Nutrition Serving Sizes and Tips for Children

24. December 2011 · 9 comments · Categories: Better Nutrition for Picky Eaters! · Tags:
Do you worry about your child’s nutritional intake?  Most children will go through “food strikes” or might be completely disinteresting in eating certain food groups (meat, dairy, vegetables, and fruit).   Does this sound familiar?  If it does, I am sure you are worried your child might not be getting the nutrients he or she needs.  Below is a table with age appropriate portion sizes and servings from 2 to 12 years of age.
Small bodies have constantly changing appetites which will greatly vary hour to hour and day to day.  The table below is a guide.  Please trust your child’s hunger and fullness ques.  Most kids will eat 4-6 meals in a day with snacks significantly contributing to the total calories consumed in a day.
Age
2 to 3 yr
4 to 6 yr
7 to 12 yr
Food
Portion Size
Servings
Portion Size
Servings
Portion Size
Servings
Milk and dairy
½ c
4-5
½ to ¾
3-4
½-1 c
3-4
Meat, fish, poultry, or equivalent
1-2 oz
2
1-2 oz
2
2 oz
3-4
Vegetables
Cooked
2-3 tbsp
4-5
3-4 tbsp
4-5
¼ – ½ c
3-4
Raw
Few pieces
Few pieces
Several Pieces
Fruit
Raw
½-1 small
 4-5
½-1 small
 4-5
1 medium
 3-4
Canned
2-4 tbsp
4-6 tbsp
¼-½ c
Juice
3-4 oz
4 oz
4 oz
Whole grain or enriched bread
½-1 slice
3-4
1 slice
3-4
1 slice
4-5
Cooked cereal
¼-½ c
½ c
½-1 c
Dry cereal
½-1 c
1 c
1 c
*Do NOT give raw vegetables to young children until they can chew well.
(Source: A Parent’s Guide to Obesity (© 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics)
The table above is full of great information but what if your child is missing a major food group because of food strikes?  Below are examples:
Tips for the Meat Striker:
  • Offer egg, beans, and cheese
  • Try cutting your meat differently (long thin strips)
  • Cook juicy tender dark meat of poultry
  • Offer leafy greens for additional iron.  Bake kale chips or finely dice kale/spinach into sauces, soups, casseroles, omelets, etc.
  • Add finely cut meat and poultry into casseroles, sauce, soups, pizza, tacos
  • Puree cooked dry beans into soups, sauces, and casseroles
  • Add House of Herbs Blackstrap Molasses to oatmeal, syrups, etc for added iron
  • Offer seeds and nuts as snacks or grind up into baked goods.
  • Try different types of fish without bone
  • Offer iron fortified cereal
  • No pressure eating zones at table time!
Tips for the Milk Striker:
  • Offer cheese and yogurts
  • Add vitamin D drops to food or beverages
  • Use cheese and yogurts while cooking
  • Make smoothies and add some evaporated milk
  • Use milk instead of water when cooking hot cereals, pudding, etc.
  • Add evaporated milk to casseroles, bake goods, hot cereals, pudding, etc
  • Offer chocolate milk
  • Allow the child to pour milk from a small container and drink from a straw
Tips for the Vegetable and Fruit Striker:
  • Always offer a variety of veggies and fruit.  If your child refuses veggies, give more fruit.  If your child refuses fruit, give more veggies.
  • Cut the veggies and fruit in different shapes
  • Substitute pureed carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, applesauce to baked goods for oil
  • Add diced or pureed veggies to soups and sauces
  • Add fresh fruit diced to cold and hot cereals
  • Coat slices of banana with pancake mix and cook
  • Let your child eat frozen fruit and veggies
  • Puree fruit (mango, berries, banana) and thin with carrot juice or apple juice to make homemade popsicles.  Try all mango with a swirl of strawberry, yogurt, or whole blueberries
General Nutrition Tips:
  • When do your children have the biggest appetite?  This is the meal you should offer the foods they are currently striking.  Don’t forget to offer a favorite food!
  • Don’t wait till the end of the day to pack in the nutrition.  Kids are usually tired and possibly cranky.
  • Keep your meals on a schedule.
  • Serve dessert with the meal to make it less important.
  • Don’t short order cook for your children.  They eat what you cook, period.
  • Do not snack within an hour of the meal.
  • Limit juice consumption because it will fill your child up fast and they will not eat well.
  • Provide pleasant family meals free of TV, cell, computer use.  It is a time for fun conversation without criticism.
  • Let the child decide what and how much he or she will eat.
  • Trust your child‘s hunger level.
  • Let children help with meal planning and preparation.

For more information on picky eating therapy click here!