How to get fiber into your child’s diet this summer
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that toddlers between the ages of one and three get nineteen grams of fiber per day and kids four to eight years of age get twenty-five grams of fiber per day.
Foods with fiber are important for anyone at any age. Overall, high fiber foods are filling and help the body with the process of digestion. Dietary fiber can be found in plant foods i.e. fruits, vegetables, and grains. You can find the amount of fiber per serving of a particular food by looking at the food label under total carbohydrates.
The skin and membranes of many fruits and vegetables are where most of the fiber can be found. If possible, it is best not to peel things. One way to sneak fiber into a child’s diet during the hot summer months is by serving more fruits and vegetables. For a snack or side dish, throw together a fresh fruit salad that can be enjoyed throughout the week. Also for a snack or side dish, try serving vegetables raw with a veggie dip. If flat out serving fruits and vegetables to increase fiber intake isn’t “hidden” enough, try sneaking these foods into your favorite recipes. For example, adding peas to macaroni and cheese or adding thinly diced carrots to spaghetti sauce.
When dealing with grains, whole grains provide more fiber than processed grains. For breakfast or a snack, serve a whole grain cereal (that isn’t loaded with sugar) dry or with some variety of milk. Too add even more fiber, you can add fruit like raisins or sliced strawberries to top off your cereal. For lunch or dinner, try serving whole grain pasta. Adding a veggie based sauce and/or cheese can help with the texture and stronger taste.
Finally, many combination foods are a great way to sneak these high fiber foods into your child’s diet. Combination foods are those which incorporate several food groups in one dish like stir fry, pizza, quesadilla, soup, etc. For example, with a yogurt parfait you can add granola and fruit to increase fiber or with tacos you can add beans which are packed with fiber.
Nikole E. Tome, MPH, CHES is a health educator at the Byrnes Health Education Center. She graduated in 2013 from West Chester University with a Master’s Degree in Public Health. She has also obtained her Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credentials from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.
