Maintaining good nutrition, exercise, and a healthy balanced diet is essential to children’s health. Teaching children about healthy eating habits at an early age will provide them with the guidelines for lifelong good health. To grow strong and healthy bodies, it is pertinent that children eat a variety of foods that provide nutrients. With food, children receive the energy they need to learn, play, and grow.
There are nutrients that are necessary to maintaining good health, these nutrients are carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, proteins, and fats. As children grow and develop it is important that their bodies receive the proper amount of nutrients. By eating the right portions from the five food groups and being physically active children will be on the path to good health. Many children in today’s society are becoming obese and are suffering from diseases like diabetes and heart disease, with proper nutrition and following the food pyramid, children and parents can make smart and beneficial food choices. The food pyramid suggests that we eat grains; vegetables; fruit; dairy; and meat and beans. Eating these types of foods as part of a healthy diet will promote a healthy and active lifestyle for children as they develop and grow.
There are games and activities that you can do with children to help them identify the food groups and classify which foods belong to each group. These games should be fun and educational so that children will be engaged and receptive to the information, this could be key to developing healthy eating trends for them. The activities should introduce the food groups to your child, so that they can get a start on knowing which foods are healthy for them.
For the Grain Group:
- Tell the children that grains have many nutrients that are significant in maintaining good health. Eating whole grains reduces the risk of heart disease, constipation, and can help you to with weight management. Also that, grains are important sources of many nutrients, including dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin,riboflavin, niacin, and folate), and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium). Grains are any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain. Whole grains include whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and brown rice. Children 2-3 years of age should have 3 ounces of grains, and children 4-8 should have 4-5 ounces of grains. An ounce of grain is equivalent to ½ cup cooked rice or 1 slice of bread.
- Read The little red hen to your children; this will give them an idea of the grain and bread making process. After the story play a making a baked treat sequencing game with them. On the template you should have a picture of the bread making process from start to finish on different cards. Give each child a template which they can color and create a baking story from beginning to end.
For the Vegetable Group:
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Tell the children that the vegetable group consists of any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned or dried/dehydrated. People who eat more vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Also, eating a diet rich in vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases. Eating a diet rich in vegetables may also reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. When you eat vegetables that are low in calories instead of some other higher-calorie food it may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake. For children 2-3 years old it suggested that they eat 1 cup of vegetables a day, while children 4-8 should have 1 ½ cups of vegetables a day.
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Play a game called Vegetables Up or Down with your children. Set out some pictures of different vegetables. Discuss with the children how each vegetable grows. Then have the children sort the vegetables, if the part of the vegetable that we eat grows above the ground then they get put in one pile, if the part we eat grows below ground then they go in another pile. Then sort the vegetables by color.
For a look at the food pyramid for preschoolers click here MyPyramid for Preschoolers. For a food pyramid for childre 6-11 years old, MyPyramid for Kids.
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