Healthy Food Choices for
School-Age Children
Variety
Your
child should consume a variety of foods from the five major food groups that
make up the "food pyramid". Each food group supplies important
nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. These five groups and typical
minimum servings are:
- Vegetables: Three servings to
five servings per day. A serving may consist of one cup of raw leafy
vegetables, 3/4 cup of vegetable juice, or 1/2 cup of other vegetables,
chopped raw or cooked.
- Fruits: Two servings to four
servings per day. A serving may consist of 1/2 cup of sliced fruit, 3/4
cup of fruit juice, or a medium-size whole fruit, like an apple, banana or
pear.
- Bread,
cereal, or pasta: Six servings to 11 servings per day. Each serving should
equal one slice of bread, 1/2 cup of rice or pasta or 1 ounce of cereal.
- Protein
foods:
two servings to three servings of 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry
or fish per day. A serving in this group may also consist of 1/2 cup of
cooked dry beans, one egg, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter for each
ounce of lean meat.
- Dairy
products:
two servings to three servings per day of 1 cup of low-fat milk or yogurt,
or 11/2 ounces of natural cheese.
Fiber
Fiber
is a carbohydrate component of plant foods that is usually undigestible. It is
found in foods like fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads, cereals, brown
rice, beans, seeds and nuts. In adults, increased fiber has been linked with a
reduction of chronic gastrointestinal problems, including colon cancer,
irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis. In children, however, fiber's only
proven benefit is its ability to ease constipation-providing bulk that can
promote regular frequency of bowel movements, soften the stools, and decrease
the time it takes food to travel through the intestines. However, since food
preferences and eating habits may be established early in life, and since
high-fiber foods contain other nutrients, parents should include these foods in
children's daily diets.
Protein
Your
child requires protein for the proper growth and functioning of his body,
including building new tissues and producing antibodies that help battle infections.
Without essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein), children would
be much more susceptible to serious diseases.
Protein-rich
plants - such as dried beans and peas (legumes), grains, seeds and nuts -can be
used as valuable sources of protein. Other protein-rich foods include meat,
fish, milk, yogurt, cheese and eggs. These animal products contain high-quality
protein and a full array of amino acids.
Bear
in mind, however, that red meat and shellfish are not only rich in protein and
an important source of iron but are high in fat and cholesterol as well. Thus,
your child should consume them only in moderate amounts. Select lean cuts of
meat and trim the fat before cooking. Likewise, remove skin from poultry, and
excess fat from fish, before serving.
Fat
Humans
cannot live without fats. They are a concentrated source of energy, providing
essential fatty acids that are necessary for a variety of bodily processes
(metabolism, blood clotting, vitamin absorption).
However,
high fat intake - particularly a diet high in saturated fats - can cause
problems. Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperatures and are found
in fatty meats (such as beef, pork, ham, veal and lamb) and many dairy products
(whole milk, cheese and ice cream). They can contribute to the buildup of
atherosclerotic plaques and lead to coronary artery disease later in life. A
diet rich in saturated fats also can increase blood cholesterol, particularly
in people who have inherited a tendency toward high cholesterol levels.
For
that reason, after age 2, children should be served foods that are lower in fat
and saturated fats. Chances are that your child's favorite foods are higher in
fat than is desirable. Prudent eating means relying more on low-fat,
low-cholesterol foods like poultry, fish, and lean meat (broiled, baked or
roasted; not fried), soft margarine (instead of butter), low-fat dairy
products, and low-saturated-fat oils from vegetables, while limiting egg
consumption.
As
a general guideline, fats should make up less than 30 percent of the calories
in your child's diet, with no more than about one third or less of those fat
calories coming from saturated fat, and the remainder from unsaturated (that
is, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated) fats, which are liquid at room
temperature and include vegetable oils like corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean
and olive. Some parents find the information about various types of fat
confusing. In general, oils and fats derived from animal origin are saturated.
The simplest place to start is merely to reduce the amount of fatty foods of
all types in your family's diet.
Sugar
Keep
your child's sugar consumption at moderate levels. Sugar has plenty of
calories, but dietitians often call them empty calories because they have very little
additional nutritional value. Even so, many children consume sugar in great
quantities, usually at the expense of healthier foods - that is, when
youngsters drink sodas, they are usually leaving the milk in the refrigerator;
when they eat a brownie, they may be overlooking the
bowl of fruit, a good source of complex carbohydrates, on the kitchen table.
Salt
Table
salt, or sodium chloride, may improve the taste of certain foods. However,
researchers have found a relationship between dietary salt and high blood
pressure in some individuals and population groups. High blood pressure
afflicts about 25 percent of adult Americans and contributes to heart attacks
and strokes.
The
habit of using extra salt is an acquired one. Thus, as much as possible, serve
your child foods low in salt. In the kitchen, minimize the amount of salt you
add to food during its preparation, using herbs, spices, or lemon juice
instead. Also, take the salt shaker off the dinner table, or at least limit its
use by your family.
Because
of the preservative properties of salt, processed foods often contain large
amounts of it. Salt-rich foods may include processed cheese, instant puddings,
canned vegetables, canned soups, hot dogs, cottage cheese, salad dressings,
pickles, certain breakfast cereals, and potato chips and other snacks.
Making
Healthier Food Choices
|
Eat more often Baked potato |
Eat only occasionally French fries |
Excerpted
from "Caring
for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5-12" Bantam 1999
© Copyright 2000