Nutrition Know-How

Children grow fast during the first five years of life. They need balanced diets to help them grow. As you are likely well aware, it is sometimes hard to get your child to eat healthy food essential to maintaining a balanced diet. Here are some suggestions and reminders of what you can do to help your child eat healthy foods.

Your child should eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks. This will help give him or her a balanced diet. Children have lots of energy and need nutritious snacks to keep them going and growing. Breakfast is very important because your child has not eaten since the night before. Children who eat breakfast are often less irritable in the morning.

Planning a good menu is easy when you use the USDA food guide pyramid. Check the chart to see how many servings from each group your child needs. If you give him or her more servings from one of the groups, that is fine; but it is important to give at least the minimum number of servings each day.

Most of the time, children know how much food they need and they will eat accordingly. They do need your help, however, in choosing healthy foods. Also, remember that children’s appetites vary from day to day so the amounts that they eat one day may seem quite different from the amount they eat another day. If a child refuses to eat a food given, try presenting it differently way another day. Children, especially young children, life foods with color so try giving colorful fruits and vegetables to your child. As you see to it that your child is provided with a variety of healthy foods to choose from, your child will develop healthy eating habits that will benefit him or her throughout life. Following the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, guidelines can help you serve balanced meals to your whole family.

Here are the daily recommended number and size of servings for children ages 1-5 years old:

*Remember, foods that are low in fat, are not recommended for children younger than age two to assist in proper brain development.