How to make light dinners for children:
The dinner is a vital moment you begin to teach your children the habits of healthy eating that later imitate in their adulthood. Therefore, it is advised that from a very young age they opt for light and nutritious dinners that satisfy your child’s hunger in a healthy and low-fat way. We must not forget that during dinner we must reduce the amount of food and its fat content since our body prepares for sleep. In this kidsrush.com article, we show you how to make light dinners for children that are healthy and highly nutritious.
Read Also: 5 Easy recipes for kids
How to make light dinners for children
Steps to follow to make light dinners for children:
Step#1
The first thing we have to take into account when planning our children’s dinner is that it is complemented by the menu they have had at noon; If he eats at school, you will need to verify what he has eaten to prepare the right dinner for him. For example, if you have eaten an omelet at noon, at night you should not eat any more eggs, so we will devise a dish made with another protein such as meat or fish.
Step#2
It is also important to reduce the amounts since at dinner time your child will not do any more activities, he will only go to bed to rest. For this reason, it is recommended that for you to rest well and have a healthy body, you choose to make light dinners in which the proportions are lower than those of meals and in which fats are considerably reduced. Also, by applying this habit we will get the child to assimilate a very healthy habit that will continue the rest of his life.
Step#3
During dinner time, to prevent your child from taking in more calories and fat than his body needs, you must cook in a healthy way and with little oil; Therefore, avoid fried or battered ones at this time of day and go for steamed, baked or grilled recipes.
Step#4
It is also recommended to reduce the intake of carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, etc.) because this group of foods must be burned immediately because otherwise, they remain in our body in the form of saturated fats; This does not mean that your child should not eat any bread at night, but rather eat it in small quantities and, above all, made with whole wheat flour since it is more nutritious and is a high source of fiber.
Step#5
The light dinners for children must be composed of a first and second course but whose quantities are less than those of noon, as we have already pointed out. The first ones are recommended to include some vegetables, especially if at noon you have taken carbohydrates or legumes. For children to eat vegetables in a more appetizing way, instead of putting a plate of spinach you can choose to prepare a salad, a vegetable broth, or a vegetable cream.
If your child has had vegetables at noon, you can give him a plate of pasta or brown rice for dinner, garnished with a little olive oil; You can mix it with some vegetables such as mushrooms or onion so that your child also takes vegetables and that the dish is healthier.
We recommend you to read out another article which is about The best vegetables for kids.
Step#6
The second courses have to be made up of proteins, either of animal origin or vegetable origin. Meats, fish, eggs, or vegetable proteins such as soy or tofu should be eaten during dinner in reduced portions and prepared lightly: grilled, baked, steamed, etc. Fish is a complicated food for children since most of them do not like its taste
Step#7
The desserts are also important and it is recommended that they are or yogurt or fruit time. The most suitable for a light dinner and easier digestion is to opt for skimmed yogurt because the fruit increases blood glucose and, as with carbohydrates, if it does not burn immediately turns into saturated fat. We recommend you to read another article on kidsrush.com which is about Banana custard: Snack or dessert recipe for kids.
Step#8
To ensure that your child sleeps through the night and does not suffer from stomach pains, it is advisable to advance dinner time to 3 hours before going to bed. That is, if your child goes to sleep at ten o’clock at night, you should give him dinner at seven in the afternoon so that when he goes to bed he has already digested.
Step#9
Here we give you examples of light dinners for children and establish healthy and delicious eating habits. Take note!
- Mashed Potato + Chicken Sausages + Strawberry Yogurt
- Vegetable broth with pasta + Cod meatballs + Natural yogurt
- Brown rice + Spinach omelet + Seasonal fruit
- Zucchini cream + Chicken with ham and melted cheese + yogurt
- Fish soup + Poached eggs + Yogurt