CHILD NUTRITION
 
Basic child nutrition guidelines....
Child Nutrition
By Vanessa Rasmussen, © 2006-2010, All rights reserved.
Children,
while growing up require considerable amount of nutrition from healthy foods.
This supplements the overall physical as well as mental growth of a child.
It is imperative that your child consume a balanced diet every day.
A balanced diet is a diet that includes a combination
of several different food types. These food types include grains and pulses,
fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, fats and oils. It should
provide enough calories to ensure a desirable weight and should include all
the necessary nutrients vital for a child's growth.
The best combination for a balanced diet is:
Low fat, low refined carbohydrates
+ healthy carbohydrates + moderate protein
As a general rule:
- About 50 percent of your calories should
come from complex carbohydrates.
- About 30 percent should come from protein.
- About 20 percent should come from all fat.
(Of this saturated fat should not be more than one-third).
If a child leads a relatively active life and
follows a balanced diet, he /she won't need any nutritional supplements. However,
if the lifestyle is pretty sedate, or if the child is ill, under stress and
is prescribed extra nutrients by a qualified physician or nutritionist, it
may be prudent to supplement his/her diet with a multi-vitamin & mineral
tablet.
That said, this should always be a short term
measure. Remember, supplements should not be used as a substitute for a healthy,
balanced diet. They are just an addition to any diet. Children can consistently
consume a healthy diet by following the guidelines given in the food pyramid.
Think of the Food Guide Pyramid as a giant
puzzle that provides the 40+ nutrients children need every day to stay healthy.
The Five Food Groups - Milk, Fruits, Vegetables, Grains and Meat - are the
puzzle pieces. Each food group makes a unique nutrient contribution to the
diet and the foods in each group contain similar nutrients. When a child eats
the recommended servings from each food group, his / her diet is complete.
When a food group is missing, the puzzle is incomplete.
The food groups and servings listed in the
food pyramid are as follows:
- Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group (6 to
11 Servings)
- Vegetable Group (5 Servings)
- Fruit Group (4 Servings)
- Milk Group (3 Servings)
- Meat Group (2 Servings)
- Fats, Oils, and Sweets (Use sparingly)
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