Let the Pyramid Be Your Guide

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Let the Pyramid Be Your Guide
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Facts About Nutrition Labels
An informational tool to help parents choose
healthy foods to serve their children is the
nutritional facts label.

• 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.

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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
  www.mypyramid.gov, type in childs age, gender,
  and general activity level, to receive a basic
  feeding guide.

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Pyramid Pointers
According to MyPyramid, a recommended daily food
guide for a 2 year old child with an average
activity level would be

• 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).

based on 1,000 caloric intake for a 2 year old.
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Estimated Daily Calorie NeedsTo 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
• 23 years 1,000 1,400
• Females
• 48 years 1,200 1,800
• 913 1,600 2,200
• 1418 1,800 2,400
• 1930 2,000 2,400
• 3150 1,800 2,200
• 51 1,600 2,200
• Males
• 48 years 1,400 2,000
• 913 1,800 2,600
• 1418 2,200 3,200
• 1930 2,400 3,000
• 3150 2,200 3,000
• 51 2,000 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
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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.

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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

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Simple Snacks
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.

• 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 childs total diet.

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.