Young Childrens Diet

For kids aged 5 -12, the key word is variety. Creative serving ideas will go a long way towards maintaining the healthy eating habits established in the first years of life.

Typical minimum servings are…
Vegetables: 3 - 5 servings per day.
A serving might be one cup of raw leafy vegetables
¾ cup of vegetable juice (freshly squeezed)
½ cup of other vegetables either raw or cooked

Fruit: 2 - 4 servings per day.
A serving may consist of ½ cup of sliced fruit, ¾ cup of fruit juice (freshly squeezed), or a medium-size whole fruit, such as an apple, banana or pear.

Whole Grains: 6 -11 servings per day
Each serving should equal one slice of bread, ½ cup of rice or 30g of cereal.

Protein: 2 - 3 servings of 60 - 90 grams (¼ cup) of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish per day. A serving in this group may also consist of ½ cup of cooked dry beans or one egg. Dairy Products: 2-3 servings per day of 1 cup of low-fat milk or yoghurt, or 40 - 50 grams of cheddar cheese.

Zinc: A new study indicates that 20 milligrams of zinc five times a week may improve memory and school performance, especially in boys. Good sources of zinc are oysters, beef, pork, liver, dried beans and peas, whole grains, fortified cereals, nuts, milk, cocoa and poultry.