Children's Nutrition
Twice a year, we gather information about our snacks and hot lunches and send it to a nutritionist. She analyzes the information and sends us her analysis and any recommendations she has. The information she provides helps us make sure we are meeting the children’s nutritional needs. We are currently in this process, and will share with you any changes that we will be making based on her recommendations.
Over the next few weeks, I would like to share some simple tips about healthy eating.
I’ll start by sharing a little information about different food groups. The USDA’s MyPyramid breaks down food into six groups. You can look at MyPyramid, including nutrition information for preschoolers, at www.mypyramid.gov.
The first food group is the grains group. Grains include bread, cereal, tortillas, and rice. Grains may be whole grains or refined grains. Whole grains are made with the whole grain kernel and have more fiber, iron, and other nutrients than refined grains. The carbohydrates in grains are used by the body for energy. Fiber also helps heart and digestive health. Young children need 3-5 servings of grains, older children need 5-7 servings, and adults need 5-8 servings. Examples of a serving of grains are 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cold cereal, ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta, and 1 small (6”) tortilla.
The next group is vegetables. Vegetables may be raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, or canned. Vegetables contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that are essential to staying healthy and are also a good source of fiber. To get the most out of vegetables, eat a variety of vegetables, especially brightly colored ones. Young children need 1-1 ½ cups of vegetables and older children and adults need 2-3 cups. Examples of cup equivalents for vegetables include 2 medium carrots, 1 large ear of corn, 1 small potato, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables, and 2 cups of lettuce or other leafy greens. To help estimate, a cup is about the size of a man’s fist or a baseball.
Next is the fruit group. Like vegetables, fruits come in different forms – fresh, frozen, dried, canned, or in 100% fruit juice. Fruits, especially brightly colored fruits, contain a variety of nutrients as well as fiber. Young children need 1-1 ½ cups of fruit and older children and adults need 1 ½-2 cups of fruits. Examples of a cup of fruit are 1 small apple, 1 large banana, 1 large orange, 8 large strawberries, 1 cup cut up fresh or canned fruit, ½ cup dried fruit, and 1 cup 100% fruit juice. Try to limit fruit juice to 6 ounces per day for preschoolers.
The next group is milk. In addition to milk, this group includes cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products. A key benefit of dairy products is calcium, which is important for healthy bones. Dairy products also contain protein and other nutrients. Choosing low fat or fat free dairy products allows you to get these important nutrients with less fat. Young children need 2 cups of milk or dairy a day and older children and adults need 3 cups. 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 ½ ounces of natural cheese, and 2 cups of cottage cheese are all 1 cup equivalents for dairy. 1 ½ ounces of cheese is about the size of 3 dominos. From 1 year to 2 years of age, children should drink whole milk, as the fat helps with brain development. Children over 2 years of age and adults should drink low fat or fat free milk.
The next group is meat and beans. Foods in this group include meat, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, and nuts. These foods provide proteins – the body’s building blocks. Foods in this group are also a good source of iron, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients. Choose mostly lean protein sources and try a variety of foods from this group. Young children need 2-4 servings, older children and adults need 5-6 ½ servings. Examples of a serving of this food group are 1 ounce cooked meat, ½ ounce nuts, 1 egg, and ¼ cup cooked beans or tofu. 3 ounces of meat are about the size of a woman’s palm or a deck of cards.
The last group is oils. Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, like most vegetable oils. Some foods, like nuts, avocados, olives, and some fish, also contain oil. Some oils contain essential fatty acids – fatty acids that the body can’t make for itself. Young children have an allowance of 3-4 teaspoons of oil a day, older children have an allowance of 5-6 teaspoons, and adults have an allowance of 5-7 teaspoons. Most of the time, we get all of the oils we need from the foods we eat, including cooking oil and salad dressing.