3 All - Season Oilseeds for year-round Children’s Health

Seeing her kids active, healthy and full of energy all the time is the ultimate dream of every mother. However, ensuring children’s health around the year becomes a tough task for a mom due to the host of seasonal, environmental and human factors.

As a mother, don’t you often wonder if you could lay your hands on some magic potion that can ensure your kids are happy and healthy around the year? Is it merely wishful thinking or can there be actually something that can make your kids stronger by boosting their immune system for robust health? Can a mother’s mind ever find some rest and some quick-trick to make her children healthy forever?

Yes, Momma, you can achieve all of the above and much more!

To answer all your worries, Kidmish brings for you three power-packed all season oilseeds for year-round children’s health. Before we sample them one by one, let me tell you, we also bring the bonus of easy recipes using all three of these.

Let's begin!

Power packed snacks for kids with Peanuts

Remember those childhood train rides, evening playtime in the local park, school mini snack time or a family get-together when we lovingly indulged in shelling peanuts and savouring the nutty delight with a spicy salt mix. And tell me if you were ever able to resist the awesomeness and happiness that a golden bite of a granny-made chikki!

Peanuts are timeless and omnipresent. These awesome snacks for kids remain a lifelong favourite even when we grow up. They have been an integral part of the Indian snacking culture across the social strata. These power packed small brown nuts really have a great nutritional significance are an affordable and easily available protein source.

Peanuts are a healthy source of nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, proteins and minerals required for the overall health of kids as well as adults. Some of the undisputable benefits of peanuts are;

• Rich in MUFA which lowers and controls LDL or bad cholesterol ensuring good heart health.
• Contain amino acids essential for growth and development.
• Certain compounds that reduce the risk of stomach cancer, degenerative nerve diseases and viral and fungal infections.
• Rich source of the B-complex group of vitamins.
• Packed with a variety of minerals like copper, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.
• They are also a rich source of Vitamin E, an essential vitamin for skin and mucosa

Quick and Easy Peanut recipes

Peanuts can be added to many recipes for kids to make a no-fuss nutrient-rich meal plan for children of all age groups.  Check out some of the simplest ways of using peanuts in kids’ meals:

How to use

• Shallow fry peanuts in 1 teaspoon of ghee or your preferred cooking medium. Add salt and a pinch of pepper and pack for your kids mini-meal in school or snack before they are going out to play.
• Grind the peanuts after roasting or shallow frying (as per the above method) along with green coriander leaves. Mix with curd and adjust salt to make a quick, healthy and tasty accompaniment for snacks for kids.
• Add a nutty flavour to your poha, sabudana khichadi, potato/ paneer stuffed sandwiches by sprinkling roasted or shallow fried peanuts.

Making the most of the “most useful” Flaxseed

Do we even need to discuss the goodness of a seed whose very name means “most useful”?

Not sure what we are talking about? Let me elaborate, the English translation of the Latin name of Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) is “most useful.”

Flaxseed -  the small, dark brown and shiny little seed is one of oldest cultivated crops across different civilizations. It has been extensively used across India as an accompaniment for snacks for kids and adults. Most commonly it is found in the multi-grain flour or bread available in the market.

Flaxseeds are packed with health-boosting goodness. Various research and studies have found the following health benefits of flaxseeds for both children and adults:

• Compounds in flaxseed stimulate omega-3 fatty acid production which is essential for the overall health of our body
• Improve digestion with their healthy mix of fibre, protein and nutrients
• Laxative properties prevent constipation
• Stimulates brain and eye tissues development in kids and also aids in improving brain function
• Reduces inflammatory compounds which in turn reduces the risk of childhood asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine etc.
• Lignans in flaxseed protect against many different forms of cancer

Quick and Easy Flaxseed recipes

You can use flaxseed in an assortment of recipes for kids. Try some of the following tips to prepare a healthy and yummy flaxseed infused meal for your kids:

How to use

• Roast 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds and 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds and grind to a fine powder. Add salt to taste and mix with curd, lemon juice or vinegar to make a quick, tasty and healthy dip for kids. You can also add it to buttermilk to make it tastier.
• Sprinkle the above flaxseed powder-mix to vegetables usually disliked by kids like lauki/dudhi, tori, tinda etc. It adds a unique flavour and turns a grossly disliked vegetables into tastier recipes for kids.
• Use the flaxseed dip as the spread on a regular roti or paratha and then roll and cut it to make quick finger food for the kids. You can also add an assortment of chopped vegetables to make a proper roll along with the flaxseed spread.

The magic of the Black Mustard Seeds

The black mustard seeds have been believed to have magical properties and for ages moms and grannys have been using it to ward off the evil eye. We can debunk the whole evil eye concept but ever wondered why only this particular seed was used to ward off the evil and ensure children’s health?

Let's take a logical, rational and scientific approach and substitute the evil eye with bad health and illnesses and try to answer the question. Our answer also lies in one of the famous quotes from the Hindi speaking belts of India which goes like, “Jonakaremaai,wobhikareRaai (mustard seeds)” which translates to “What even the mother can’t do, black mustard seeds do for a child.”

For ages, the black mustard seeds and mustard oil have been known for their medicinal and anti-inflammatory properties. Let us list some of the amazing benefits of these tiny black seeds:

• A great cure for respiratory congestion, seasonal viral illnesses and the common cold
• Its antibacterial properties keep the children’s guts clean and improve digestion and metabolism
• Selenium and magnesium in mustard give anti-inflammatory support assisting in joints and muscle pain, asthma and many other inflammatory conditions related to children’s health
• Glucosinolates found in mustard helps to prevent various forms of cancer
• Omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients reduce cardiac arrhythmia ensure the healthy heart from an early age
• Stimulates hair growth and maintains good quality skin

Quick and Easy Black Mustard recipes

You can create a diverse variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes for kids using black mustard seeds. To begin with try some of the following lip smacking and super-easy recipes:

How to use

• Mustard tempering is the easiest way to add mustard seeds to your everyday meals. Temper rice, idlis,pohaor any regular home cooked vegetables curry to add that savoury twist to taste.
• Dissolve jaggery/gudin diluted vinegar. Grind 2 teaspoon black mustard seeds along with 4-5 pieces of garlic cloves and the dissolved jaggery solution. Add salt to make a tangy, multi-purpose sauce that is very good for children’s health. Refrigerate and use for up to 15-20 days.
• Grind 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds, half teaspoon cumin seeds and 5-6 garlic pieces to a fine paste. Heat oil in a wok, temper with methi dana and add the paste. Stir fry on medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Add finely chopped tomatoes and salt and cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add boiled potatoes and mix well. Add water and simmer for 5-7 minutes for a yummy curry. You can replace potatoes with raw banana roundels fried separately and use these curry recipes for kids to make the non-vegetarian preparation of fish.

Conclusion

Now, that you know about the power-packed goodness of these three superfoods start using them regularly in your everyday meal plan and ensure a healthier and happier childhood for your kids.

Ensuring children’s health right from the beginning is the best investment you can make for your kid’s life. So pick up a healthy recipe for the next meal and start cooking right away!

Until then, Happy Parenting!