Nutritional and Healthy Food for Preschoolers

July 20, 2023
Healthy eating for preschoolers

We recognize the significance of teaching young children healthy eating habits as parents and educators. Diet has a significant impact on the growth, development, and general health of preschoolers. At Kara4Kids, we believe in fostering a healthy lifestyle from an early age, and that includes teaching children about nutritious food choices and encouraging positive eating habits. In this blog, we will provide valuable tips and insights into nutritional and healthy food for preschoolers. 

Let’s start on the path of feeding our children and preparing them for a lifetime of health.

 

Establish a Balanced Diet for Preschoolers :

A balanced diet for preschoolers is the foundation of nutrition. It is important to ensure that your child’s meals a sufficient amount of minerals and nutrients in the form of vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and dairy products. Offer a colorful assortment of fruits and vegetables to make their meals visually appealing and nutritionally diverse. Encourage them to try new foods and explore different flavors.

 

Healthy food for preschoolers

 

Limit your consumption of processed foods and sugary beverages:

Foods that have been processed, sweetened drinks, and unhealthy fats frequently contain a lot of extra sugar, empty calories, and fats. Minimize your child’s intake of these items and opt for wholesome alternatives. Encourage them to drink water instead of sugary beverages and provide fresh fruits as a healthier snack option. This can be a huge help for parents in developing healthy eating habits and nutritional tips for preschoolers. It results in your kid’s good health ensuring a lesser risk of cavities and other health issues. 

 

Make Mealtime Enjoyable:

Create a positive and enjoyable mealtime environment for preschoolers. Sit together as a family whenever possible and engage in conversations about their day. Avoid distractions, such as television or electronic devices, to promote mindful eating. Allow your child to participate in age-appropriate food preparation activities, such as washing fruits or stirring ingredients. This involvement encourages a sense of ownership and appreciation for nutritious meals.

 

Serve Proper Portion Sizes:

Preschoolers have smaller appetites and may not need large portions. Be mindful of appropriate portion sizes to prevent overeating or food wastage. Use child-sized plates, bowls, and utensils to serve their meals. Pay attention to their hunger and fullness cues, allowing them to eat until they feel satisfied, but not overly full.

 

Encourage Family-style Meals:

Family-style meals provide an excellent opportunity for preschoolers to develop social skills, practice table manners, and learn about appropriate portion control. Set the table with a variety of healthy food options and encourage your child to serve themselves. This promotes independence, decision-making, and a positive relationship with food.

 

Healthy eating habits for preschoolers

 

Be a Role Model:

Children learn by observing their parents and caregivers. Set a positive example by practicing healthy eating habits yourself. Show enthusiasm for nutritious foods and make them a regular part of your own meals. Your child will be more likely to follow suit and develop a preference for healthy choices.

 

Involve Children in Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning:

One of the healthy food activities for preschoolers is them accompanying you along on grocery shopping trips and involve them in meal planning. Inform them of the various food groups, how to interpret food labels, and the value of selecting whole, fresh foods. You can involve and excite them about what they are eating by letting them choose the fruits and vegetables they want to try.

 

Encourage Regular Snacking:

Preschoolers have smaller stomachs and may require more frequent meals and snacks throughout the day. Offer healthy snack options, such as cut-up fruits, vegetable sticks with dip, yogurt, or whole-grain crackers. Keep a variety of nutritious snacks readily available to prevent reliance on unhealthy choices.

 

Teach Children the Value of Breakfast:

The most significant meal of the day is frequently referred to as breakfast. Encourage healthy food for preschoolers especially during breakfast to kick-start their day. Offer options like whole-grain cereals, yogurt with fruits, or oatmeal with nuts. A balanced breakfast provides the energy and nutrients needed for their active day ahead.

 

Nutrition for preschoolers

 

Foster a Positive Relationship with Food:

Promote a healthy attitude towards food and encourage your child to listen to their body’s hunger and fullness signals. This is said to be a healthy food for preschoolers that helps to avoid establishing a bad association. Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad” and instead, emphasize the importance of balance and moderation.

