Healthy Shakes For Kids

It is a well-known fact that most children love sweets, especially sugar-laden pop soda. Give your child an option between a glass of milk and some soda and see what he or she chooses. This also applies to healthy fruits, which most children pass over, for chocolate, candy or other sugary items. Fortunately, several innovative parents have managed to ensure that their children consume nutritious foods by preparing healthy shakes for kids on a daily basis. Nutritional shakes for kids are not only highly appealing to children, but also help them get their daily recommended intake of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients.

There are numerous varieties in shakes for kids that you can choose from, to satisfy your child’s taste buds. Moreover, you need not make a trip to a supermarket or a fast food joint for a readymade milkshake; you can whip up tasty, healthy and highly nutritional shakes for toddlers and children right within your kitchen, using ingredients that you usually find in your refrigerator.

Recipes For Shakes For Toddlers

Most toddlers are fussy eaters, because of which they may miss out on essential nutrients. You can make sure that your toddler gets his or her required intake of fruits and milk by giving him or her some milkshake on a daily basis. Fruit milkshakes usually contain a blend of milk, some ice cream and fruits. Given below is a recipe for a healthy shake for toddlers:

½ Pint of milk
1 Scoop of vanilla ice cream
200 Grams strawberries or mango
200 Grams bananas

Pour all the ingredients into a mixer and blend them well. You may need to add more milk to get the consistency of a fruity milkshake. Pour the shake into a fancy glass and serve it to your toddler immediately.

You could add or eliminate ingredients, based on your child’s health and requirements. For example, for a milkshake that is not too thick, you could skip the ice cream. Moreover, there are several nutrients present in foods like wheat germ, oatmeal, bran and flaxseed, which most toddlers usually miss out on. You can prepare a milkshake with extras, by adding some of these foods to it.

Shakes For Weight Gain In Kids

One of the common complaints of several parents is that their children are not gaining weight properly. A milkshake is one of the best beverages you could serve your child, in order to gain weight. Apart from calories, weight gainer shakes for kids are usually loaded with nutrients. There are several varieties of shakes for kids that are high in calories and can allow them to gain weight.

Many parents ask doctors if they can add whey protein powder to the shake to increase its nutritional content. Protein shakes should not be consumed by children who are below the age of 4. Protein shakes for toddlers is not a very good idea, as it could have an adverse effect on their body. Instead of making whey protein shakes for kids, you could prepare a homemade healthy protein shake, using full milk and other healthy ingredients that are high in protein. Given below is a recipe for a healthy shake that can help your child gain weight:

100 Grams raspberries
100 Grams blueberries
100 Grams strawberries
100 Grams avocado
1 Cup of milk
1 Scoop frozen yogurt or ice cream
1 Teaspoon almond butter (or other nut butter)
¼ Cup of dried fruits

Put all the ingredients into a mixer and blend them all together, until they reach the desired consistency.

It is absolutely essential to consult your pediatrician, before you add a protein shake or any supplement to your toddler’s diet.

Submitted on September 14, 2011