How to Use Child Serving Sizes

A healthy diet is not just about what your child eats, but also how much she eats of each of the main food groups. By keeping her meals nutritious and serving appropriate portions from a young age, you are improving her chances of adopting healthy eating habits for the rest of her life.

Things You'll Need

  • Food scales
  • Measuring cup

Instructions

    • 1

      Visit the United States Department of Agriculture Choose My Plate website. Click on the links to view the charts for recommended daily servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, dairy and oils. Different daily servings are recommended depending on age, sex and level of physical activity. For example, a 5-year old child should consume the equivalent of 5 ounces of grains and 2.5 cups of dairy every day. View the chart for each of the six food groups and make a note of what is recommended for your child.

    • 2

      Plan your child's meals in advance to stay organized and ensure he is receiving the recommended daily servings of all food groups. Half of your child's plate at each meal should be fruits or vegetables, advises the Choose My Plate website. Kids Health suggests visualizing a plate when you prepare his meal. Imagine his plate split into four equal sections. One of the top sections should consist of protein. The other top section is for grains. Both bottom sections should be filled with vegetables, or a combination of fruits and vegetables. Take care not to let the sections overlap, or pile them too high.

    • 3

      Make healthy choices for each food group. Opt for lean protein, such as turkey or chicken. Twice per week, make fish the protein on your child's plate. Try to make at least half of the grains she eats whole grains, for example whole wheat pasta or wholemeal bread. Whole grains are more nutritious than refined grains. Give your child a cup of milk with her meal to meet her daily dairy requirements. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children over the age of 2 drink only low-fat milk (1 percent or 2 percent fat).

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