Food Needs
Source: Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall
Topics: Middle Years (5-9), Nutrition Information, more...
Meeting the food needs of middle childhood requires consumption of food in slightly greater quantities than at earlier years. Children will gradually increase serving sizes to meet the serving size recommendations from the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children to the general Food Guide Pyramid serving sizes. The number of servings will be similar to, and in some cases larger than, the adult serving size.
Recommended food intake according to food group and average serving sizes (ages 6 to 10 years)
| Food Group | Servings/Day* | Average Serving (ages 6 to 10) |
| Vegetables | 3–5 | |
| Emphasize green or yellow vegetables | 1/2 c* | |
| Fruits | 2–4 | |
| Vitamin C source (citrus fruits, berries, melons) | 1/2 c | |
| Breads and Cereals (Whole Grain) | 6–11 | |
| Bread | 1 slice | |
| Ready-to-eat cereals, whole grain, iron-fortified | 1 oz | |
| Cooked cereal including macaroni, spaghetti, rice, etc. (whole grain, enriched) | 1/2 c | |
| Milk and Milk Products | 3–4 | |
| Whole or 2% milk (1.5 oz cheese = 1 c milk) (c = 8 oz or 240 g) | 1 c | |
| Meat and Alternates | 3–4 including: | |
| Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs† | 2 | 3 oz |
| Nut butters (peanut, soynut) | 1–2§ | 4 Tbsp‡ |
| Cooked dried beans or peas | 1/2 c | |
| Nuts | 1 oz | |
| Fats and Oils | 3 | |
| Butter, margarine, mayonnaise, oils | 1 tsp |
*Allow a minimum service of 1 Tbsp/year of age for cooked fruits, vegetables, cereals, and pasta until the child reaches 1/2 c portion size or 8 years.
†To enhance overall nutrient content of diet, include eggs (two to three times a week) and liver occasionally.
‡Serving size recommended by Illinois State Board of Education, Department of Child Nutrition: Child Care Food Program—required meal patterns, Springfield, IL, June 1986, The Board.
§Include nut butters, dried (cooked) beans, or peas as often as possible to meet nutrient recommendations and use additional servings of meats when legumes, beans, and nuts are omitted.
Snacks
From ages 6 through 8, many children still consider snacks as treats; they may expect chips, cookies, toaster pastries, cupcakes, doughnuts, french fries, or soda for snacks. Reserve these foods for occasional treats and don't purchase these "goodies" every week. Additionally, if treats are offered on the menu, do not restrict intake even for overweight children. Table 6.5 lists snack food and nutrient composition. Snacks still supply needed calories and nutrients, but school-age children need only two snacks at about 200 calories each[4]. Regularly select nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables or whole grains, lean meats, or low-fat dairy, nuts, and nut butters. Good timing will keep meals and snacks from running together. Watch the clock, and be sure to offer snacks more than 1 1/2 hours from a planned meal. Also, brush teeth after snacks to prevent cavities or choose less sticky foods.
Specific recommendations to lower fat intake
| Use | Include Less Often |
| Skim milk, 1% milk | Whole milk |
| Yogurt, skim cottage cheese, low-fat sour cream and dips* | Dairy dips with sour cream |
| Fruit ices, sorbets, and low fat ice cream | Ice cream, prepared pudding |
| Low-fat meats | High-fat meats |
| Margarine (sparingly), low-fatmargarine (free of hydrogenated fat) | Butter, palm and coconut oil |
| Low-fat cheese* | High-fat cheese |
| Low-fat dressings | Regular oil- or fat-based dressings |
| Legumes, beans, and peas | High-fat meats, fried meats |
| Fruits and vegetables, fresh, or frozen, steamed | Deep-fried vegetables and fruit breads |
| Crackers or low-fat snack chips, pretzels, crusty bread low in saturated fat | Snack chips, crackers made with hydrogenated fats |
*Check labels for fat content.
Energy, fat, and fiber content for snack foods
| Food (serving size) | Total Kcal | Fat Kcal | Fat % Kcal | Fiber |
| Favorite snacks | ||||
| Snickers (1bar) | 280 | 153 | 55 | 1 |
| Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (2) | 270 | 149 | 55 | 1.5 |
| Chocolate chip cookie (1) | 52 | 21 | 40 | 0 |
| Poptart, S'mores, frosted (1) | 200 | 54 | 27 | 1 |
| Oreo (1) | 53 | 18 | 34 | 0.3 |
| Ice cream, 10% fat (1c) | 273 | 131 | 48 | 0 |
| Soda ( 12 oz) | 144 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Potato chips ( 1 oz) | 161 | 102 | 63 | 1 |
| Cheetos | 160 | 90 | 56 | 1.5 |
| Doritos | 140 | 63 | 45 | 1 |
| Recommended Snacks | ||||
| Apple (1 medium) | 81 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Soynuts (1/3 c) | 140 | 54 | 39 | 4 |
| Banana (1 medium) | 105 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Grapes (1c) | 107 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Orange (1) | 64 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Saltine crackers (6) | 78 | 19 | 24 | 0.6 |
| Graham cracker (4 squares) | 118 | 25 | 22 | 0.8 |
| Wheat multigrain cracker (4 small) | 58 | 23 | 31 | 0.4 |
| Yogurt, plain, low fat (1 c) | 155 | 34 | 22 | 0 |
| Triscuits, low fat (4) | 130 | 27 | 21 | 4 |
| Whole-wheat bagel with 2 tsp jelly | 188 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
Source: Information as interpreted from manufacturer's labels by the NDDA Laboratory, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 2002, and the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 15 (August 2002).
Excerpted From:
© 2004, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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