.
<4> NECESSARY PROTEIN
If there’s another great profit that kids can necessarily acquire from eating fresh seafood, it’s protein! Meat also has it, but compared to fresh seafood, it’s less favorable. This building block of life helps in cell growth which is essential as children grow too.
Children can get protein from other food but from fresh seafood, what they get is excellent quality, easy-to-break down kind of protein! It also aids in transporting oxygen within the body. Most kids are born enthusiastic, but if your kid isn’t very energetic like others, you need to give him/her protein-rich foods like seafood. It’s a helpful alternative to carbohydrates for energy-production.
<5> PLEASE REDUCE THE SALT
Aside from sweets, salty foods are also some kids’ favorite chucks. Too much of those is really dangerous for they are the usual causes of kidney-related or bladder-related illnesses.
If you always let your kids eat processed goods and instant foods, they’re consuming more salt. Although many seafoods are from salt water, they are not high in salt. You must include fresh seafood in your children’s meals so you can manage their healthy diet with a healthy level of salt consumption. While they’re still young, they must take care of their kidney, where most adults who don’t live a healthy lifestyle get hit by alarming sicknesses.
<6> IT’S A YOUNG ONE’S ADVANTAGE
Just like what’s been mentioned previously, it’s not very healthy if kids, and also adults, just eat meat, chicken, meat and chicken all the time. There must be balance. Aside from vegetables, you must let them learn how to put seafood in their choices too.
Teaching them how to eat seafood makes them ready and lets them adjust wherever they are. It teaches them not to be a picky-eater. It will be an advantage for them, too, that they can eat seafood especially when it’s the only available meal.
If they go to provinces, fresh seafood is served, and sometimes, it’s the only food accessible. Your kids will survive and enjoy also if they can eat seafood without any problem!
<7> SOUND IMMUNE SYSTEM
Kids are vulnerable to diseases or easily getting communicable ailments if their immune system is not very tough. Eating fresh seafood helps them have a stronger immune system through the nutrients present in them.
Allergies’ symptoms can be lessened through Omega-3 intake. An effective antioxidant called Selenium partakes in toughening the immune system. Also, the protein contained in fresh seafoods helps in repelling illness-causing viruses and bacteria.
<8> ENOUGH VITAMINS AND MINERALS FOR KIDS
Seafood is a great source of many benefits, however, if it is not fresh seafood, it’s not very good, rather harmful. That’s why it is better to say that fresh seafood is an outstanding wellspring of numerous fundamental vitamins and minerals needed by the body.
Feed kids fresh seafood so they get the proper vitamins and minerals they need. Keep in mind the proper servings needed and also the health conditions that your kid might have that might prohibit him/her to eat a certain seafood.
Children, because of today’s countless visually attractive foods and junk foods, might not be getting the right and enough nutrients they need, that’s why you need to fill in the gap where “good health” is lacking by cooking fresh seafood at home. You can order fresh seafood online instead of going to restaurants so you can save money and also put your kids away from other food temptations.
What vitamins and minerals can your child obtain from fresh seafood? There’s Zinc which is good for learning and memory benefits and also for wound healing — kids are prone to getting wounded while playing or while they’re still not very good at responsibly controlling their movements. There’s Iron which helps in normal brain development, proper concentration and physical agility — all needed as they grow and do in school. There’s Vitamin D which is responsible in dealing with calcium quantity needed as kids grow and start getting their permanent teeth and strong bones and muscles. Other nutrients from fresh seafood are potassium, vitamin E, niacin and phosphorus.
>>>FRESH SEAFOOD FOR THE KIDS!
Kids may not always or not at all like it, but you must let them know that they need it. What you eat affects you and your kids a lot, so it’s important to always maintain balance in everything.
Keep in mind proper amount, frequency, cleanliness of the seafood you cook and their compatibility with your kids’ health. It shouldn’t be chicken, meat, processed goods and junk foods all the time. Serve fresh seafood on your table, and live a healthier life with your family.
AUTHOR BIO:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Travel, health, shopping, lifestyle and business are among the many subjects she writes about. Through quality and well-researched writing, she informs and even entertains readers about things that matter. She is also interested in film critiquing and film making. Giving all the glory to God, Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.
