We have all been in a situation when kids at home seem to fall ill continuously. The coughing and wheezing never seem to go away. It's stressful for the child who is unwell and obviously for parents to see their little one ill. You think giving them immunity-boosting food is the only solution, but what you may be missing out is that your child may actually be allergic to certain foods or food groups and that's what is causing the reaction in the body.
Some are allergic to gluten, while other to dairy, some just don't react well to certain foods and that causes distress in their body. Creating balanced, healthy family meals can seem challenging and even overwhelming at the best of times, but even more challenging if one of your children has a severe food allergy. We totally get that.
So where should you start? A good strategy is to focus on what your child can eat, instead of focusing on what your child cannot eat. Shift your point of view.
- If your child is allergic to milk and eggs, recreating egg salad sandwiches or macaroni and cheese may be hard at first.
- Instead, think about all the possibilities of things to make using the foods your child can eat. Create meals made with grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, fish, poultry and meats.
For example, for children who can’t have dairy, the big nutrient they are missing out on is calcium. But fortunately, there are many sources of calcium such as
- Tahini
- Sesame seeds
- Leafy greens
- Tofu
- Chia seeds
- Black currant
- Oranges
- Certain fish like sardines, salmon. Pick your meal and cook to include alternates that your child can eat happily.
We understand the struggle and the best way to tackle this is to meal plan. We can help you take the first 50 steps towards ensuring your family eats wholesome healthy meals.
The 50 Indian Meal Plans book is a collection of 50 meal plans, 50 recipes – its a mix of traditional, vegan, gluten-free and lots of fun stuff too. The book has an allergies table where you can list what your child can/cannot eat, making it easier for you to shop and plan your week ahead. We didn't stop there. The book has 250 bus snack ideas, 250 evening snack ideas and 250 tiffin ideas. Now I know that even if your child is not unwell, these ideas are a godsend. You don't have to scratch your head every day to figure out what to feed the family.
Mansi Zaveri shares why she decided to publish this book
Buy your copy of the 50 Indian Meal Plans book and put that helpless feeling to rest!
Buy Here: It's available on Kidsstopress Shop & Amazon.in
KSP Team
Mansi Zaveri
Janani S Koushik
