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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
We've
all heard the news - children are becoming obese at
a rate never seen before. Is it any wonder with the
availability of "Super Sized" fries, soft
drinks, and the likes? Common sense tells us that
children do not need adult size portions of these
fast food goodies let alone an extra portion of fat
and sugar.
Many
parents and caregivers do not understand what a "Child
Size" serving of food is for toddlers and preschoolers.
Worse, when we set out a plate of food for our children
we do so with servings adequate for an adult and expect
the child to eat most, if not all of it. And if they
don't eat what we consider right, we fret needlessly
that they are not getting the proper nutrients they
need.
So
just what is a proper child sized serving?
Children have very small stomachs and they should
not be expected to eat adult size portions. "There
is a wide variation in portions of foods consumed
by preschoolers. That's why a child-size portion is
anywhere from one-half to the full size for foods
in each food group, as indicated in Canada's Food
Guide to Healthy Eating., says Health Canada in Canada's
Food Guide Focus on Preschoolers. "Generally
the size of portion increases with age. For example,
a two-year-old may eat a half slice of bread, whereas
a four-year-old is more likely to eat a whole slice.
Both of these can be counted as one child-size serving
of Grain Products."
Toddlers
By age two, a child should be eating a variety of
foods from all the food groups. Suggested serving
sizes for toddlers include 1/2 slice of bread, 2 crackers,
1/4 cup pasta or rice, 1/4 cup cooked vegetable, 1/2
banana, 1/2 cup of juice, 1/2 cup of milk or yogurt,
and 1 ounce of meat, chicken, or fish.
Preschool
By the time a child is four, the adult-sized portions
recommended by the Food Guide Pyramid apply. Although
total food need nearly matches that of an adult (the
average 4-6 year-old needs about 1800 daily calories),
a smaller stomach necessitates frequent meals and
snacks.
Range
of Serving in Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating
Grain Products: 5-12
servings per day
- ½
- 1 slice of bread
- 15
- 30 g cold cereal*
- 1/3
-3/4 cup (75-175 ml) hot cereal
- ¼
- ½ bagel, pita or bun ½ -
- 1
muffin 4 - 8 soda crackers *
Vegetables
and Fruit - 5-10 servings per day
- ½
- 1 medium size vegetable or fruit
- ¼-½
cup (50-125 ml) fresh, frozen or canned vegetables
or fruit
- ½-1
cup (125-250ml) salad
- ¼-½
cup (50-125 ml) juice Milk Products -2-4 servings
per day
Meat
and Alternatives - 2-3 servings per day
- 25-50
g meat, fish or poultry
- 1
egg
- ¼-½
cup (50-125ml) beans
- ¼-1/3
cup (50-100 ml) tofu
Preschoolers
will generally choose the lower number of servings
daily for food groups.
What
does a serving size actually look like?
One of the easiest ways to judge food portions without
a scale is to use a child's hands. Here's how:
- A
thumb, from the bottom where it meets the
hand to the tip, equals one half of a serving of
cheese. Two thumbs then equals a serving.
- A
fist equals a serving of fruits, vegetables,
even yogurt.
- A
palm gives you the serving size of meat,
poultry or fish.
Portion
size does matter when it comes to what's on your child's
plate. Teaching children proper mealtime portions
will help them avoid super-sized appetites later in
life.
Do
you have a health question or tip you'd like to share
with our visitors. Why not post it in our Member's
Services Discussion forum?
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