Healthful Eating Basics

Eating right helps kids grow and develop properly, and even to do well in school. Whether your kids are tots, teens or in between, healthful eating comes down to these basics:

• Eating recommended amounts from all the major food groups and a variety of nutritious foods from within each group to get enough of the many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they need for good health. Most kids aren’t meeting food group recommendations for whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which contributes to a shortfall on fiber. They’re also not getting enough calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin E, and for teen girls, iron.
• Watching portion sizes so kids don’t get more calories than they need. This is especially important for less nutritious foods and beverages that contain added sugars and solid fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats. Many kids eat too much saturated fat and trans fats.
• Balancing the amount of food they eat with regular physical activity to promote a healthful weight.

Learn more about MyPyramid for Kids. 

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/resources/mpk_close.pdf

The USDA MyPyramid for Kids is a guide to healthful eating and physical activity for kids. Below is an overview of MyPyramid’s food groups and main messages for good health, plus kid-appealing tips for following them.

Make half your grains whole. The Grains Group includes whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, pasta and crackers, oatmeal, whole-grain ready-to-eat cereals, brown rice and popcorn, and enriched grains such as white bread, rice and pasta. Whole grains contain fiber, which helps kids stay regular and may help them maintain a healthy weight. Enriched grains provide B-vitamins and iron.

• Keep a variety of whole-grain breakfast cereals on hand such as POST Honeycomb. Choosing iron-fortified cereals can be a wise choice for the whole family, but especially for growing kids and teens.
  • Tip: Check the Nutrition Facts label for a cereal that contains at least 3g of fiber per serving.
• Make sandwiches on whole-wheat bread or roll.
• Serve whole-grain crackers such as TRISCUIT Whole Grain Wheat Crackers or low fat popcorn for snacks.

Vary your veggies. Encourage your kids to eat a variety of vibrant-colored veggies from the Vegetables Group, especially dark green ones like broccoli and spinach, and orange ones like carrots and sweet potatoes. Veggies supply kids with fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamins A, C and E.

• Prepare for crunch time. Keep a colorful medley of cleaned and cut-up veggies in the fridge such as sliced zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower flowerettes, and green, red, yellow or orange pepper strips.
• Stir frozen peas, corn, carrots, mixed veggies or spinach into canned soup.
• Heap cheese pizza with your kids’ favorite veggies such as chopped tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers.
• Serve baked sweet potatoes as a dinner side dish.

Focus on fruits. Nature’s sweet treats in the Fruit Group give kids fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and folate. Just like with veggies, it’s important for kids to eat lots of different color fruits. Most of the time, choose whole fruits over juices or fruit snacks. When choosing juice, look for 100% fruit juice.

• Serve small (4-6 ounce) glasses of 100% fruit juice at breakfast.
• Pack mini-containers of water-packed fruit in lunches.
• For quick snacks, fill the fruit bowl with your kids’ favorites and keep it within easy reach on the countertop. Learn more about Smart Snacking for Kids.
• Serve fun fruit for dessert. Try lightly-grilled pineapple rings or blueberries and sliced strawberries topped with a dollop of COOL WHIP Lite Whipped Topping.

Get your calcium-rich foods. These Milk Group foods include milk, yogurt and cheese, which provide the calcium and vitamin D kids need to build strong bones and teeth, as well as protein and potassium.

• Make milk the standard meal beverage at your house.
• Add extra calcium to a lunchtime favorite: Serve grilled cheese made with KRAFT 2% Milk Reduced Fat Singles paired with tomato soup made with fat free milk instead of water.
• To trim saturated fat, buy reduced-fat cheese, and low fat (1%) or fat free milk and yogurt.

Go lean with protein. The Meat & Beans Group includes meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, peas, eggs, nuts, soy and seeds. In addition to protein, this group gives kids iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamin E, and an assortment of B vitamins.

• Make sandwiches with lean roast beef, ham or turkey.
• Give kids small bags of nuts or sunflower seeds to keep in their backpacks for after-school snacks.
• Use lean ground beef to make spaghetti sauce or taco filling.
• Offer finger-friendly baked fish sticks or a side of baked beans at dinner.
• Try meat alternative products made with soy for some food favorites like chicken nuggets, sausage and burgers.

Oils aren’t a food group, but kids need some for good health. They supply vitamin E and are found in fish, nuts and seeds, avocados, and vegetable oils.

Physical Activity: The Other Half of the Healthy Kids Equation

For good health and to maintain a healthy weight, experts recommend that kids get at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a day. It’s fine for them to add up their daily activity in shorter periods of 10 or 20 minutes at a time.

Many activities count toward their daily total. Just a few examples are playing active games like tag and jumping rope for younger kids, shooting baskets and active chores like vacuuming or raking leaves for older kids, and playing soccer, running, walking and dancing for all ages.

Being active as a family lets you spend time together and have fun while you get fit. Take walks or hikes, or go swimming or bowling.

• Tip: All kids need to drink enough fluids such as water, milk, juice and other beverages, but the more active your children are—and the higher the temperature—the more they need to drink. Learn more about fluid recommendations for kids and tips to make sure they get enough.

They’re Watching You …What to Do

You have the earliest and perhaps biggest impact on the eating and physical activity habits your children take into adulthood. Here’s what you can do to help ensure their healthy future:

• Be a role model. Your kids love to imitate you, so when you eat right and are physically active, they’re more likely to do so, too. Display a positive attitude showing that healthful habits such as trying new foods and taking a daily walk are fun and help you feel good.
• Make the most of mealtime. When families eat together, children tend to eat more fruits, vegetables, fiber, calcium, iron, vitamins C and E and several B-vitamins, and fewer soft drinks, fried foods, saturated fat and trans fat. Too busy for weekday dining? Try sitting down to breakfast on weekends.
• Take a cue from your kids. Your job is to make sure a variety of nutritious foods are available for meals and snacks. Your child’s job is to decide what and how much to eat. When you let kids listen to their own body cues—rather than urging them to clean their plates—they’re more likely to eat sensible portion sizes.
• Teach about treats. Kids occasionally can enjoy treats like cookies, candy and soft drinks in small amounts. NABISCO 100CALORIE PACKS are reasonable portions for a treat for kids (and adults).
• Promote a positive body image. ‘Tweens and teens are often self-conscious about the size or shape of their bodies. You can foster a healthy body image by explaining to your child that every body is unique and that there’s no perfect body size or shape. See Tips to Keep Kids at a Healthy Weight.