The ABC's of Child Nutrition
  by Beth Fontenot, MS, LDN, RD

Food provides children with all the nutrients they need to grow normally, to learn and play at their best, and to stay healthy.
There are five major food groups that children need to eat from everyday:

Children need a minimum of six servings each day from the Breads, Cereals, Rice and Pasta Group.  The many forms that these grain foods are available in are usually enjoyed by children. Bagels, English muffins, crackers, oatmeal, pretzels, cornbread, macaroni, spaghetti, pretzels, and rice cakes are just some of the foods in this group. These foods provide children with B vitamins, iron, and fiber, as well as carbohydrates that provide energy for active play. Most of the food a child eats a day should come from this group.

Three servings are recommended from the Vegetable Group each day. Carrots, broccoli, corn, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, and squash are some of the foods included in this group. Vegetables provide children with good sources of vitamins A and C. Children are notorious for turning up their noses at vegetables, but it is possible to help them develop positive attitudes about vegetables. Let them explore the different colors and types of vegetables in the produce department and choose one to take home and try. Remember that children tend to prefer their vegetables with a little crunch, so serve them raw or undercooked. Also, positive attitudes from family members may help a child warm up to vegetables.

Children seem to enjoy foods in the Fruit Group, and it's usually no problem to get in the minimum two recommended servings per day. Apples, applesauce, bananas, fruit cocktail, peaches, pears, and watermelon are usually favorites with children. Fruits supply a variety of nutrients to a child's diet, especially vitamins A and C.  Fruit juice counts as a choice, but only about one-half to one cup is recommended each day (less for younger children and more for older children). While fruit juice can supply some vitamin C to the diet, it really isn't the nutrient storehouse it is often thought to be.

Children need at least three servings from the Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group each day. These foods are good sources of riboflavin, protein, and calcium - an important nutrient for growing bones. Most children over the age of two can switch to low fat milk, yogurt and cheese. Ice milk, pudding, custard, and cottage cheese can also be used as choices from this group.

Two servings from the Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group provides a growing body with protein, niacin, iron, and thiamin. Good choices in this group include lean beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, cooked beans and peas, peanut butter, eggs, and nuts.  Keep in mind that peanut butter, nuts, and seeds are a choking hazard to very young children and are not recommended. Hotdogs and lunchmeat are okay, but should be limited to once or twice a week since these foods are high in salt, fat, and nitrate.

So how do you get a child to eat all those food servings everyday?  Starting off each day with breakfast helps to assure that children get in all the recommended servings from each food group. Breakfast doesn't have to be big, and it doesn't have to be complex. It can be anything from toast, juice, and milk to last nights leftover pizza.  It's just important that a child have some nourishment before starting the day. Choosing breakfast foods from two or three of the food groups will help a child to start the day with a balanced meal.

Snacks play a big part in assuring that a child gets in all the recommended servings from each of the food groups everyday, too. While an occasional bag of chips or a cookie is perfectly okay, snacks should most often consist of foods from one or more of the food groups.  Snacks should also be spaced out between meals so they do not interfere with a child's appetite at mealtime.