Kids Food Pyramid is made up of six main food groups.
- Grains – whole grains are a good source of fibre, iron, and other vitamins. Try to avoid refined grains like white bread or white rice.
- Vegetables – are another good source of fibre, folate, potassium, vitamins A, C and E.
- Fruit – are a great source of potassium, fibre, and vitamin C. Eating whole fruits is better than drinking 100% fruit juice.
- Milk – milk, cheese, yogurt and other diary provides kids with calcium, potassium, protein, and vitamin D. Low fat milk products with no added sugar are best.
- Meat and Beans – includes fish, poultry, eggs, and nuts are all good sources of protein, iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamins including E and vitamin B.
- Oils – is not a food group but is important part of your diet. Children should be given polyunsaturated or monosaturated olis or fats wherever possible. Avoid saturated or trans fats.
Eat lots of:
- Bread (preferably wholemail or grain avoid white bread)
- Wholewheat Cereals, rice or pasta
- Beans and lentils
- Fruit and vegetables
The kids food pyramid shows you need to eat a variety of these, don’t just eat one type.
Eat moderate amounts of:
- Dairy which includes milk, cheese, yoghurts
- Chicken and lean meat
- Fish
- Nuts
Are all good sources of protein, calcium from diary is important for strong bones, and iron gives us energy. Protein is important in helping to build strong muscles and for repairing the body when we injury ourselves.
Eat these foods only sometimes:
- Biscuits, chocolate, potato chips, icecream, or cakes
The kids food pyramid shows that this type of food doesn’t contain much nutrition, but can contain a lot of sugar and / or fat. Try to have these on rare occasions.
Fruits
- Eat a variety of fruit – frozen, fresh, canned or dried are better than fruit juice
Vegetables
- Eat dark green veggies e.g. cabbage, broccoli
- Other vegetables e.g. carrot, pumpkin, sweet potatoes
- Lentils, beans and peas
Calcium rich foods
- Choose low fat milk, low fat yoghurt, low fat cheese. If you can’t have milk you can choose lactose alternatives.
Whole Grains
- You should choose whole grain cereal, breads, crackers, pasta and rice. 1 ounce is equivalent to 1 slice of bread, or half a cup of cooked rice.
Protein
- Choose lean meats and poultry, or supplement with alternative sources of protein such as fish, peas, nuts, seeds and beans.
Fats, Sugar and Salt
- A lot of processed foods can be high in sugar, salt and fat.
- Look for foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats and choose polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats.
- Too much salt is not good for us.
- Some foods marked as “lite” or “diet” or “low fat” can have high sugar content. Sugars contribute to calories. The number of calories will depend on age and how active a lifestyle you have. Look at the labeling on the packaging if it has more than 400 calories per serving it is high in calories.
The kids food pyramid shows that you try to minimise the amount of fats, sugar and salt and your kid should eat these in the smallest quantity.Follow this link for more information on Kids Food Pyramid |
