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Food Groups for Kindergarteners

The USDA (US Department of Agriculture) Food and Nutrition Service recommends that children aged 5 years and up should be eating between 1200 and 2000 calories a day from the five major food groups. As a guideline this is approximately 40 calories per pound of the child's weight.

  1. Guidelines

    • The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a balanced diet for kindergarten age children. The emphasis is on a low sugar and natural food diet, rather than processed, pre-packaged food.

    Grains

    • Children should be consuming approximately 6 ounces a day of whole grain carbohydrates from whole wheat bread, pasta and cereals. They advise making sure the word "whole" is listed on the packaging.

    Meats and Beans

    • Kindergartners should be getting about 5 ounces a day of protein from meats and beans like lean turkey, chicken, fish and nuts. Preferably the meat and fish should be baked, broiled or grilled, rather than fried.

    Vegetables

    • Children should be consuming two and a half cups a day of vegetables, either cooked at mealtime or eaten raw as a snack.

    Milk

    • For children up to the age of 8 it is advised they drink two cups of milk a day to get their recommended daily amount of calcium. For those over 8 it is three cups of milk a day.

    Fruits

    • The USDA recommends that kindergartners get at least one and a half cups of fruit a day but suggests that this be from fresh fruit rather than juice.

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