Brief Answer:
Diet plan suggested for proper brain development

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone through your query carefully and understand your concerns. For proper brain development your child needs the following nutrients:

* Grains: Grains are an essential part of a healthy diet, that offer nutrients and energy for a child's normal growth and development. You must include a wide variety of whole grains and/or high fiber varieties of bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, and oats. You should exclude grains like refined grain (cereal) food products with high level of added sugar, fat (particularly saturated fats) and/or salt/sodium, like cakes and biscuits.

* Fruits and Vegetables: They are rich in colored pigments, water, vitamins and minerals and are also good sources of fiber, sans high calories. A child should consume 5 portions of fruits and vegetables every day.

* Fats and oils: They are an essential part of your kid or teen's diet as they play an important role in the development of your kid's brain, helping them in reaching their maximum growth potential. Fat is used in our body as fuel and helps the body absorb the fat soluble vitamin A, D, E and K. Fatty foods are often associated with overweight, obesity, heart disease and stroke but eating the right fats can provide the body with health benefits. Get your oils from fish, nuts, avocados and liquid oil such as corn oil, soybean oil, olive oil and canola oil.

* Milk and dairy products: They are an excellent source of Vitamin A, D, B1, B2 and B12 and minerals particularly calcium. This is especially important for children and adolescents. A good bone balance can be achieved during childhood and teenage years if borrowing from the bones is minimized and daily calcium needs are met.

* Meat and Beans: Meat, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts and seeds supply many nutrients and are an important part of healthy eating. These foods are a rich source of proteins. Proteins are needed for a variety of functions in your body, therefore, it is important to include it in your diet.

Meat is also a good source of Vitamin B12 and Iron. A diet rich in iron will help to prevent Iron deficiency anemia. This is common condition found in children and can result in having less energy and looking pale. The vegetarian alternatives to meat are soya, beans, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, mushrooms, nuts, and seeds.

A typical diet plan can be something like:
* Early Morning - A glass of milk, 2 XXXXXXX biscuits

* Breakfast
- 1/2 bowl of milk with cornflakes and ½ banana
- 1/2 cup oatmeal with ½ teaspoon of honey and half an apple
- 1/2 cup XXXXXXX made with milk with crushed or powdered nuts
- 1/2 cup suji halwa with powdered cashews and almonds
- 1/2 bowl of vegetable poha
- 1/2 stuffed vegetable parantha
- 1 idli with peanut chutney
- 1/2 cup suji upma with vegetables
- 1 small cheela with tomato chutney or sauce
- 2 pieces paneer sandwich dhokla with green chutney

* Mid-morning Snack
You should keep this snack light as there is not much gap between this and lunch and filling up on this would not leave much room for lunch.
- 1 small banana, a small apple, 1 orange, half a cup cut papaya or any other seasonal fruit
- 2 XXXXXXX or whole-wheat biscuits
- 1/2 cup cut seasonal fruit
- 1/2 glass shikanji with honey
- 1/2 cup plain chaas

* Lunch
- 1 small chapatti smeared with little ghee with 1/4 cup dal and 1/4 cup vegetable. Keep serving different vegetables and dals.
- 1/4 cup dal and 1/4 cup seasonal vegetable with 1/2 cup rice. Add 1/2 teaspoon ghee to dal.
- 1 cup vegetable khichdi with ½ teaspoon ghee on top.
- 1/2 cup rice with 1/2 cup of sambar and 1 teaspoon peanut chutney.
- 1 cup vegetable pulao with 1/2 cup yogurt or raita.
- 1/2 cup Matar paneer with 1/2 cup rice or 1 small parantha.

* Evening Snack
- 1/2 cup milk with 2 wholewheat crackers
- 1 small sandwich with mixed fruit jam and butter
- 1 small peanut butter sandwich
- 1/2 cup fresh fruit cut into cubes and 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup fresh fruit milkshake (banana, XXXXXXX cheeku etc.)
- 1 cup fresh fruit smoothie
- 5-6 sweet potato fries
- 3-4 Tofu or paneer sticks

* Dinner - Let the kid eat whatever and however much he wants. Let the dinner be light.
- 1/2 cup Vegetable pulao with mixed raita
- 1/2 to 1 cup Vermicelli upma with vegetables
- 1/2 to 1 cup Vegetable pasta with cheese
- 1/2 to 1 cup Vegetable noodles
- 1/2 to 1 cup Khichdi with veggies
- 1/2 cup Matar paneer with ½ cup rice or 1 small parantha
- 1 small chapatti with paneer bhurji

In case you are a non-vegetarian, suitable modifications may be done. Alternatively, let me know and I would help you out.

Let me know if I could help further.

Regards

---

Brief Answer:
Diet plan suggested for proper brain development

Detailed Answer:
The following items can be given in addition to the list already provided.

Breakfast
- 1 scrambled egg with buttered toast
- 1 Omelette with buttered toast
- French toast
- 2 small Banana pancakes with honey

Lunch
- Vegetable pulao with ¼ cup egg curry
- 1 small chapatti with ¼ cup chicken curry and salad
- ½ cup rice with ¼ cup fish curry and veggies on the side
- Mild chicken biryani with mixed veg raita

Dinner
- Vegetable pulao with ¼ cup egg curry
- 1 small chapatti with ¼ cup chicken curry and salad
- ½ cup rice with ¼ cup fish curry and veggies on the side
- Mild chicken biryani with mixed veg raita
- Chicken and veg pasta in tomato sauce
- Egg and veg noodles

Based on an understanding of the above you can custom make a diet plan that suits your child.

Feel free to write back.

Regards

---