Kids Cuisine

Last week the United States Department of Agriculture unveiled a special pyramid specifically for the preschool aged child. While they formerly had a pyramid for children, the preschool group, ages 2 to 5, have a different set of needs than a 7-year old might.  MyPyramid for Preschoolers is an interactive website, full of tips and advice for raising a healthy preschooler.   To use MyPyramid, you enter your child’s name, age, and the amount of physical activity they get on average per day, and then a personalized pyramid pops up to show you what your child should be eating over the course of a day.

I put in my son Zander’s information, with over 60 minutes of activity on any given day.  His pyramid stated that on an average day, he should be eating 5 ounces of grains, 2 cups of vegetables, 1.5 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk and 5 ounces of protein. I appreciate that the site also states that this is a guideline, and it isn’t necessary to be strict to it every single day - spreading it out over several days is just fine.  To be honest, I was a bit surprised by the amounts - 5 ounces of protein over the course of one day isn’t as much as you would think.  Zander is not a big protein eater, so I’m thrilled to know that the small amounts he does eat is probably just right for his growing body.

Overall, I am thrilled with the website. There are plenty of tips for those who may need them, and it even has a section devoted to picky eaters.  Both MyPyramid for Preschoolers and MyPyramid for Kids are invaluable resources to parents who need to know how much their children should be eating.  I’ve learned that both my children need to decrease the fruit a touch, and replace them with vegetables.  I’ve also learned that 3 of the 5 grain ounces should be whole grains.  We’ll be working on that one. 

As the weather changes and takes a turn towards winter, and the activities become a little lighter, we’ll be checking in with the MyPyramid resources and adjusting accordingly.  A worthwhile resource to keep bookmarked, we can all do our part to combat childhood obesity and choose smart foods to keep our children’s bodies moving.