Ways To Help Your Child
Develop Good Attitudes About Eating
Here are some ways to help your
child develop good attitudes about eating Don't place
your child on a restrictive diet.
Children should never be placed
on a restrictive diet to lose weight, unless a doctor
supervises one for medical reasons. Limiting what children
eat may be harmful to their health and interfere with
their growth and development.
To promote proper growth and
development and prevent overweight, parents should offer
the whole family a wide variety of foods from each of
the food groups displayed in the Food Guide Pyramid.
The Food Guide Pyramid applies to healthy people ages
2 years and older.
The Food Guide Pyramid illustrates
the importance of balance among food groups in a daily
eating pattern. Select most of your daily servings of
food from the food groups that are the largest in the
picture and closest to the bottom of the Pyramid.
Most of the foods in your diet
should come from the grain products group (6-11 servings),
the vegetable group (3-5 servings), and the fruit group
(2-4 servings). (See chart for suggested serving sizes.)
Your diet should include moderate
amounts of foods from the milk group (2-3 servings)
and the meat and beans group (2-3 servings).
Foods that provide few nutrients
and are high in fat and sugars should be used sparingly.
Fat should not be restricted in the diets of children
younger than 2 years of age.
One Serving* Equals
BREAD, CEREAL, RICE & PASTA GROUP
1 slice of bread
1 ounce of ready to eat cereal
1 1/2 cup of cooked cereal,
rice, or pasta
MILK, YOGURT, & CHEESE GROUP
1 cup of milk or yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese
2 ounces of processed cheese
VEGETABLE GROUP
1 cup of raw vegetables or
1/2 cup of frozen leafy leafy vegetables (cooked)
1/2 cup of other vegetables - cooked
or chopped raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice
MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, DRY BEANS, & NUTS GROUP
2-3 ounces of cooked lean
meat, poultry, or fish
1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1
egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat
2 tablespoons of peanut butter or
1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat
FRUIT GROUP
1 medium apple, banana,
or orange
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned
fruit
3/4 cup of fruit juice
*NOTE: Serving sizes are for
children and adults ages 2 years and older. A range
of servings is given for each food group. The smaller
number is for children who consume about 1,300 calories
a day, such as 2-4 years of age. The larger number is
for those who consume about 3,000 calories a day, such
as boys 15-18 years of age.
If you are unsure about how
to select and prepare a variety of foods for your family,
consult a physician or registered dietitian for nutrition
counseling. You may also want to refer to the readings
and organizations listed at the end of this fact sheet
for more information on healthy eating.
|
