Fibre Up Your Child to Keep Tummy Aches Away

"Mummy, my stomach is hurting. I can't go to school…"

Does your child often complain of a stomach ache? Is he often constipated? And to top it all, the so-called laxatives and medicines that do the trick on your television screen, fail to produce the desired results at home. What is the source of your little one's problem?

Fibre: Is it slowly disappearing from our lives?

You are giving your child a healthy, nutritious diet but he often prefers the burgers and chips available at the fast food joint next door. Blame it on the booming media industry, where television ads shamelessly offer toys as incentives for visiting such food joints or show kids ordering pizza while the parents are away. With the age of pizzas and burgers, who wants to eat simple home cooked food? Even you are tired of the constant bickering. And admit it, a visit to a fast food joint saves you time and energy from cooking elaborate meals which are not even appreciated.

Such kind of meals may give your child energy and proteins, but they are sorely lacking in dietary fibre. Surveys conducted worldwide have shown that only about 40 per cent of children consumed the recommended amount of fibre. This data is valid for children under 10 of age. The figures may be alarming for adolescents since they are independent and dislike interference regarding their habits.

Lack of fibre: The leading problems

A diet deficient in fibre can cause not only constipation and stomach aches but can also lead to numerous other long-term implications. The food habits your child formulates now is a reflection of his eating habits as an adult. In adults, eating more fibre is associated with lower risks of obesity, heart attack, stroke, diabetes and colon cancer.

Increasing fibre: Getting started

Increasing the fibre content of your child's diet is not difficult. All you need is a little bit of awareness.

Include plenty of cereals and vegetables, as these are the main sources of fibre in the diet. Vegetables are a problem but studies have shown that if veggies are served in a colourful and attractive manner, children enjoy them.

Make a choice from whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals and prefer fruits as snacks. Children love fruits, so let them munch on apples and bananas rather than chips and biscuits.

A half-cup of cooked oatmeal has about four grams fibre in it. This meets about half the fibre requirement of a three-year-old.

Add wheat bran to cutlets and you increase the fibre content of the snack.

Try and incorporate these changes in your child's diet and you will find him free from all kinds of stomach problems. Moreover, this will improve his food habits and make him a healthy adult.