Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children

Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children
A Daily Guide for 2- to 8-Year-Olds

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	Grains Make half your grains whole • Look for the word "whole" in front of the grain name on the list of ingredients
	Vegetables Vary your vegetables • Eat more dark vegetables • Eat more orange vegetables • Eat more dry beans and peas
	Fruits Focus on fruits • Eat a variety of fruits • Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit • Go easy on fruit juices
	Oils Know your fats • Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils • Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard
	Milk Get your calcium-rich foods • Go low-fat or fat-free • If you don't or can't consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources
	Meat & Beans Go lean on protein • Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry • Bake it, broil it, or grill it • Vary your sources with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds

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If allergies run in your family, you may want to delay the introduction of highly allergenic foods — like peanut butter, nuts, and fish — until your child is 3 or 4 years old.

Give your child a variety of foods in each of the food groups (bananas for one fruit serving, grapes for another; eggs for one protein serving, meat for another, for example). And offer whole or mixed-grain products for the majority of your child's grain servings each day.

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Adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

Go to ParentCenter's nutrition guidelines for 2- to 4-year-olds or older kids to learn more about your child's eating habits.

Copied from Babycenter.com

Ranking Organics

When Kyle was born, and even when I was pregnant with him, I really had not done much research into organic produce. But now that he is eating everything, and I am again eating for two, it seems even more important these days.

I recently went to a great 4-session cooking class that I would highly recommend for anyone living in the Bay Area. It is taught by Jeff Wampler of Eclecdish, a stay-at-home dad who attended the same support group as I through our local hospital. The course is designed for Busy Parents, and I did learn a lot of great tips. In addition, he focused on purchasing produce from local farmer's markets, to ensure that foods are in season and fresh, rather than shipped from across the world! He also mentioned the following list of foods, and their ranking in regards to pesticide contamination. For those who can't find/afford to buy ALL organics, you can definitely decide which ones are a priority for you. For example, with onions being at the bottom of the list, Jeff isn't too concerned about buying non-organic onions. It's up to you to make the decision of where you make the cut... Happy shopping and eating!

http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

Fact or Fiction

I've already been buying organics as much as possible to reduce our consumption of pestidices, etc, but now I just read another reason to buy organic!


It’s a fact . . . according to a recent report from the Organic Center called “Still No Free Lunch: Nutrient Levels in US food supply eroded by pursuit of high yields.” Evidently, US Department of Agriculture reports show that compared with 50 years ago, we now have more abundant grains, fruit and vegetable crops, but lower levels of vitamins and minerals in these foods.

Studies have found 10–25% lower levels of iron, zinc, protein, calcium, vitamin C. And experts suggest the same is likely true for levels of other phytochemicals.

Why? Modern conventional farming relies on heavy use of fertilizers, close plant spacing, and high use of pesticides. These chemicals and farming methods make the plants grow faster but as a result, the plants don’t develop deep roots or develop their own defenses to fight off harsh conditions on their own. The result: Lower nutrient concentrations.

How to find more nutritious produce? Eat organic. According to the report, organic farming produces lower yields but organic crops have higher levels of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals—up to 20% more minerals, and up to 30% more antioxidants. More nutritional bang for your buck—another reason to choose organic foods for yourself and your family.

Taken from an email newsletter from HappyBaby

Age-by-age guide to feeding your toddler

Kyle has been eating lots since the last post, I've just been finding it difficult to sit down with all of the excitement of the holidays. Now that life is returning to "normal" I thought it would be good to share these tables that I just found on Babycenter.com In addition to sharing my own experiences, I thought it would be helpful to gather together all of the tips I have found in numerous places online.

Of course, these are just suggestions, and you know best what your toddler likes. In addition, when in doubt, any questions should be referred to your child's doctor!

Age: 12 to 18 months
Signs of readiness for self-feeding • Can start to use a spoon himself (though proficiency will take a while!)
What to feed • Whole milk • Other dairy (soft pasteurized cheese, full-fat yogurt and cottage cheese) • Same food as family, mashed or chopped into bite-size pieces • Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals) • Other grains (whole wheat bread, pasta, rice) • New fruits: melon, papaya, apricot, grapefruit (citrus is now okay) • New vegetables: broccoli and cauliflower "trees" • Protein (eggs; cut-up or ground meat, poultry, boneless fish; tofu; beans; thinly spread smooth peanut butter) • Citrus and non-citrus juice • Honey is now okay	How much per day • 2 to 3 servings dairy (1 serving = ½ cup milk, ½ to 1 oz. cheese, 1/3 to ½ cup yogurt or cottage cheese) • 4 to 6 servings cereals and other grains (1 serving = ¼ to 1/3 cup cereal, ¼ cup pasta or rice, ¼ to ½ slice bread or bagel) • ¼ to ½ cup fruit • ¼ to ½ cup vegetables • 2 servings protein (1 serving = 2 tablespoons ground or two 1-inch cubes meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; ¼ cup tofu or cooked beans; 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter) • 3 to 4 oz. juice
Feeding tips • Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your child's not allergic. • Choking hazards are still a danger. Learn more about foods to watch out for.

