Nutrition Guide for Children By Eden Alford, 4th grade

Why Balance? You are probably wondering, “How does food affect your body?” Signs of unbalanced diet include quickly gaining wait, loss of energy, and belly aches.

This is what your plate should look like.

Protein Protein is an important part of a child's diet. Protein is mostly found in meats. You can also find protein in cheese, nuts , peanut butter, and other dairy products.

Fruit Fruit is also an important part of a child's diet. The best type of fruit is fresh, canned, and frozen. I know what you are thinking, “What about the fruit juice?” I can tell you fruit juice is mostly just sugar. If you buy the 100% fruit juice, it is okay. You still shouldn’t have too much. Even if it is natural sugar, it is still not good for you.

Vegetables Fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables are the best kind of vegetables. It is easy to tell if you are having a good variety, all because of the color. If you are having different colors of vegetables, then you are having a good variety. You shouldn’t just eat corn and potatoes as your veggies. They are really starchy and not as good for you.

Grains Whole grains are the best grains. Rice, is a grain, but some rice has less nutritional value. Too much rice will make you gain weight. Good grains include: oatmeal, popcorn and quinoa. Quinoa is a grain that is plant- based.

Dairy Dairy is very important. You can eat cheese, yogurt, and many more dairy foods. The best dairy is milk. Even if you are on a diet, you can have coconut milk. If you are allergic to animal milk, drink soy milk. I outsmarted you--nobody can make excuses about not drinking milk now.

This is what girls ages nine to thirteen should eat: Ages 9 to 13: Daily Guidelines for Girls Calories 1,400-2,200, depending on growth and activity level Protein 4-6 ounces Fruits 1.5-2 cups Vegetables 1.5-3 cups Grains 5-7 ounces Dairy 2.5-3 cups

This is what boys ages nine to thirteen should eat: Calories 1,600-2,600, depending on growth and activity level Protein 5-6.5 ounces Fruits 1.5-2 cups Vegetables 2-3.5 cups Grains 5-9 ounces Dairy 3 cups

This is an educational video about parties in your tummy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Os-CACRwM8

Links This is a link about nutrition info This is the website my puppy picture came from http://ancientharvest.com/ancient-grains/organic-quinoa - / http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutritional-balance-1898.html http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/nutrition-for-kids/art-20049335 -