What about our Kiddos?
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Many of us are aware of what we, as adults, need to eat and drink in a day in order to stay at our optimum health. A good question though is, what about our kids? How many of us know the amount of water a child should drink throughout the day? How many servings of veggies and fruit should they consume? And what about dairy? Are we feeding our kiddos too much, or too little? After plenty of research we are fairly confident that we are feeding our children just what they need to obtain optimum health, a fact that is very important to us.
Water
The standard recommendation of water intake for children is at least 6-8 glasses (1.5 - 2 litres) a day, drunk regularly throughout the day (at least 3-4 glasses while at school) ensuring that plenty of additional fluid is drunk during warm weather and/or when exercising. "When exercising" means before, during and after exercise and is not restricted to formal PE and games lessons, but is also applicable to active play (e.g. football in the playground or periods of running around).
Must note, this recommendation does not take into account the age of the child. A good rule of thumb is to aim for atleast 1/2 the child's weight in water. So, if you have a 30lb child, aim for 15oz of water (2 full large glasses) per day. If you have a 50lbs child, aim for 25oz (3-4 full large glasses) per day.
Food
I think some parents should have this tattooed on their hands so they see it all the time. I am so saddened by the amount children over eat, and even more so by the parents who place their children on a "diet" because of their (parents) insecurities or weight problems. It breaks my heart everyday and all I can hope for is that through proper education, these parents see the flaws in their ways, the extreme dangers they are placing on their children and the harm for their futures and possibly change their poor choices and habits.
For a 4-8yr old child
Grains - 4-5 servings per day (Servings example: 1 slice of WW bread, 1/2 cooked cereal (oatmeal), 1/2 rice or pasta, 1 cup cold cereal)
Veggies - 1 1/2 cups per day
Fruits - 1 - 1 1/2 cups per day
Dairy - 2 cups per day
Meat, Beans, Fish, Nuts - 3-4 servings per day (Servings example: 1oz meat, 1/4 cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, 1 tbsp PB, 1/2 oz (small handfull) nuts or seeds)
What about our Little Little ones?
1-2 year olds:
6 servings of grains (one serving = 1/4 slice bread, 1/4 muffin, 2 crackers, 1/4 cup dry cereal, 1/4 cup hot cereal)
• 1 serving of a vitamin-C-rich fruit or veggie (one serving = 1/3 cup juice, 1/4 cup chopped fruit or veggie)
• 1 serving green or orange fruit or veggie for vitamin A (one serving = 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice, 1/4 cup chopped fruit/veggie)
• 3 or more servings of other fruits or vegetables, including potatoes (1 serving = 1/4 of a whole fruit/veggie, 1/4 cup chopped, raw or cooked)
• 3 servings of milk, yogurt or cheese (one serving = 1/2 cup milk/yogurt, 1/2 ounce cheese)
• 2 servings of protein (one serving = 1+ tablespoon chopped meat, fish or poultry, 1 egg)
2-3 year olds:
Grains - 3-5servings (1 slice of bread, 1 cup cereal, 1/2 cup rice/pasta)
Veggies - 1 - 1 1/2 cups
Fruits - 1 - 1 1/2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Meat & Beans (fish) - 2-4 servings (1oz meat/fish, 1/4cup nuts/seeds, 1 egg)
**For more on all the benefits of a proper diet and the recommendations for specific ages, check out kidshealth.org. Amazing website with wonderful resources!**
Last tip of the day: A child aged 3-6yrs should get atleast 60 minutes of exercise per DAY! The older they get, the more they should get!!!
Water
The standard recommendation of water intake for children is at least 6-8 glasses (1.5 - 2 litres) a day, drunk regularly throughout the day (at least 3-4 glasses while at school) ensuring that plenty of additional fluid is drunk during warm weather and/or when exercising. "When exercising" means before, during and after exercise and is not restricted to formal PE and games lessons, but is also applicable to active play (e.g. football in the playground or periods of running around).
Must note, this recommendation does not take into account the age of the child. A good rule of thumb is to aim for atleast 1/2 the child's weight in water. So, if you have a 30lb child, aim for 15oz of water (2 full large glasses) per day. If you have a 50lbs child, aim for 25oz (3-4 full large glasses) per day.
Food
I think some parents should have this tattooed on their hands so they see it all the time. I am so saddened by the amount children over eat, and even more so by the parents who place their children on a "diet" because of their (parents) insecurities or weight problems. It breaks my heart everyday and all I can hope for is that through proper education, these parents see the flaws in their ways, the extreme dangers they are placing on their children and the harm for their futures and possibly change their poor choices and habits.
For a 4-8yr old child
Grains - 4-5 servings per day (Servings example: 1 slice of WW bread, 1/2 cooked cereal (oatmeal), 1/2 rice or pasta, 1 cup cold cereal)
Veggies - 1 1/2 cups per day
Fruits - 1 - 1 1/2 cups per day
Dairy - 2 cups per day
Meat, Beans, Fish, Nuts - 3-4 servings per day (Servings example: 1oz meat, 1/4 cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, 1 tbsp PB, 1/2 oz (small handfull) nuts or seeds)
What about our Little Little ones?
1-2 year olds:
6 servings of grains (one serving = 1/4 slice bread, 1/4 muffin, 2 crackers, 1/4 cup dry cereal, 1/4 cup hot cereal)
• 1 serving of a vitamin-C-rich fruit or veggie (one serving = 1/3 cup juice, 1/4 cup chopped fruit or veggie)
• 1 serving green or orange fruit or veggie for vitamin A (one serving = 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice, 1/4 cup chopped fruit/veggie)
• 3 or more servings of other fruits or vegetables, including potatoes (1 serving = 1/4 of a whole fruit/veggie, 1/4 cup chopped, raw or cooked)
• 3 servings of milk, yogurt or cheese (one serving = 1/2 cup milk/yogurt, 1/2 ounce cheese)
• 2 servings of protein (one serving = 1+ tablespoon chopped meat, fish or poultry, 1 egg)
2-3 year olds:
Grains - 3-5servings (1 slice of bread, 1 cup cereal, 1/2 cup rice/pasta)
Veggies - 1 - 1 1/2 cups
Fruits - 1 - 1 1/2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Meat & Beans (fish) - 2-4 servings (1oz meat/fish, 1/4cup nuts/seeds, 1 egg)
**For more on all the benefits of a proper diet and the recommendations for specific ages, check out kidshealth.org. Amazing website with wonderful resources!**
Last tip of the day: A child aged 3-6yrs should get atleast 60 minutes of exercise per DAY! The older they get, the more they should get!!!
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