When it comes to eating, kids are not little adults. They require different amounts of almost all nutrients, in particular protein because they are growing so much, and calcium for strong bones and teeth. And if your kids love to eat eggs smothered in ketchup, pasta without a dab of sauce, and celery stuffed with peanut butter, you’re tuned in to the fact that kids have, well, unique food preferences too.
That’s why the U.S Department of Agriculture recently adapted its original Food Guide Pyramid to suit youngsters. The Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children targets kids 2 to 6 years old because studies have shown that a child’s early experiences with food help determine lifelong eating habits. To promote the pyramid concepts, the government is sending posters to grade schools, offers it on a Web site and has struck deals with 12 “industry partners” such as Dole, Dannon and Kellogg’s .
“Compared to the original pyramid, it’s much more child-friendly,” says Dr. William Cochran, associate professor of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Penn State Geisinger Health System in Danville. “Kids can tell just by looking at it what their diet should look like.”
Chip off the old block
The kids’ pyramid “is very similar in concept and appearance to its older relative,” says Jackie Haven, the nutritionist at the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion who helped develop the younger version. It too has five food groups and emphasizes eating a variety of foods from each.
But based on feedback from parents and caregivers, certain common-sense changes were made to help kids use the food pyramid.
Names of the food groups were shortened: For example, the “bread, cereal, rice, grain and pasta group” in the adults’ pyramid is called “the grain group” in the children’s.
The number of recommended servings for each food group is listed as a single number rather than a range. A child should eat at least this number of servings from each food group every day.
The foods depicted in each food group, like waffles, peas, 100 percent juice boxes and peanut butter, are foods commonly eaten by 2- to 6-year-olds. And each food illustration shows what a single serving would look like.
The suggested serving sizes for the younger kids are smaller too. Although older children can be given amounts similar to those listed in the original Food Guide Pyramid, you should offer kids between the ages of 2 and 3 about 2/3 of the suggested portion (see accompanying story). But kids of all ages should still have at least two full servings from the milk group every day.
In an effort to change the fact that one in every five kids in the U.S. is overweight, the new pyramid is surrounded by pictures of boys and girls being active: playing soccer, jumping rope, walking a dog.
Pyramid tradition
The pyramid is supposed to be an intuitively understood concept: Foods that form the base of the pyramid should form the bulk of a person’s diet. Foods at the very top should be consumed sparingly. The pyramid reflects the attitudes of the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are revised every five years.
The pyramid’s foundation, the grain group, includes carbohydrate-rich foods children need for energy such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, waffles, crackers and tortillas. Encourage your child (and yourself, for that matter) to consume whole-grain products to get the benefits of fiber. Most of a child’s diet, at least six servings a day, should come from this food group.
The next level holds the vegetable group and the fruit group, which includes fruit juice. Children need a total of five servings daily from a combination of foods in these groups, which provide a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants. Again, whole foods rather than processed ones are best.
Above that are the high-protein milk group and meat group. Children need at least two servings every day from the milk group to ensure sufficient calcium for bones and teeth. The meat group includes fish and other animal meats, as well as non-meat foods such as eggs, peanut butter, beans, nuts and seeds. Children need at least two daily servings from the meat group to support the continuous growth that occurs during childhood.
At very tip of the pyramid is the fats and sweets category, which is where soft drinks, candy, butter and salad dressings hang out. Because foods in this category provide lots of calories with few nutrients, the top of the pyramid is a place to visit only occasionally, and ideally only after the recommended servings on the lower levels have been consumed.
Pointers for parents
Dietitian Haven has some suggestions for introducing you and your kids to the pyramid.
– Be patient when you introduce foods from each of the food groups to your child. Studies have found that it takes at least 10 offerings before kids will even taste it.
– Use the food pyramid to plan your child’s meals. At breakfast and lunch, offer foods from three or more food groups; at dinner offer foods from four or more groups. For snacks, try foods from two groups. Keep in mind that younger kids may need two snacks in addition to their three regular meals.
– When shopping, let your child pick out a new vegetable and fruit for your family to try. Let her help you store the new foods in your refrigerator at home.
– Set out foods from each of the food groups and let children create their own snack. Then ask them which groups the items they picked represent.
– Be a role model. Children learn more about healthful eating and exercise from watching what adults do, rather than listening to what they say. Eat meals with your children as often as possible. Try new ways of preparing foods. And be sure that you walk, run and play with your children.
WHAT’S IN A SERVING?
The following are standard serving sizes tailored for adults and children as young as 4. Offer 2- to 3-year-olds about 2/3 of these amounts, except for dairy: Kids of all ages should have at least two full servings.
Grain group
1 slice bread
1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta
1/2 cup cooked cereal
1 ounce cereal
Vegetable group
1/2 cup chopped raw or cooked vegetables
1 cup raw leafy vegetables
Fruit group
1 piece fruit
1/2 cup canned fruit
3/4 cup 100 percent fruit juice
1/4 cup dried fruit
Milk group
(When children reach age 2, parents can gradually switch to reduced-fat or low-fat dairy products, which should be accomplished by age 5.)
1 cup milk or yogurt
2 ounces cheese
Meat group
2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish
1/2 cup cooked dry beans or canned beans
1 egg (counts as 1 ounce of lean meat)
2 tablespoons peanut butter (counts as 1 ounce of meat)