Age: 18 to 24 months
Feeding skills to look for • Self-feeding • Food phrases like "more" and "all done"
What to feed • Whole milk • Other dairy (natural hard cheese, soft pasteurized cheese, full-fat yogurt and cottage cheese, pudding) • Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oat, mixed cereals) • Other grains (whole wheat bread and crackers, cut-up bagels, pretzels, rice cakes, ready-to-eat cereals, pasta, rice) • Fruit, cooked, canned or fresh, cut up or sliced (apples, bananas, peaches, strawberries, pears, cherries, grapes, plums, oranges, grapefruit) • Dried fruit, soaked until soft so it won't pose a choking hazard (apples, apricots, peaches, pears, dates, pitted prunes, raisins) • Vegetables, cooked and mashed or diced (carrots, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, yams, potatoes, peas) • Protein (eggs; cut-up or ground meat, poultry, boneless fish; tofu; beans; smooth peanut butter) • Combo foods like macaroni and cheese, casseroles • Fruit and vegetable juices	How much per day • 2 to 3 servings dairy (1 serving = ½ cup milk; ½ to 1 oz. cheese; 1/3 to ½ cup yogurt or cottage cheese; ¼ cup pudding) • 6 servings grains (1 serving = ¼ to ½ slice bread or bagel; 1 or 2 crackers; ¼ cup pasta or rice; 1/3 to ½ cup cooked or ready-to-eat cereal) • 2 to 3 servings fruit (1 serving = ¼ cup cooked or canned, ½ piece fresh; 1/8 cup dried; ¼ to ½ cup juice) • 2 to 3 servings vegetables (1 serving = 1 to 2 tablespoons) • 2 servings protein (1 serving = 2 tablespoons ground or two 1-inch cubes meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; ¼ cup tofu or cooked beans; 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter)
Feeding tips • Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your child's not allergic. • Choking hazards are still a danger. Learn more about foods to watch out for.

Age: 24 to 36 months
Feeding skills to look for • Self-feeding • Eagerness to make own food choices
What to feed • Low-fat milk • Other dairy (diced or grated cheese; low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding) • Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals) • Other grains (whole wheat bread and crackers, cut-up bagels, pretzels, rice cakes, ready-to-eat cereal, pasta, rice) • Fruits, sliced fresh or canned • Dried fruit, soaked until soft so it won't pose a choking hazard (apples, apricots, peaches, pears, dates, pitted prunes, raisins) • Vegetables, cooked and cut up • Protein (eggs; cut-up or ground meat, poultry, boneless fish; tofu; beans; smooth peanut butter) • Combo foods like macaroni and cheese, casseroles • Fruit and vegetable juices	How much per day One serving for a child this age is about ¼ the size of an adult serving. • 2 to 3 servings dairy (1 serving = ½ cup milk; ½ to ¾ oz. cheese; ½ cup yogurt; ¼ to ½ cup cottage cheese; ¼ cup pudding) • 6 servings grains (1 serving = ½ slice bread or bagel; 1 or 2 crackers; ¼ to ½ cup pasta or rice; 1/3 to ½ cup cooked or ready-to-eat cereal) • 2 to 3 servings fruit (1 serving = ¼ cup cooked or canned, ½ piece fresh, or ¼ to ½ cup juice) • 2 to 3 servings vegetables (1 serving = 2 to 3 tablespoons) • 2 servings protein (1 serving = 2 tablespoons ground or two 1-inch cubes meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; ¼ cup tofu or cooked beans; 1 tablespoon peanut butter)
Feeding tips • Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your child's not allergic. • Choking hazards are still a danger. Learn more about foods to watch out for. • Your child may seem to eat less than before — that's perfectly normal at this stage. If you wonder whether he's getting enough calories, use this guideline: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your child get about 40 calories a day for every inch of height.