The Basic Food Groups and Children's Nutrition

The way in which we feed our children determines how healthy they are. It also determines how well they grow and develop. Children need to be fed a variety of foods each day in order to ensure their physical, emotional, and intellectual health. All foods are from one of the basic food groups. Milk and cheese come from the dairy group, for example, and green beans come from the vegetable group. Bread comes from the grain group and beef comes from the meat group. Chocolate comes from the fat and sugars group. Our children need so many servings per day from each of these food groups to maintain good health.

All of the food groups are equally as important as the others. They all consist of foods that your body needs to be healthy, with the exception of the fat and sugars group. The amount of servings we have of fatty and sugary foods should be minimal. The amount of fatty or sugary things we allow our children to eat should one or less per day. A little bit of fat is needed. So is a little bit of sugar. However these two things when eaten often or too much can result in health problems including obesity.

Many of the most commonly eaten foods are from the grains group. Breads, cereals, and pastas are all from the grains group. Children need eight to nine servings from the grains group per day. I think the actual recommendation is 6 to 11. One slice of bread is equal to one serving. A sandwich contains two servings. A bowl of cereal contains one. A muffin another. They add up quickly! When you are choosing breads and cereals choose whole grain products which offer the most grain per serving.

The fruit group is the sweetest group. Fruits are naturally sweet and delicious. They are also naturally nutritious. Fruit contain many vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Children should be eating at least four servings of fruit per day. Fruits can be offered with each meal, and as snack too. There are so many types of fruit that it is one of the easy food group requirements to meet.

The vegetable group is also very important. Four servings of vegetables are needed per day to ensure optimal health. Adding cheese is a great way to make veggies more appealing to children. They can also sneak into pasta dishes. Cooking vegetables with meat gives them a great taste. You can add herbs and spices to give them a little zest as vegetables are known for being bland.

Another of the food groups is the meats and protein group. Three to four servings of meat are needed per day. Eggs and nuts fall into this group because of the protein they contain. Chicken is poultry, but is still included in the meats group, as is fish.

The dairy group is last but not least. Milk, chesses, and yogurts are all from the dairy group. Three to four servings of dairy are needed per day to ensure good health and strong bones. It's easy to meet the dairy group requirements. Kids love dairy products.

Those are the basic food groups. Children need so many serving from each of the basic food groups per day to be healthy. Thanks for reading and take care!