 

Need for Nutritional and Healthy Food for Preschoolers : 

A child’s overall health and wellbeing are significantly shaped by their early years of life. It is our responsibility to empower and nurture preschoolers by encouraging wise eating habits. By instilling these habits from an early age, we lay the foundation for a lifetime of good health and nutrition for preschoolers. At Kara4Kids, we firmly believe in the power of healthy eating to promote optimal growth and development in preschoolers. We can enable preschoolers to make wise decisions for their wellbeing by encouraging healthy eating behaviors and offering a nourishing diet. 

We believe that instilling these habits from an early age lays the foundation for a lifetime of good health. By following the tips shared in this blog, we can cultivate a love for nutritious foods and help our little ones thrive both physically and mentally. Let’s embark on this journey together and empower our preschoolers to lead healthy, happy lives.

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Kalpana Dass

Academic Development Head

Kalpana Dass is a dedicated educator and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in Early Childhood Care and Education. She holds a Master of Education with IB Educator Certificates (University of Bath , UK) and additional qualifications in Counseling Psychology (Northwestern University, Chicago), ECCE (Mumbai University) & Law (Government Law College, Mumbai).

Kalpana’s career is marked by significant achievements in establishing and managing early learning centres. She created and developed the Kangaroo Kids Pre-School brand in Bangalore, earning numerous accolades for innovation and excellence in education. She founded Tara Early Learning Centre, further demonstrating her commitment to nurturing young minds through high-quality educational frameworks.

As an Education Specialist, Kalpana has spearheaded various initiatives in a mentoring capacity with a focus on curriculum planning, professional development and quality assurance. Her roles at various organisations like Bhartiya city-Nikoo Homes, Presidency Group of Institutions and Kai EarlyYears highlight her capability in driving academic integration, advancement and operational excellence.

Kalpana’s ongoing research endeavours emphasize Innovative teaching strategies in the 21st century, the Function of play & Readiness in early years, Curriculum by backward design -amongst a few of the relevant topics today .

Her affiliations with Bombay University as a Lecturer, Professional National organisations(ECA), International early education organizations (NAEYC, LEGO Foundation, World Forum etc.,) and contributions to global conferences underscore her influence and thought leadership in the field.

Alongside a commitment to personal growth, her passion extends to promoting emotional wellness and positive intelligence in children, empowering them to navigate contemporary challenges effectively. Through her diverse roles and ongoing initiatives, Kalpana Dass continues to make a profound impact on early childhood education.

Sandeep U

CFO

Spearheading the finance, Sandeep is a qualified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has close to 10 years of experience in handling finance for various organizations. Having spent his career life in a CA firm, venture capitalist firm, real estate and in the garment industry, Sandeep is keen on implementing his knowledge and expertise at KARA to fuel the growth that we envision. He’s the true follower of the saying that “None of us are stronger than all of us” which has enabled him in achieving the KARA’s goal to build a most strong and consistent team. He was a part of setting up and implementing a complex business processes committee across multiple industries/sectors. In his journey at KARA he made sure that every ₹ spent on each square foot will have a direct and huge impact in every organization’s growth as even the biggest cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water. He is a strong believer of money saved is money earned and is looking forward to starting this fast-paced ship.

Rukmini Padakadla

HR

 Meet Rukmini P, our esteemed Head of Human Resources, bringing in over 15 years of progressive experience in the field. As a seasoned leader, she has demonstrated her prowess in various aspects of Human Resources, including workforce management, recruitment, payroll, and policies/procedures development. Her exceptional expertise lies in sourcing and hiring top-notch talent, ensuring that our team comprises the industry’s best and brightest minds.

With a background in Science and a PG degree in English literature, along with a PG Diploma in Human Resources and Marketing, Rukmini exemplifies a highly skilled professional. Her unwavering commitment to driving our organization’s success through effective HR strategies and practices, particularly focusing on workforce management, sets her apart as a true asset to our team.



