Kids Food Pyramid: Daily Nutrition for KidsSome of the other articles on this site discusses how you should be guided in terms of your child’s nutrition. Each age group goes through different phases, and therefore different needs or portions from the five major food groups. We will now look at the specific serving suggestions or daily-recommended servings for each of the three age groups. Ages 2-6 At this stage of rapid growth, your child should be getting three to four ounces of grains. An ounce can be a slice of bread, half a cup of oatmeal, half a cup of cooked rice or pasta, a slice of tortilla, or other wheat products. Remember that they don’t have to switch to a diet in which half of their grains servings are whole grain till they’re about six or seven years old. Serve your children one cup to one and a half cups of vegetables each day. You can stick to serving them sweeter vegetables. Carrots, corn, potatoes, and sweet peas can be fun little things for a young child to eat. Introduce leafy vegetables near the end of this age group, unless your child is very open to vegetables, then introduce them earlier. A cup and a half of fruit each day is enough in this age group. You can divide this between their two daily snacks. Snacking on fruit is not only healthy, but is also a great energy booster for your child. At this age, about two cups of dairy is the recommended serving. Check your milk bottles for the equivalent serving sizes of one glass of milk. Remember that two cups of milk does not equal two servings of dairy. Always check the percentages. Protein group portions should be around two to four ounces. While this can be difficult to determine, just make sure the protein group is composed of lean meats. Don’t forget that beans also count as a protein, so do nuts, and so does peanut butter! Ages 7-11 Your child’s energy boost will be met by a boost in carbohydrates, and that usually means grains. By now half of your child’s grain servings should be whole grains, and their grain portion will go up to five ounces each day. You can see this as one cup of cooked brown rice, one cup of cooked pasta, and one slice of whole wheat bread. Other carbohydrates should be taken from fruit and vegetables high in carbohydrates. About a cup and a half to two cups of vegetables should be eaten each day. Stick to starchy vegetables or ones high in carbohydrates like potatoes, carrots, squash, and pumpkin. Fruits will remain at a cup and half, but again choose ones with a lot of carbohydrates like apples and papayas. To make sure your child keeps their potassium levels up, and stays well hydrated, give them bananas. Your child will now go up to three cups of dairy servings per day. If they are still willing to drink milk, you can continue to serve them milk, but preferably 2% milk, reduced fat, skim, or soy. Turn to other sources of dairy as well. Cheeses and yogurt cups are great ways to get them their daily-recommendations. Yogurt cups now come in flavors, which makes it more appealing to children. You can also mix sweetened yogurt with some fruit for a really yummy snack. It also hits two birds (food groups) with one stone. Finally, your child’s protein requirements at this age will also go up. About five ounces a day is what they will be needing, but they could very well be eating more. As long as they don’t double their protein serving on a daily basis, they should be fine. |
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How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food - Without A Fight!
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