The Benefits of Hazelnuts in a Balanced Nutrition for Children
Your daily challenge: How to ensure balanced nutrition for your children when all they want are sweets and products enriched with flavors and sugar?
Of course you can't control every meal or snack. The hardest thing is when you go to visit or receive guests because the little ones always enjoy the tasty attentions that only feed their appetite for "something good".
What if I told you there was a long-term way to turn this challenge into a delicious and nutritious adventure?
Ah, before you decide how much of the article you read or how useful the advice here is, let me tell you that I don't think it's right or wrong to be a mother who "raises her children from books" nor to be a mother who " she brings up her children after her own head because that's how our parents did." Rather, I think it's good to be an informed mother . So inform yourself and decide for yourself what to do next. In the end, you know and feel what is best for your child.
In any case, in this whole story of how we create balanced nutrition for children, the unexpected heroes are hazelnuts . By integrating them into their diet, you provide them with essential elements extremely beneficial for their health and development - proteins, fibers, fats and vitamins. Read on to understand how to do it so that you satisfy all their cravings without getting bored of nuts or healthy meals in general.
What you will learn from this article:
- What are the benefits of hazelnuts in a balanced nutrition for children?
- 3 healthy breakfast ideas for children
- Involve the little ones in the kitchen
- Games and educational activities about food
What are the benefits of hazelnuts in a balanced nutrition for children?
For children in full academic and social development (6 - 11 years old), hazelnuts are like a nutritional gold mine:
- Protein helps build and repair tissues.
- Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are crucial for brain development and cognitive function.
- The rich vitamin E content protects body cells against oxidative stress.
- Minerals such as magnesium, iron and calcium are fundamental to growing bones and a strong immune system.
3 healthy breakfast ideas for children, with hazelnuts
The easiest way to introduce hazelnuts into the children's diet is to offer them as snacks to nibble during play breaks. However, their favorite way is to eat them for breakfast. And look how simple it is!
For example, have you ever tried adding chopped peanuts to your kids' favorite cereal or yogurt ? This is not only a way to add texture and taste, but also to give them the necessary amount of nutrients without forcing them to give up their favorite yogurt or cereal.
Below are 3 hazelnut breakfast ideas for children that you can prepare in 2 steps and 3 steps.
1. Spreads with Hazelnut Cream and Fruits
- Ingredients: Wholemeal bread, 100% organic Alunette forest hazelnut spread, banana or strawberry slices, a little honey or a drizzle of maple syrup (optional).
- Preparation: Lightly toast the wholemeal bread and spread it with a generous layer of hazelnut cream. Top with sliced banana or strawberries for extra natural sweetness and crunchy texture. You can add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for extra sweetness.
- Why it's healthy: This breakfast combines complex carbohydrates from whole-wheat bread with protein and healthy fats from hazelnuts, providing long-lasting satiety and energy. Fruits provide fiber and essential vitamins.
2. Porridge with hazelnuts and fruits
- Ingredients: Oatmeal, milk or a plant-based alternative, a handful of chopped hazelnuts, some fruit (eg diced apples or pears, bananas, peaches), a little cinnamon and honey or maple syrup for sweetening.
- Preparation: Cook the oats in milk or water for 3-5 minutes, adding chopped hazelnuts and chopped fruit. Serve the porridge warm, adding cinnamon and sweetening to taste. At the end, decorate the bowl of porridge with slices of fruit and whole hazelnuts, so that it looks like you cooked them the most beautiful dessert in the whole world right at breakfast.
- Why it's healthy: Oats provide complex carbohydrates and fiber for long-lasting energy, while nuts add protein and healthy fats. Fruits provide a natural source of sweetness and vitamins.
3. Fluffy protein pancakes with hazelnuts and fruits
- Ingredients: Fanula hazelnut flour, eggs, milk or a plant-based alternative, baking powder, fresh or frozen fruit, hazelnut cream with honey for topping.
- Preparation: Mix hazelnut flour, eggs, milk and baking powder to make fluffy pancake batter. The consistency of the dough should be thicker than that for French pancakes. Bake the pancakes in a non-stick pan and serve with hazelnut cream with honey and fresh fruit.
- Why it's healthy: These pancakes are high in protein thanks to hazelnut flour, eggs and honey hazelnut cream. Fruit adds antioxidants and vitamins, making this breakfast a healthy and delicious choice.
As the first steps towards balanced nutrition for your children, these small changes to your morning routine can do wonders for the mood and energy levels of the whole family. Who wouldn't love to eat a healthy breakfast that looks like a dessert every day?
Involve the little ones in the kitchen
If you want them to have healthy habits in the long term , then it is necessary to involve the little ones in the kitchen. Cooking together is not only fun for children, but also educational. Children will always love to help you in the kitchen, especially if it becomes a ritual of yours, where you tell stories to the moon and stars.
Why not try healthy and simple recipes together, like fun-shaped hazelnut cookies, muffins or even homemade cereal bars? Even simpler, you can make salads! And finally, have them choose one last magic ingredient - hazelnut oil, chopped hazelnuts or whatever they like.
Well, if you're in the mood for a little more cooking, possibly to celebrate an event, then the chocolate, caramel and hazelnut tart is a great "aluceta" to try.
By making various recipes you can practice basic math with them, but you can also teach them about organic food or the origin of food . For example, discuss how hazelnuts grow, their benefits for the environment and for children's balanced nutrition.
It will also be interesting if you talk about how they are turned into flour or oil. These discussions can inspire children with a greater respect for nature, sustainability and the food they eat, helping them understand the food chain and the impact of food choices on the world around them.
When children are involved in preparing food, they are much more likely to enjoy it. This can be an important step in getting them to try and appreciate new foods.
Games and educational activities about food
Turn nutrition into a game. For example, you can create a "food puzzle" where children have to match different foods with their nutrients. Hazelnuts can be a great example to discuss protein and healthy fats. This type of activity not only teaches them about how to create balanced nutrition for children in an interactive and fun way, but also helps them develop a healthy relationship with food.
Dear Mom, I know there is no perfect "parenting" guide and I know you want the best for your children, but most of the time, the best solutions are also the simplest .
Introduce hazelnut-based products into the child's diet. Make sure it's organic and has a short list of ingredients that you can understand. Look up the brand online to see if they are transparent about their green practices. And if you finally find 100% hazelnut products such as those from Allu, be sure that you can and that it is easier than you thought to provide balanced nutrition for your children.
Encourage curiosity, creativity and a love of nature in your little one by giving them the best choices. Together, we can create a world where we raise not only healthy children, but also keepers of the beauties of nature.
- Thoughts and guidance from a mom on the Allu team