Sapna Erappa

Strategic Operations – Head

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do” – Steve Jobs

It is this belief that inspired Ms. Sapna Erappa to follow her passion, after a decade’s career in banking and finance. Her journey in Early Childhood Education began in 2010 and ever since she has worked with renowned preschools in Bangalore in various leadership roles over a span of 15 years. She holds a degree in Finance & Marketing and has wide exposure in Early Years Education. She has participated in a number of Early Childhood Conferences and IB workshops. 

In her current role as the Strategic Operations – Head at Kara4Kids, she has worked towards building a strong team, motivating them to ensure top-notch standards are maintained in the schools. She believes that a loving and happy environment not only helps children to learn while having fun but also brings the best out of the teachers. Ultimately, the aim is to ensure plenty of learning opportunities are offered to children to bring out their innate potential. Her goal is to create a balanced learning ecosystem where every stakeholder in the school community takes responsibility for the child’s learning journey. She firmly believes and hopes that the education system of today helps children to develop empathy, compassion, and resilience along with academic excellence.

MANAS MEHROTRA

CHIEF MENTOR

Manas Mehrotra is a qualified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Bachelors of Law, MBA (Entrepreneurship) from Babson College (USA). The Founder of NestaVera Group of companies, Manas has his vision rooted in the core belief that the only thing constant in this dynamic business era is Change. He believes that the ongoing process of Brainstorming, Innovation, and Adaptation to change should always be the heart of any organisation that seeks economic and social success. He drives his workforce with a strong emphasis on inculcating faith and building long term strategic relationships with both clients and employees.

Manas has also played a pivotal role in the success of Greenwood High Schools. The institution has grown many folds with more than 9 National level Awards to its name in last 3 years under his leadership. Under his stewardship & unique approach to education, Greenwood High Schools have unparalleled achievements to their name in moulding the young minds of tomorrow. He believes in combining quality education with a proper blend of traditional values and the best that modern-day technology has to offer.

KHUSHROO RUSTUMJI

CHAIRMAN-EMERITUS

Khushroo Rustumji, an alumnus of IIT is the founder of Kara. Having been the Chairman of two companies listed on the BSE, a subsidiary of a Company listed on the London Stock Exchange and a Consultant to numerous national and international organizations, his tenure of work before establishing Kara spans a myriad of corporate experiences.

With a strong belief in how a good Preschool is the vital ingredient in building a Child’s Foundation, Rustumji and his wife envisioned Kara. Upon returning to India after having spent 21 years in the UK, they decided to establish the first pre-school with international standards in Bangalore, much to the delight of discerning parents here. This is how the tale of kara unravelled years ago under the stewardship of Rustumji.

PRACHI MEHROTRA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Backed by their sheer hard work and talent, women entrepreneurs worldwide are changing the landscape across every industry. One such visionary in the field of early education is Prachi Mehrotra- Executive Director at Kara4kids. She is also the Director at NestaVera Group of Companies.

 After completing her formal education at a boarding school in Mussorie, Prachi moved to the UK to pursue her degree in Management studies at the University of Nottingham post which she returned to India to pursue her MBA in Finance & Marketing. Her enriching experience, exposure, and learning in these pivotal years taught her the art of adapting to different scenarios, pertaining to education, demographics, and cultures.She strongly believes in developing a culture of trust and transparency at the workplace, which will in turn facilitate the construction of an efficient, effective, productive, and valuable organization.

As an achiever of excellence in both academic and extra co- curricular fields, she reckons that curiosity to learn is the spark that should be the driving force of every organization. As a millenial mother to three children herself, she strongly beleives that early learning is where the root of knowledge begins to get founded for an individual, therefore it is imperative that equal importance be showered upon these nascent founding years of our children’s lives. She passionately envisions to create dynamic,explorative, nurturing – learning and childcare spaces where children fall in love with the joy of learning every day.
 As an Executive Director of Kara4Kids, she handles a multi- faceted role across various domains i.e. Operations, Marketing, Teaching Pedagogy, Expansion, Implementation of teaching interventions, and Management of all the preschool and child care centers. Her ever-dynamic approach and exuberance make her an exemplary leader.