Let the Pyramid Be Your Guide

Facts About Nutrition Labels The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture require nutritional information labels on almost all foods that are regulated by the FDA. An informational tool to help parents choose healthy foods to serve their children is the nutritional facts label.

Guidelines Once children turn 2, parents can use nutrition recommendations from the U.S. government to guide them in deciding what foods to serve. MyPyramid is an online tool to help determine recommended amounts to eat from each food group. Parents who have Internet access can visit type in child’s age, gender, and general activity level, to receive a basic feeding guide.

Pyramid Pointers 3 ounces of grain (for example bread, cereal, pitas, tortillas, pasta and rice ). At least 1 ½ ounces of that should be whole grain. An ounce is about one piece of bread, ½ cup of cereal, cooked pasta or rice. 1 cup of vegetables. Throughout the week the vegetables should vary, including dark green, orange, starchy, and other veggies; beans and peas. 1 cup of fruits. A variety of fruit is best. Fruit juice should be limited to about half of the total (4 to 6 ounces per day). Whole fruit is preferable to juice because it contains more fiber. 2 cups of milk or other dairy products. Low-fat or fat-free dairy products are recommended. 2 ounces of protein (for example low-fat meat or poultry, fish, beans, peas, nuts, soy and seeds). According to MyPyramid, a recommended daily food guide for a 2 year old child with an average activity level would be: *based on 1,000 caloric intake for a 2 year old.

Estimated Daily Calorie Needs To determine which food intake pattern to use for an individual, the following chart gives an estimate of individual calorie needs. The calorie range for each age/sex group is based on physical activity level, from sedentary to active. Children Sedentary Active 2–3 years 1,000 1,400 Females 4–8 years 1,200 1,800 9–13 1,600 2,200 14–18 1,800 2,400 19–30 2,000 2,400 31–50 1,800 2, ,600 2,200 Males 4–8 years 1,400 2,000 9–13 1,800 2,600 14–18 2,200 3,200 19–30 2,400 3,000 31–50 2,200 3, ,000 2,800 Sedentary means a lifestyle that includes only the light physical activity associated with typical day-to- day life. Active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking more than 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to the light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life. *Information obtained from MyPyramid.com website

Reducing the Fat Once your child is 2 years of age, it is recommended that you begin to limit fat to about 30% to 35% of her total calories. There is evidence that too much fat in the diet may cause heart disease and some cancers. The American Heart Association suggests offering your child lean forms of protein such as skinless white-meat chicken or turkey, soy products, beans, low-fat or fat- free milk, and egg whites or egg substitutes.

Fish and Shellfish Fish and shellfish are good for the heart. As long as allergies do not run in your family, you can serve fish to your 2 year old. If there is a chance your child may have an allergy to seafood, it is best to wait until she is 3 years old before giving her any. One concern about eating fish is that it contains mercury, which can be harmful in high levels. The U.S. government recommends young children not be given shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish to eat because they tend to have high levels of mercury. A child can eat 2 (two) servings per week of safer types of fish such has canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. Albacore (white) tuna has more mercury than light tuna and should count as 2 servings

Simple Snacks Snacks do not have to be “junk food”. With his growing body, your child needs all the nourishment he can eat. Remember to count snacks when you look at your child’s total diet. You have probably noticed that your child likes to snack. Most young children want a snack at least twice a day. Their tummies are too small to hold a lot of food at once. Young children like a variety of colors and textures in their food. Make snacks fun and inviting by cutting them into interesting shapes or serving them on cute plates.